Third rail (politics) explained

The third rail of a nation's politics is a metaphor for any issue so controversial that it is "charged" and "untouchable" to the extent that any politician or public official who dares to broach the subject will invariably suffer politically. The metaphor comes from the high-voltage third rail in some electric railway systems.

Touching a third rail can result in electrocution, so usage of the metaphor in political situations relates to the risk of "political suicide" that a person would face by raising certain taboo subjects or having points of view that are either censored, shunned or considered highly controversial or offensive to advocate or even mention.

It is most commonly used in North America. Though commonly attributed to Tip O'Neill,^[1] Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987, it seems to have been coined by O'Neill aide Kirk O'Donnell in 1982 in reference to Social Security.^{[2] [3]}

American examples of usage

A wide range of issues might be claimed detrimental to politicians tackling them, but those below have all been explicitly described using the "third rail" metaphor:

• Withdrawal of Social Security and Medicare benefits^{[4] [5] [6] [7]}
• Debate of race issues^{[8] [9] [10] [11]}
• Antidumping and countervailing duty withdrawal^[12]
• Opposition to abortion for rape victims^[13]
• Resuming the draft^[14]
• National content policy in export finance^[15]
• The role that gifted education plays in modern public school segregation^[16]
• Debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and U.S. support for Israel^{[17] [18] [19]}
• Debate about mass immigration^[20]
• Diverting water from the Great Lakes to the Southwest^[21]
• Guns, including semi-automatic weapons and child safety locks.^{[22] [23] [24]}
• California's Proposition 13 on property tax^[25]
• The impact of meat consumption on climate change^[26]
• The transfer of Federal lands over to states.^[27]

Outside the U.S.

Argentina

• The Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute^[28]

Australia

• Policies to address climate change^[29]

Canada

• Reforming or privatizing public health care^[30]
• Reforming or privatizing the Canada Pension Plan^[31]
• Amending the Constitution of Canada
• Re-Criminalization of Abortion
• Abolition of Same-Sex Marriage

Denmark

• Abolition of Store Bededag as a public holiday.^[32]

Germany

• Introducing a speed limit on Autobahns^{[33] [34]}

India

• The introduction of income tax for agricultural income^[35]
• Changes to the reservation system

Republic of Ireland

• Abortion was viewed as a third rail prior to the Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland which legalised it in 2018^{[36] [37] [38]}
• The provision of medical cards (which grant free or low-price healthcare to people on low incomes and the chronically ill)^{[39] [40]}

United Kingdom

• Drug policy^[41]
• Reform of the National Health Service^[42]
• Social care^[43]
• West Lothian question^[44]
• Rejoining the European Union^{[45] [46]}

China

• Advocating Hong Kong independence^[47]

Singapore

The term OB marker ("out of bounds marker", a golf term) is widely used in Singapore for forbidden topics, such as:

• Corruption
• The Sedition Act makes it illegal to "promote feelings of ill-will or hostility between different races or classes of the population".

