If you're an Australian politician, you haven't really made it until you've got a nickname. The examples below explore the purposes of linguistic creativity in politics, and the pros and cons for the pollies involved.
Unless you've been living under a rock during the pandemic, you will have heard opponents of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews labelling him with the alliterative nickname 'Dictator Dan'. Watch the video below for an explanation:
ABC Media Watch - #DictatorDan Campaign
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also earned himself more than one nickname. The well-known compound shortening 'ScoMo' is used widely in a mostly neutral sense, and has even been embraced by ScoMo himself (see below) in an effort to present a public image of himself as a man of the people. However, Morrison's detractors often enjoy getting the nickname 'Scotty from Marketing' trending online, a sneering reference to his previous career.
Morrison's official Facebook page:
It does seem that nicknames can be used positively in Australian politics to present a relatable public image. Check out Labor Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese's social media handle; the use of the shortening 'Albo' is no doubt intended to build rapport with Labor supporters.
But back to Dictator Dan. The popularity of this nickname has inspired a wave of alliterative copycat nicknames on all sides of Australian politics.
Former Liberal MP Craig Kelly (now member of Clive Palmer's United Australia Party) has coined 'Marxist Mark' for WA Labor Premier Mark McGowan.
(As a bonus, this tweet also shows how emoji have become an important communicative tool. In this case, Kelly uses the vaccine emoji to communicate efficiently with his supporters in an online context.)
The Labor Party has also got in on the fun, targeting Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg (see below). To 'flip flop' is an Australian colloquial verb referring to politicians who frequently change their mind on policies.
So, what's in a name? Is all this nicknaming appropriate in the political arena, a context in which we expect ministers to behave in a respectful, dignified manner?
In July 2021, ABC journalist Michael Rowland expressed his dislike of nicknaming between politicians and journalists, but wasn't afraid to use the Aussie shortening 'journos' in his tweet.
Nicknames can be used for the purpose of building rapport, but can also be wielded as a linguistic weapon, intended to damage credibility. Like all language, context is key, so keep an eye out for more examples of these punning pollies in the media and share them in the comments below!
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