englisch political speech

Leave (to vote Leave in the 2016 referendum; opposite: Remain)

die Briten/-innen, die nicht mehr zur EU gehören wollen

Remain (to vote Remain in the 2016 referendum)

die Briten/-innen, die noch zur EU gehören möchten

negotiation (talks; negotiate (v))

Verhandlung

upheaval (great change after trouble/difficulty)

Aufruhr; Umbruch

to leave a light on (welcome/keep the door open)

offen/aufgeschlossen bleiben; willkommen heißen; freundlich bleiben

biased (not objective; showing an unreasonable preference/dislike)

einseitig; voreingenommen

(political) leaning (political orientation; tendency)

politische Orientierung/Ausrichtung

to exaggerate (to overstate)

übertreiben

to overturn (to change a legal/political decision so it’s no longer in effect)

umstürzen

sovereignty (independence/state power; sovereign (adj/n))

Herrschaft; Souveränität; Staatshoheit

bespoke (made specifically for a person/organisation/country/purpose)

maßgeschneidert; vereinbart

editorial (article expressing an editor’s view)

Leitartikel

register (formal/informal style of language)

Sprachebene

domestic issue (topic “at home”; Innenpolitik)

innenpolitisches Thema; innenpolitische Frage

to devolve (decentralise; opposite: centralise)

dezentralisieren

national assembly (parliament/assembly)

Nationalversammlung

legislation (process/body of laws)

Gesetze; Gesetzgebung

as a whole (as one single unit/group)

als Ganzes; im Ganzen

electorate (all people allowed to vote)

Wählerschaft

to examine (to inspect/check; exam/examination)

untersuchen; prüfen

bill (draft law)

Gesetzesentwurf

Shadow Cabinet (opposition’s alternative to the government)

Oppositionskabinett; Schattenkabinett

MP (= Member of Parliament) (member of the House of Commons)

Unterhausabgeordnete/-r (UK)

Prime Minister (head of the government)

Premierminister/-in

constitutional monarchy (ceremonial monarch + democratic constitution)

konstitutionelle Monarchie

parliamentary democracy (focus on stressing the 2nd syllable in “democracy”)

parlamentarische Demokratie

largely (mainly; to a great extent)

größtenteils; weitgehend

constitution (basic law; constitutional (adj))

Verfassung

to evolve (to develop; evolution (n))

(sich) entwickeln

gradually (over time)

allmählich; langsam

to reduce (to decrease; reduction (n))

reduzieren; vermindern; verringern

monarch (sovereign = king/queen)

Monarch/-in

to strengthen (to improve; stronger/better; strength (n))

stärken

head of state (official leader of a country)

Staatsoberhaupt

to appoint sb (to charge sb with a task/function)

jdn. ernennen; jdn. berufen

Supreme Court (highest federal court of law)

Oberster Gerichtshof

judge (justice; to judge → judgement)

Richter/-in

to represent (to stand for)

repräsentieren; darstellen; stehen für

first-past-the-post (only candidate with most votes wins constituency)

Mehrheitswahl

House of Commons (lower house; Prime Minister’s Question Time held here)

(UK) Unterhaus

constituency (area/town represented by an MP)

Wahlkreis; Wählerschaft

House of Lords (upper house; State Opening takes place here)

(UK) Oberhaus

peer (member of the House of Lords; life/hereditary peer)

Mitglied des britischen Oberhauses

to elect (to vote for; election → electorate)

wählen

hereditary (passed down in the family; inheritance → inherit)

mit ererbtem Titel; Erb-

Conservatives (Tories) (UK major right-wing party)

die Konservativen

Labour Party (UK major left-wing party)

Labour-Partei; Arbeiterpartei

coalition (government formed with another party if no majority)

Koalition; Regierungsbündnis

Liberal Democrats (UK liberal political party)

Liberaldemokraten

legislative (connected with making/passing laws; to legislate → legislation)