Serbia

• Recognition of Kosovo's independence

Notes and References

1. Web site: When Did Social Security Become the Third Rail of American Politics?. Rick Shenkman. George Mason University. October 21, 2014.
2. News: The New York Times. On Language: Third Rail. February 8, 2007. William Safire. October 21, 2014.
3. Web site: Macroeconomics: Policy and Practice . 2024-01-10 . www.pearson.com.
4. The Nuclear Third Rail: Can Fuel Cycle Capabilities Be Limited?. Wolfsthal, Jon B.. 11. Arms Control Today. 34. 10. December 2004.
5. Web site: Third rail politics.
6. Web site: "Why is Social Security Called the Third Rail of American Politics?" by Senior Living . About.com.
7. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/medicare-the-new-third-rail-of-american-politics/2011/05/25/AGzWLuBH_blog.html "Medicare: the new Third Rail of American politics?"
8. http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9548.html Still a House Divided: Race and Politics in Obama's America
9. Web site: Going Deep: Race and the Third Rail. Robert. Koehler. HuffPost. July 4, 2014.
10. http://www.newsweek.com/daring-touch-third-rail-86729?piano_d=1 Daring to Touch the Third Rail
11. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/07/20/short-circuiting_the_new_third_rail_in_politics_114854.html Short-Circuiting the New Third Rail in Politics
12. Antidumping: The Third Rail of Trade Policy. N. Gregory. Mankiw. Phillip L.. Swagel. Foreign Affairs . July 1, 2005. July/August 2005. 10.2307/20034424 . 20034424 . www.foreignaffairs.com.
13. Web site: Searching for light and truth in the Todd Akin controversy. Christine M. Flowers. The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 24, 2012. August 27, 2012.
14. Web site: "The Case for the Draft" by Phillip Carter and Paul Glastris. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050303053425/http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2005/0503.carter.html . March 3, 2005 .
15. https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-294
16. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/26/nyregion/gifted-programs-nyc-desegregation.html
17. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2006/07/grabbing-third-rail/
18. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2006/07/grabbing-third-rail "Grabbing the Third Rail"
19. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-tasini/touching-the-third-rail-i_b_25859.html "Touching The Third Rail: Israel and New York Politics"
20. News: Democrats call for 'big, bold' action on immigration as Biden's bill is introduced. The Washington Post.
21. Web site: Wilson. Gary. Third Rail Proposal: Selling Great Lakes water proposed to lower lake levels. July 20, 2021. Great Lakes Now. February 18, 2020 . en-US.
22. News: Taub . Amanda . In the U.S., Backlash to Civil Rights Era Made Guns a Political Third Rail . December 1, 2022 . The New York Times . May 25, 2022.
23. News: Khalid . Asma . A Third Rail No More: Incoming House Democrats Embrace Gun Control . December 1, 2022 . NPR . November 13, 2018 . en.
24. News: Parkland anniversary highlights how Democrats have shifted on guns . December 1, 2022 . PBS NewsHour . Associated Press . February 12, 2019 . en-us.
25. News: An experienced Jerry Brown vows to build on what he's already done. Los Angeles Times. October 19, 2014. October 21, 2014.
26. Web site: The Coming "Meat Vortex" . Alex . Smith . . November 30, 2021 . January 24, 2023 . Meat, in short, may well be the third rail of climate politics..
27. Web site: Montana GOP Senate Candidate Embraces a Seriously Toxic Position . October 18, 2023 .
28. News: Argentina's president makes the ultimate diplomatic mistake – talking about the Falkland Islands. Alejandro Milcíades. Peña. The Conversation . October 6, 2016 . June 12, 2020.
29. News: Turnbull says climate change has become a third rail for the Liberal Party . . The Guardian . November 17, 2018.
30. News: As Canada's Slow-Motion Public Health System Falters... . The New York Times . Clifford . Krauss . February 26, 2006.
31. Book: J. . Leech . J. . McNish . The Third Rail . McClelland & Stewart . 2013.
32. News: Copenhagen . Danes 'furious' over plan to abolish public holiday to fund defence budget . 27 January 2023 . the Guardian . 26 January 2023 . en.
33. Web site: Autobahn unlimited: Saying speed limit to a German is like talking gun control in the US. February 15, 2022. www.handelsblatt.com. en.
34. News: Landler. Mark. March 16, 2007. Call for Speed Limit Has German Blood at 178 M.P.H. Boil. en-US. The New York Times. February 15, 2022. 0362-4331.
35. Web site: Should agricultural income be taxed?. Rajul . Awasthi . September 25, 2017. The Economic Times . June 12, 2020.
36. Web site: Atlanta's Peter Casey at the bat during Ireland's presidential election. November 1, 2018. IrishCentral.com.
37. Web site: Ian O'Doherty: The referendum will be bitter. But we need to lance this boil. December 17, 2017. Independent.ie.
38. Web site: How Abortion Became Legal in Ireland | Irish America. June 24, 2022.
39. Web site: Medical cards could badly burn Coalition. Mary. Regan. June 5, 2014. Irish Examiner.
40. Web site: As Noonan looks to bailout exit many fear his 'good news' about budget. October 14, 2013. Irish Examiner.
41. Web site: A majority support liberalising policy towards cannabis . Chris . Curtis . . May 30, 2018 . October 5, 2018 . Drug policy has often been considered a 'third rail' issue in British politics..
42. Web site: Massie . Alex . February 1, 2011 . Bitter Medicine . Foreign Policy . April 15, 2020.
43. Web site: Political uncertainty must not mean backsliding on social care reform. Adam . Lent . New Local Government Network . June 9, 2017. October 5, 2018. The assumption could well emerge that social care has proved to be a 'third rail' in politics killing anyone who touches it..
44. Web site: After Scotland's No, the UK's Devolution Revolution. Fisher Investments. September 22, 2014. October 5, 2018. The West Lothian question has been the third rail of UK politics for nearly 20 years.
45. Web site: Johnson's exit won't change Brexit . Paul . Taylor . . July 12, 2022 . January 24, 2023 . Relations with the EU will remain the third rail of U.K. politics..
46. Web site: UK Is Starting to Have Second Thoughts About Brexit . Ellen . Milligan . . November 21, 2022 . January 24, 2023 . The gloomy prognosis has re-opened the debate over Brexit, previously the deadly third rail of Conservative Party politics....
47. News: NBA Takes 'Unprincipled' And 'Cowardly' Stance On China And Hong Kong. Zagoria. Adam. Forbes. October 7, 2019. October 7, 2019.