in which an elemental squill overload moves from sanguine to phlegmatic

I've been one of the many with that cough and sneezy bug that seems to be running around at the moment.

As well as taking some medicine, a side effect has been listening to more talk radio than usual. It's filled with politics and I decided to jot down a few of the confusing phrases that are being used.

• austerity - a type of fiscal policy which politicians apply to the less well-off
• avoidance - applies to taxation of the rich, taxation of some politicians and also to answering questions
• balancing the books - an accounting practice that does not apply to political promises
• blukip - a type of ill-advised compromise creating a coalition of chaos
• bribe - offering something and expecting a specific outcome - such as cash for votes.
• coalition - a mix of politicians that nullifies prior promises
• coalition of chaos - applied to any cluster of politicians from different parties pretending to get along (see also blukip)
• damn lies - telling people something that is untrue whilst deliberately hiding the facts
• explanation - supposed to clarify, but used with good effect by politicians to muddy the water
• insurance - scurrilous stories stacked to be played over the last two weeks before the election
• I promise you - a phrase used by desperate politicians
• lies - telling people something that is patently untrue, perhaps when they have a way to know
• media clarity - randomly connected soundbites of equal duration per party, replayed with limited analysis.
• negativity - instead of focusing on the issues, focus upon the opponents' point of view and disagree with it
• personal attacks - frowned upon in civilised society but used extensively by politicians
• ponzi economics - pretend to find new money behind the sofa, when it's all new borrowings
• quantitive easing - government condoned printing of vast quantities of money which helps bankers and well-heeled hedge funds
• relentless negativity - as negativity, but focus on the opponents' personality and criticise it
• sham - pretending something is true when it patently isn't - as in the next government having a majority
• shut out the scots - a policy from the Conservatives attempting to stop a Labour coalition
• statistics - see lies and damn lies
• tax breaks - used by the well off to legally avoid paying their full proportionate share to support the economy
• trickle-down effect - supposed to add money to the less well off by giving it to the very well off (see also lies)
• truth - factual accuracy which is generally avoided in the latter stages of a campaign
• uk deficit - a huge form of debt created by UK politicians

Yes, I know, I should keep taking the tablets.