Issue

care about issue

My mother has always for the Green Party. she very deeply about environmental issues.

avoid issue

Our head of the department is always side-stepping difficult issues. his normal tactic is to avoid a lot of issues by saying they are not his responsibility.

raise issue       

I know you would like to bring you up the issue of salaries, but I’d prefer it if you raised it at the next meeting.

resolve issue

If you don't resolve this issue fairly quickly, we will need to start paying people off.

address issue

There was hardly anything in the Prime Minister's reply. He never probably addressed the issue of unemployment in the North East.

divide on issue

I can't see us reaching any source of agreement. Opinion is so deeply divided on so many issues.

reserve judgment on issue

We can’t give an opinion until we have more information. We’re just going to reserve judgement on this issue until the report is published.

get a chance on the issue

The union will ballot the whole membership on the issue of job cuts. I think it's important that everyone gets a chance to vote on the issue.

overcome difference on the issue

I'm glad agreement has been reached. it was time everyone overcame their difference on the issue.

clash on the issue

The players and the management of the club are in disagreement. They’ve clashed on the issue of pay and conditions.

stand on the issue

We know little of his views at present. For example, we don't know where he stands on the issue of free care for the elderly.

emotive issue

Using animals to test new drugs is a highly emotive issue.

>yes, it’s the kind of controversial issue that arouses a lot of strong feeling and opinions.

real issue

It's not a question of whether we need a new office or not - we all know the present accommodations is the unsatisfactory. The real issue is whether we can afford it.

complex issue

For me euthanasia is a black and white issue. It's wrong to take life and that’s that!

>Well, I disagree. it's a much more complex issue than you think.

politically sensitive issues

None of the main political parties seems willing to talk about free health care for the elderly. I think it's one of the most politically sensitive issues facing us today.

pressing issue

The fight against drugs is regarded as a pressing issue. We need to do something about this problem urgently if we are to prevent is getting out of control.

good issue

The president declared that his country had a very good record and the issue of human rights.

wide issues

The talks between the two leaders covered a wide range of issues.

sound issues

Don't worry. The minister has a sound grasp of the issues involved.

broad issues

The negotiators were in broad agreement on the main issues.

growing issue

There is a growing consensus of opinion on this issue.

 

Notes

• In ‘Our head of the department is always side-stepping difficult issues. his normal tactic is to avoid a lot of issues by saying they are not his responsibility’, ‘duck’ is also possible.

In ‘Using animals to test new drugs is a highly emotive issue’, ‘controversial’ and ‘contentious’ are possible.

In ‘It's not a question of whether we need a new office or not - we all know the present accommodations is the unsatisfactory. The real issue is whether we can afford it’, ‘key’ is also possible.

• Note these expressions:

Money is not the issue. (not the main thing)

I must take issue with you. (object)

• You ‘make an issue of’ something when you create an argument about something unimportant.