party line

Noun

party line (plural party lines)

1. (historical) A single telephone line which is shared by two or more households. Formerly common from the inception of telephony (1880s) through the mid-twentieth century.
2. The official policy of a political party or other organization.
   • In a country where the party line controls the climate debate to the extent that a general apathy infuses the broader public, Howey and Zhao are the sudden, fresh young faces of environmental activism.2019 September 18, Michael Standaert, “China's young climate heroes fight apathy – and the party line”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
   • On the evening of June 21, 1941, American Communists went to bed subject to one party line. At the sun set, Britain was fighting an imperialist war against Germany, about which the United States must remain neutral. American Communists awoke on June 22, 1941, to discover the party line abruptly...2020 March 19, David Frum, “No Empathy, Only Anger”, in The Atlantic