THE LANGUAGE OF POLITICS

AND POLITICAL DISCOURSEPhoto: Otago Daily times NZPA, and www.Greenpeace.org

POLITICS CAN BE VIEWED

FROM TWO PERSPECTIVESCHILTON (2004)

Photo: dailymail.co.uk

A STRUGGLE FOR POWER

Between those who

seek to assert power

Between those who

seek to resist power

Photo: www.greenpeace.org and www.abc.net.au

OR AS COOPERATIONMoney

Interest

liberty

Resources

The practices and institutions

that a society has for resolving

clashes of interest

Fairclough says that it is more effective to

‘exercise power through the manufacture of

consent... or at least acquiescence towards it’

(1989).

This is done through persuasion and through the

establishment of a dominant ideology as the

right state of affairs

STRATEGIES USED TO CONSTITUTE A

SPECIFIC DISCOURSE COMMUNITY

Coercion

Resistance

Dissimilation

(De)Legitimisation

A WORD ABOUT CONTEXT

Political discourse relies heavily on context.

We need to have some understanding of the previous

discourse- intertextuality

We need to understand the concepts being discussed-

sociocultural knowledge

We need to understand the speaker’s role and the role of

the medium they use

THE AUCKLAND SUPERCITY AND MAYORAL ELECTIONS

Communist League Announces Mayoral CandidateFriday, 6 August 2010, 10:17 am- Press Release: Communist League http://

www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1008/S00074/communist-league-announces-mayoral-candidate.htm

The Communist League is running Annalucia Vermunt as its candidate for mayor of Auckland in the October 9 local elections. She is also standing for city council in the Manukau Ward. Patrick Brown is representing the Communist League in the Maungakiekie Ward. “I am standing on a programme to defend the rights and living standards of workers and all working people,” said Vermunt, a meat worker, who is an active union member and campaigner for Maori rights. “The plan to amalgamate Auckland into a so-called Super City will strengthen the hand of the ruling rich over working people, increase the bureaucratic powers of council, and provide cover for deeper attacks on wages, conditions, and jobs for workers in the city,” she said. “Working people are beginning to live through times of tremendous economic crisis and social dislocation, like we haven’t experienced in decades,” Vermunt explained.“I will use my campaign, and my office if elected, to support all workers’ struggles.” “The drive to launch more wars is part and parcel of the capitalist system in its decline,” Vermunt said. “I call for the withdrawal of all New Zealand troops from Afghanistan – along with U.S. and allied forces.” Vermunt added, “A central message of my campaign is that workers need to take political power from the ruling class of billionaire capitalist families.”

Communist League Announces Mayoral Candidate

Coercion: ways, including commands and agenda setting, of making assumptions about realities that hearers are forced to accept, at least temporarily

“The plan to amalgamate Auckland into a so-called Super City will strengthen the hand of the ruling rich over working people, increase the bureaucratic powers of council, and provide cover for deeper attacks on wages, conditions, and jobs for workers in the city,” she said.

“Working people are beginning to live through times of tremendous economic crisis and social dislocation, like we haven’t experienced in decades,” Vermunt explained.

“The drive to launch more wars is part and parcel of the capitalist system in its decline,

Communist League Announces Mayoral Candidate

Resistance, opposition and protest- slogans, rallies etc. That resist existing power structures.

“I call for the withdrawal of all New Zealand troops from Afghanistan – along with U.S. and allied forces.”

Vermunt added, “A central message of my campaign is that workers need to take political power from the ruling class of billionaire capitalist families.”

Communist League Announces Mayoral Candidate

Dissimulation: concerned with the control of information through euphemisms and so on

“I am standing on a programme to defend the rights and living standards of workers and all working people,”

“I will use my campaign, and my office if elected, to support all workers’ struggles.”

Communist League Announces Mayoral Candidate

Legitimisation/ delegitimisation: where actors assert their right to be obeyed as legitimate actors; it invests authority in the actor and delegitimisation projects negative other –representation

“The plan to amalgamate Auckland into a so-called Super City will strengthen the hand of the ruling rich over working people, increase the bureaucratic powers of council, and provide cover for deeper attacks on wages, conditions, and jobs for workers in the city,”

“The drive to launch more wars is part and parcel of the capitalist system in its decline,” Vermunt said. “I call for the withdrawal of all New Zealand troops from Afghanistan – along with U.S. and allied forces.”

“A central message of my campaign is that workers need to take political power from the ruling class of billionaire capitalist families.”

CONCLUSION

Political discourse is concerned with either the struggle between those who seek to assert power and those who seek to resist, or the structures adopted to stops clashes of interest

The context that the political discourse occurs is important to the meaning made

Four main strategies are employed to create or maintain a specific discourse community

LAST THOUGHTS

I found it difficult to isolate political discourse as I have come to accept this type of discourse for what it is

I would feel that someone who did not use these strategies to assert power would not be a very good politician

REFERENCES

Chilton, P. (2004). Analysing political discourse: Theory and practice. London: Routledge.

Chilton, P., & Shaffner, C. (1997). Discourse and politics. In T. V. Dijk (Ed.),

Discourse as social interaction (pp. 206-230). London: Sage.

Fairclough, N. (1989). Language and power. London: Longman.