political football
poh-LIT-ih-kul FOOT-bawl
pəˈlɪtɪkəl ˈfʊtbɔːlListen
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Dictionary meaning
an issue or policy matter that is treated as a tool for scoring partisan points and generating political advantage rather than being addressed on its merits or with genuine intent to solve the underlying problem; when a serious social issue becomes a political football, substantive policy debate is replaced by performative disagreement in which each side's primary concern is the electoral or reputational benefit their position brings rather than the wellbeing of those affected; the metaphor captures the competitive and adversarial quality of politicised discourse around issues such as immigration, crime, and public health
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