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scrum
DCHP-2 (Jan 2013)
1n. — Politics
a spontaneous interview of a politician, usually after closed-door meetings (see Image 1).
Type: 3. Semantic Change — The term is originally connected to the second floor of the East Block of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa (see the 1965 quotation). Since then, the term has generalized beyond this particular context to any post in-camera informal briefing and question and answer of the press. Scrum seems to have taken on this specific Canadian meaning from the more general British English meaning "to jostle, crowd" (see OED-3, s.v. "scrum"). The term is most prevalent in Canada (see Chart 1).
See also COD-2, s.v. "scrum" (3a), which is marked "Cdn."
See also COD-2, s.v. "scrum" (3a), which is marked "Cdn."
Quotations
1965
Not since Edith Piaf's Le Vieux Piano Est Mort has so poignant a note been struck as with the announcement that the catch-as-catch can press conference on the second floor of the East Block - the Scrum, as we used fondly to call is - is out. O-U-T, out. Beginning today, reporters no longer will be permitted to set foot in the corridor outside the Prime Minister's office immediately before, during, or immediately after, a Cabinet meeting.
1979
But he warned reporters after the second scrum yesterday, We're going
to have to stop having these impromptu press conferences and try to
arrange to have something a little more organized because I think it's
unfair to some of you who don't happen to pose questions and aren't close
to me when I'm answering.
1989
Some politicians are scrummier than others. Former prime minister
Pierre Trudeau hated scrums and once got into a shoving match with a
reporter. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney knows how to handle scrums. He'll
stop if he is in the mood, but seems to hear only those questions he wants
to answer.
1994
The camera and the microphone led to the scrum -- the lights, the shoving, the shouts, the pushing into a politician's face -- a rude and noisy breach of manners and decorum from which there was no going back.
2000
The scrum, named for scrummages/scrimmages/skirmishes in football, has become standard practice for political reporters in Canada. It's the other Question Period, the one with no rules and less decorum. And, thanks to the demands of all-news channel reporting, it's likely to remain that way until somebody can come up with a more effective system.
2000
Scrums, informal encounters between journalists and politicians, occur daily when MPs and cabinet ministers emerge from question period. They have been a fixture on Parliament Hill for about 20 years.
2012
The Q & A sessions with reporters after question period have historically served as the prime venue for MPs to comment on the day's news and political events. The sometimes-chaotic scrums in the foyer of Centre Block let reporters put questions to MPs that might not have been asked in the House. They also offer parliamentarians a chance to give longer responses than the 35 seconds allotted by the Speaker in question period.
The Citizen analysis shows that Tory MPs and cabinet ministers have been the least likely to stop in front of an open mike. Conservatives have spoken only 68,000 words to journalists in the post-question-period scrums this year, compared to the 269,000 from New Democrats and 165,000 from Liberal MPs.
The data show that the Tories are less chatty now that they have a majority government.
2016
The scrum took an odd turn when Horgan spotted Liberal staffer Ben James standing to one side and listening to the proceedings.
Standard practice for government and opposition to monitor each other's scrums. But Horgan proceeded to call out James over the premier's accusation of the "secret letter" to the federal environmental regulator. The scrum petered out soon after, amid another reminder that the calculating premier knows all too well how to provoke an outburst from her quick-tempered opponent.
2v. — Politics
to crowd around a politician in order to interview him or her.
Type: 3. Semantic Change — Not long after the documentation of the noun, a corresponding verb was created (see the 1981 quotation for the earliest quotation thus far). The term is Canadian, both in meanings 1 and 2, by virtue of frequency (see Chart 1) and as a culturally significant feature of Canadian politics and its particular traditions.
See also ITP Nelson, which lists the term, s.v. "scrum (2)". but does not label is as Canadian.
See also ITP Nelson, which lists the term, s.v. "scrum (2)". but does not label is as Canadian.
Quotations
1981
There was the moment the other day when Premier William Bennett of British Columbia appeared magically to a group of journalists, and was immediately scrummed.
He turned to walk through one door, changed his mind and walked back, and was scrummed again, went outside and was scrummed again. All that effort, however, was a great success: he made the television news that evening, saying roughly nothing.
1993
Declaring that he feels "as young as a spring flower," a feisty Brian Mulroney ridiculed the Liberals Friday for not revealing their policy on the GST and said he'd love to have an election debate with Grit Leader Jean Chretien on the issue.
"Just watch and see how long he's going to get away with promising Canadians that he'll tell them about a GST after an election," said the prime minister, who scrummed with reporters outside the Commons for the first time this year.
1999
Health Minister Pat Atkinson got a bit testy with reporters last week as they tried to scrum her upon her arrival at Tuesday's cabinet meeting.
2006
Yet Klein managed to slide anonymously past reporters as they frantically scrummed the other politicians who walked under sunny skies to the conference site.
2013
New Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau scrums with reporters after first Question Period as leader April 15, 2013.
2015
One thing that struck me was there's a committee on openness and transparency. Now this sounds a little familiar to me because Stephen Harper came in pledging accountability and transparency, and he became pretty secretive in a hurry. Jason, can Justin Trudeau really let the leash off his ministers, let them keep coming out and scrumming with reporters after every cabinet meeting, doing scrums himself all the time, or do you think this is just a honeymoon bump and he'll go back to more Harperesque ways in a hurry?
References
- OED-3
- COD-2
- ITP Nelson
Images
Image 1: A scrum with Justin Trudeau. Source: Radio Canada International. Photo: J. Tang
