バラマキ政策 ― pork-barrel

今週は結局参院選の話題に終始します。

さて、下記の記事で、"pork-barrel"という表現が目に付きました。はてはて？"pork-barrel"って何？


TOKYO, July 16 (Reuters) - Japan's main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will not discuss policy matters such as tax and pension reform with the ruling Democrats unless they drop their "pork-barrel" plans, LDP executives said on Friday.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan's Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and a small ally lost their upper house majority in an election last Sunday, threatening policies to curb public debt nearly twice the size of the $5 trillion economy and to engineer growth.

The DPJ will stay in power by virtue of its grip on parliament's more powerful lower house, but needs a majority in the upper chamber to enact legislation.

"Of course, there can and should be discussions on healthcare, pensions and care of the elderly," LDP policy chief Shigeru Ishiba told Reuters in an interview. "(But) unless the Democrats give up such pork-barrel policies as child allowances, free high schools, farmer payouts and that kind of pork-barrel spending, they can't draft the budget anyway," he said.
(Ruling party must drop pork-barrel plans. Reuters. July 16, 2010.)


"child allowances"（子供手当て）、"free high schools"（高校授業料無償化）、"farmer payouts"（農家への戸別所得保障）、といったものが出てきますが、総合するとこれらは、”バラマキ政策”と批判されているものです。

なぜ"pork-barrel"なのか？ですが、"pork"は豚肉のことで、保存食としての”塩漬けの豚肉”を指すようです。保存食を準備する行為が、ある目的のために都合を付ける行為、ある選挙区の出身の政治家が地元に有利になるような行為、を指すようになったもののようです。