Legislativ-; gesetzgebend; gesetzgeberisch

to ratify (to approve; to endorse)

ratifizieren; bestätigen

autonomy (autonomous (adj))

Autonomie; Unabhängigkeit

federal government (government of a country, not just a region/state)

Bundesregierung

legislative branch (makes laws)

Legislative (gesetzgebende Gewalt)

Congress (made up of House of Representatives and the Senate)

Congress (Parlament der USA)

judicial branch (country’s court system; evaluates laws)

Judikative (richterliche Gewalt)

Supreme Court (highest federal court of law in the US)

Oberster Gerichtshof (USA)

executive branch (carries out laws; puts decisions into effect)

Exekutive (ausführende Gewalt)

Administration (government (AE), e.g. the Obama administration)

Regierung (der USA); Verwaltung (der USA)

primary (election) (state election to choose the presidential candidate)

(US) Vorwahl

to elect (to vote for)

wählen

Electoral College (electorate vote for its members, who then elect the President)

Wahlausschuss

to pledge (to commit oneself verbally; to promise solemnly)

geloben; hoch und heilig versprechen

Democratic Party (US major left-wing (liberal) political party)

Demokratische Partei

liberal (opposite: conservative)

liberal; Liberale/-r

Republican Party (US major right-wing (conservative) political party)

Republikanische Partei

conservative (tend to oppose change; support traditional values)

konservativ; Konservative/-r

polarisation (dividing people into two opposing groups)

Polarisierung

to tend to (to prefer doing a certain thing)

neigen zu; tendieren zu

electorate (all of the people allowed to vote in an election)

Wählerschaft

representative (member of the US Congress; to represent)

Repräsentant/-in; Beauftragte/-r; Stellvertreter/-in des Volkes

Vice President (elected by the Electoral College)

Vizepräsident/-in

chamber (large room where Parliament members meet and debate)

Kammer

congressman/-woman (member of the US House of Representatives)

Kongressabgeordnete/-r; Kongressmitglied

senator (Senators serve for six years)

Senator/-in

judge (justice)

Richter/-in

to appoint sb for life (Supreme Court judges are appointed for life)

jdn. auf Lebenszeit ernennen

Head of State (official leader of a country)

Staatsoberhaupt

Head of Government (leader of the governing party)

Regierungschef/-in

cabinet (areas of government led by cabinet members; opposite: shadow cabinet)

Kabinett; Ministerrat

department (division/Abteilung)

Institut; Abteilung

checks and balances (planned to prevent misuse of power)

gegenseitige Kontrolle; Gewaltenteilung

law (rules you must follow; to pass/veto/ratify a law)

Gesetz; Recht; Jura

treaty (international agreement according to international law)

Staatsvertrag; Abkommen

commerce (activity of buying and selling goods)

Handel

expenses (expensive (adj))

Ausgaben; Kosten

unconstitutional (against the Constitution; therefore illegal)

verfassungswidrig

to impeach sb (President can be impeached by Congress; impeachment)

jdn. wegen eines Amtsvergehens anklagen

autocracy (rule by one person/small group; dictatorship)

Autokratie

democracy (rule by the people; free elections)

Demokratie

citizen (citizen ≠ resident/alien/foreigner; citizen → citizenship)

Bürger/-in

consent (permission/agreement; consent → to consent → consensual)

Zustimmung

nationalism (put your own country first; national pride)

Nationalismus

globalism (global cooperation; thinking/acting worldwide)

Globalismus

to reject (to refuse/to dismiss; reject → rejection)

zurückweisen

to advocate (to support/promote sth; advocate (v) → advocate (n))

unterstützen; befürworten

measure (a way/method to deal with a situation; “take measures”)

Maßnahme

to suppress (to end sth by force; prevent sth from being seen/expressed; suppress → suppression)

unterdrücken

isolationism (staying out of international affairs/alliances)

Isolationismus

protectionism (protecting own economy with tariffs/limits on imports)

Protektionismus