Pyrrhic victory - victory won at a very great cost to the victor
egalitarian - believing that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities
inexorable - impossible to stop
colander - a bowl with holes in it for draining fluid
facetious - treating important issues with inappropriate humour
specious - seeming reasonable but actually wrong
veritable - rightly so called
jingoistic - negative way of describing someone who is being excessively patriotic

Got from Yes Minister - The compassionate society.


Billy Fraser: "We are striking against unemployment. We will bring London's hospitals literally to their knees. There will be a complete standstill: no blood transfusions, no operations, no cancer treatment, nothing! Not until we have brought back the compassionate society."

Reporter: "Shouldn't you think twice before inflicting these terrible sanctions on innocent members of the public?"

Billy Fraser: "I can assure you, and I'd like to take this opportunity to assure the general public that every stone will be left unturned in the search of a settlement."