Political Compass

[Comrade Sam]

I think this all shows mainstream politics has moved so far to the right, that you all look like lefties compared to our politicians. As for why people vote for these goons: obviously now you all realise you are lefties, I can quote Marx more freely 'the ruling ideas in any society are the ideas of the ruling class!'

 

[wellquickwoody]

I think this all shows mainstream politics has moved so far to the right, that you all look like lefties compared to our politicians. As for why people vote for these goons: obviously now you all realise you are lefties, I can quote Marx more freely 'the ruling ideas in any society are the ideas of the ruling class!'

Oh do shut up, bloody Trotskyite!

 

[Bakero]

I think this all shows mainstream politics has moved so far to the right, that you all look like lefties compared to our politicians. As for why people vote for these goons: obviously now you all realise you are lefties, I can quote Marx more freely 'the ruling ideas in any society are the ideas of the ruling class!'

It's cultural hegemony gone mad!

 

[Hamilton]

I’m exactly the same as Perseus. Just one pixel to the right and one pixel lower.

 

[abc]

Totally disagree about left and right labels being meaningless.
my political compass has not changed significantly in 50 years plus - if anything I’m slightly further left.
and part of what has pushed me further left is the ridiculous posturing of the Conservative extremes. Many of the economic questions seemed to be about “is profit more important than people“. I am sure I have very different ideas on that than Rees-Mogg.

Respectfully, I think you miss my point. The labels, IMHO, are meaningless because they are just labels. Corbyn was a left wing politician (by UK standards) but was essentially anti the EU which is considered a right wing stance. Cameron was clearly what we would call a right wing politician but changed the law to permit same sex marriage, something you would expect from the more libertarian left. We know from history that extreme right wing politics (fascism) and extreme left (communism) end up being the same thing is practice -regimes associated with oppression, economic misery and sometimes genocide.
Rees - Mogg and his acolytes are simply wrong (as well as odious, self serving, etc) in my eyes because of what they stand for and believe in, not because they are labelled as right wing. I thought Corbyn was wrong (though I quite respected him) also because of his views, but not because he was labelled as left wing.

If we had honest, decent politicians and they drew from the best of the ideas and pplicies across the whole political spectrum, I am sure we would be in a much better place than now, or under any other single party however they are labelled.

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Your Political Compass​

Economic Left/Right: -1.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.69​

Wasn't expecting that

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Respectfully, I think you miss my point. The labels, IMHO, are meaningless because they are just labels. Corbyn was a left wing politician (by UK standards) but was essentially anti the EU which is considered a right wing stance. Cameron was clearly what we would call a right wing politician but changed the law to permit same sex marriage, something you would expect from the more libertarian left. We know from history that extreme right wing politics (fascism) and extreme left (communism) end up being the same thing is practice -regimes associated with oppression, economic misery and sometimes genocide.
Rees - Mogg and his acolytes are simply wrong (as well as odious, self serving, etc) in my eyes because of what they stand for and believe in, not because they are labelled as right wing. I thought Corbyn was wrong (though I quite respected him) also because of his views, but not because he was labelled as left wing.

If we had honest, decent politicians and they drew from the best of the ideas and pplicies across the whole political spectrum, I am sure we would be in a much better place than now, or under any other single party however they are labelled.

Respectfully…… I take your point. I first voted in 1972, so am old enough still to think of things in terms of economics and the labour market, being old enough to remember when homosexuality was illegal, let alone that same-sex marriage would come to pass.

incidentally, I came our as pretty far left, but while the values I espouse would be people values rather than about profit and so on, I am a firm believer in a mixed economy. I started my working life in a nationalised industry - Gas - and still think Gas, Electric and Water should be state owned….. as should railways. French trains are better than ours, and SNCF is 51% state- owned.

 

[Albion my Albion]

Perhaps more of the UK's wider "progressive" mentality showing in your results. It's actually quite left-wing on paper to feel the government shouldn't get involved in consenting adults private lives for example, but it is also quite left-leaning to feel that laissez-faire markets contribute to poor treatment of workers.

Whilst I'll happily take a beating pole to the current party in power, over my lifetime the Conservatives have been far more left leaning socially than you'd find in a lot of other countries (Hi America!). There is no way you'd have the republicans pass same-sex marriage under their watch for example. Similarly the majority of those who would identify themselves as "centre-right" would've looked on at Truss-enomics in horror. Our parties don't always reflect the political scale so exactly.

Speaking of the difference between America & the UK. This is Banned Books Week (October 1 - 7) in the U.S.

Banned Books Week (October 1 - 7, 2023)

“This is a dangerous time for readers and the public servants who provide access to reading materials. Readers, particularly students, are losing access to critical information, and librarians and teachers are under attack for doing their jobs.” - Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA’s...

www.ala.org

“This is a dangerous time for readers and the public servants who provide access to reading materials. Readers, particularly students, are losing access to critical information, and librarians and teachers are under attack for doing their jobs.”
- Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. For more than 40 years, the annual event has brought together the entire book community — librarians, teachers, booksellers, publishers, writers, journalists, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.

In a time of intense political polarization, library staff in every state are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom ALA documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. The unparalleled number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubles the 729 book challenges reported in 2021. Of the record 2,571 unique titles targeted for censorship, most were by or about LGBTQIA+ persons and Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

The theme for Banned Books Week 2023 is "Let Freedom Read." When we ban books, we're closing off readers to people, places, and perspectives. But when we stand up for stories, we unleash the power that lies inside every book. We liberate the array of voices that need to be heard and the scenes that need to be seen. Let freedom read!

 

[abc]

Respectfully…… I take your point. I first voted in 1972, so am old enough still to think of things in terms of economics and the labour market, being old enough to remember when homosexuality was illegal, let alone that I started my working life in a nationalised industry - Gas - and still think Gas, Electric and Water should be state owned….. as should railways. French trains are better than ours, and SNCF is 51% state- owned.

i am old enough to remember the pre de nationalised days but as we grew up without gas or mains water and only electric from your list,
my main memory is of blackouts and power cuts due to strikes. The state run trains were pretty hopeless then as they are now in private ownership but ‘state owned’ council houses meant we didn't have a housing crises.

Perhaps the ultimate solution is a hybrid state/private set up ie take the best of both and dump the worse. Same might apply to the nhs. But then that requires another leap similar to abandoning the left/right labelling - abandoning the ‘state good/private bad’ mantra or vice versa depending on whether you are on the left or right.
I’m living in fantasy land aren’t I?!

 

[Bakero]

I just had a go at the Nolan Chart for a third opinion. https://polquiz.com/

 

[Perkino]

Economic Left/Right: -3.0
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 1.64

I'm a red!

 

[Flagship]

- .25
2.62

Not too far from the middle. Slightly in the red which suprised me and a bit more authoritarian which didn't surprise me.

 

[BadFish]

The pol quiz one. Bit more authoritarian that I would have thought but closer than political compass.

 

[wellquickwoody]

I just had a go at the Nolan Chart for a third opinion. https://polquiz.com/

View attachment 167505

Me too. Similar position but inside the moderate square.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

 

[perseus]

Britain’s Choice, More in Common’s new report on the UK

The result of an 18-months examination of the hopes and fears, values and core beliefs in which we’ve engaged with almost 11,000 people across Britain through surveys, conversations and interviews.

www.britainschoice.uk