There is no such thing as a “Prime Minister Elect”.
Here in the Colonies we elect a party, not an individual. The person you are referring to is the “incoming Prime Minister”.
I’ve heard of at least two rants been taken out on the “Elect” phrase today, and we’d better all stop it before someone gets hurt.
12 November, 2008 at 9:53 pm
-designate?
12 November, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Another example of the creeping wannabe Americanisms of the press gallery. I get the same irritation from the use of the phrase ‘beltway’ (i.e. a beltway issue) to apply to the Wellington political circuit. Just because lazy lazy journalists get the horn watching The West Wing and want to pretend that real-life Wellington is even the slightest bit as dramatic and edgy as TV Washington. I know, I know, there’s the Town Belt so it does kind of make sense, but only if you’re an easily amused journo into self-mythologising.
12 November, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Actually we don’t even elect a party.
We elect the make up of Parliament – to make that “easier” for us a whole bunch of people have got together in “parties”.
The make-up of Government is then determined by those in Parliament and agreed to by the Govenor General who calls upon the leader of the “majority” (normally the leader of the biggest party but doesn’t have to be, eh Helen
So once we’ve made up Parliament our job is done.
So, yes your original rant is correct but could also go even further
13 November, 2008 at 5:28 am
i concur with both the gentlemen commenters.
tim, dunno. how about ‘national party leader’. doesn’t sound flash, but it’s what the member is until they get their writ from the big G-G.
13 November, 2008 at 7:05 am
Hmmm, Che, you had to steal a
post of mine, didn’t you….
But yes, I heartily concur.
13 November, 2008 at 7:22 am
well… i did refer to two rants being taken out at work. one of them was here.
13 November, 2008 at 8:02 am
While I agree this is technically a fallacious expression, the fact is that language changes.
All the media here now use the term “the prime minister-elect.”
I remember when I started in journalism, at the NZ Herald, the style book and the editor used to rail at such outrages, which were not permitted. Transitive verbs were not allowed to be used intransitively, and it was the High Court at Auckland, not the Auckland High Court.
Standards fall, though, and language use changes.
I still fight the good fight against abominations such as calling a chairwoman something one sits in, and “going forward” to the “cutting edge” only get past my keyboard in derision.
13 November, 2008 at 8:08 am
I can cope with language changing, Poneke. I use lolcat speech every day
What I can’t cope with is something that is just wrong, and is a fundamental misunderstanding of our political system.
Our politicians might like to think they are, or can be, the president, and that they can therefore run their campaigns on that basis, but that doesn’t mean the media should play into it.
13 November, 2008 at 8:21 am
Given that the National campaign (and the corresponding anti-National campaign) was based solely on Mr Key, perhaps many people were voting for him rather than for the party. Hence John Key would be our Government-elect
13 November, 2008 at 8:29 am
ahem… “john key would be our elected Government”
13 November, 2008 at 10:19 am
My tolerance for stupidity is very low this week, and you just touched on one of them.
14 November, 2008 at 9:28 am
‘All the media here now use the term “the prime minister-elect.”’
National Radio doesn’t. That is, Radio New Zealand National. But then I met somone about a year ago who still calls it 4YA.
Anyway, they’re saying ‘incoming Prime Minister’. In the circumsatances I think we do want a term that specifically means He Who Shall Be PM Hereafter. (Actually, let’s use that…)
I’d have said just because language changes doesn’t mean it’s not possible to misuse it. Particularly with a technical term that can only come out every few years and obviously means something else.
And, well, we don’t elect governments either. Parliaments, I’ll grant you.
14 November, 2008 at 12:41 pm
credit where credit is due lyndon. and credit is due to a person who frequents this blog.