VERSPRECHUNGEN & KONZESSIONEN

Parteiführer/Minister hat die Wahlversprechungen eingehalten = the party leader honored/delivered on his election pledges/promises; the minister walked the talk on many key issues; the MP lived up to his hype/reputation; I admire politicians who bring home the bacon 

Politiker steht in der Pflicht/muss nun liefern = politician has to get her/his act together/lift her/his game/must deliver now; the country is counting on (name of politician) to step up and help solve this crisis, which has been raging now for months 

manche Parteien/Politiker vertreten unumwunden die Interessen wichtiger Branchen, wie z. B. der Autoindustrie  = some political parties/MP’s keep on pandering to the whims of key industry heavyweights, such as the automobile sector     

Parteien sind bestrebt, einen Konsens für die Einwanderungspolitik zu finden = parties attempt to smooth over the disagreements on immigration policy

das war ein sehr guter Schachzug vom Politiker = politician’s stunt was second to none

dies war nur ein Vorgeschmack auf das, was uns noch bevorsteht  = it is/was just a taste of what’s to come

wieder mal leere Versprechungen, die nicht eingehalten werden = the party didn’t uphold its end of the bargain; sometimes politicians don’t walk/talk the talk; the party failed to follow through on the promise/pledge of cutting taxes; a signature initiative of this brash politician - his/her vow to slash energy prices in the short term - seems to be foundering as well; it’s just the usual tough talking before the election; don’t lean on all these hollow promises/pledges; the minister statements ring/sound hollow/seem to be on the edge of believevability  

Politiker können geschickt ablenken/leugnen legitime Fakten/verweigern die Realität zu akzeptieren =  politicians are adept at diverting attention from letting the tail wag the dog on the real issues; politicians very often don’t tell, or are not willing/prepared to accept an unpleasant truth and thus remain/live in (total) denial/at the denial game; the housing minister should fix the looming problems and stop fishing for red herrings (i.e. draw attention away from  the real topic); the recent speech of the Prime Minister was merely  a red herring as he actually tried to mislead the whole nation; politician does a vanishing/disappearing trick/act; in a way the minister’s reaction smacked of sheer desperation 

auf die Versprechungen der Politiker soll man sich nicht verlassen  = don’t lean/rely too much on politicians promises; some politicians are famous for making – and breaking - promises 

anstatt sich auf Samtpfoten/mit Trippelschritten ins Herz konservativer Wähler zu schleichen, sollten manche Politiker endlich mal richtig klotzen =  some politicians should get down to business big time and stop pussyfooting around/dilly-dallying/dawdling

Politiker poltert los/vor sich hin, haut auf den Tisch, aber es alles nur Palaver = it’s all bluster, yelling, flailing and thumping the table but little substance; some politicians like to shoot off their mouths 

als die Opposition den Versuch unternahm, die Regierung vor sich her zu treiben, hat der Präsident/der Kanzler die Flucht nach vorne ergriffen/angetreten = in the face of heavy criticism by the opposition, the president decided to address/tackle/face up to the problem head-on; the ex-president was accused of jumping the shark when he said that the previous election, which he didn’t win, was stolen; the prime minister preempted/defused/deflected massive criticism by staying in attack mode as he doubled down on his plans to boost the country’s ailing road infrastructure; as the opposition ramped up the pressure on the government the president/prime minister suddenly rushed to the offensive when he quickly greenlighted/ acted on the tax cuts after all, beating his detractors/knockers/critics to the punch in the process 

mit seinem Geständnis hat der diskreditierte Minister einer härteren Strafe den Wind aus den Segeln genommen = the embattled minister preempted harsher punishment when he owned up to the corruption charges 

Regierung weist Behauptung der Opposition zurück = the government strongly countered/pushed back on the opposition’s claim of failing to act in a timely manner during the pandemic crisis   

das ist eine Mogelpackung/Verdummung/Etikettenschwindel = that was a miscarriage of law/of the Constitution; "consider it (e.g. the new law/verdict) a travesty of the truth/of justice", the leader of the opposition said; the motion is a poor excuse for action/an elaborate fraud/band-aid package; the tax breaks proved to be nothing short of a travesty; "the updated amendment reminds me of a con job/trick full of smoke and mirrors", said a journalist familiar with the matter; the act/ bill/law is a farce/mockery/joke/hollow package; this is an aberration; the newspaper editorial made a mockery of the government’s intentions to hike/ramp up taxes