Politics, political, politician or policy?

Politics means the activities of the government or people who try to influence the way a country is governed. We use a singular verb with it:

A lot of young people just don’t seem interested in politics these days.

Not: … interested in policy …

Politics is power in action.

Politics also means the study of the ways in which a country is governed:

He studied Politics at university then got a job with the United Nations in New York.

The adjective form related to the noun politics is political:

My friends and I are always having political discussions late into the night.

Not: … having politic discussions …

If I did a degree, I’d like to study Political Science.

A person who is involved in politics (e.g. a member of parliament or a member of the government) is a politician:

Politicians rarely give straight answers to questions from journalists.

Not: Politics rarely give straight answers …

Policy means a plan of action or a set of rules agreed by a business, a political group or a government, saying what they will do in a particular situation:

It’s not company policy to sell goods to persons under the age of 18.

The economic policy of the government is in ruins because of the global credit crisis.

Not: The economic politics of the government …