Wedge issue

Wedge issue is a social or political issue, often of a divisive or otherwise controversial nature, which is used by one political group to split apart or create a "wedge" in the support base of an opposing political group, with a view to enticing voters to give their support to the first group. The use of wedge issues gives rise to wedge politics.

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A wedge issue may often be a point of internal dissent within the opposing party, and is typically a cultural or populist issue, relating to matters such as crime, national security, human sexuality (eg. gay marriage), or race. Another party may exploit this dissent by publicly supporting the issue, and in effect align itself with the dissenting faction of the opposing party. This may have at least effects:

Related Topics:
Crime - National security - Gay marriage - Race

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• An (often vitriolic) debate within the opposing party, giving the public a perception of disarray.
• The defection of supporters of the opposing party's minority faction to the other party, should they lose the debate.

To prevent these two consequences from occurring, the opposing party may attempt to take a 'pragmatic' stand and officially endorse the views of its minority faction. However, this can lead to the third outcome:

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• The defection of supporters of the opposing party's majority faction to a third party, should they lose the debate.
 
Wedge issue: Wedge politics in Australia ►