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> I wonder how they decided how to color each party. Exactly. It would make more sense if they used red for the left (due to their Bolshevik legacy).

by lgieron 10y ago

alkonaut 10y ago
This is an American news outlet. In the US the republicans ("right") are usually depicted in red, and democrats (slightly less "right") in blue. If you want really weird, consider Denmark where there is a right wing party called "Venstre" (meaning "the left") :)
- vidarh 10y ago
  It's not that weird - it just reflects history. Norway as well as a centre-right party called Venstre and a right wing/conservative party called Høyre ("right"). In our case it dates straight back to the fight over parliamentarism in Norway, and the left/right naming took inspiration directly from the origin of the left/right axis in the aftermath of the French revolution (where those seated to the left were those against the monarchy and those seated to the left were supporters of the monarchy), so the most monarchy friendly party was "obviously" right wing. The name first started looking weird when the Labour Party (then revolutionary socialists, now social democrats) was formed well to their left, followed by further splits up until todays situation where there are - depending on how you place two of the more centrist parties - between four and six parties to the left of Venstre in Norway, counting parties that have or have had a member of parliament at some point. I don't know the history of the Danish party names, but I'm expecting it is a similar history of very literally being the left when formed only to have the balance shift substantially to the left since. The US colour use is different in that it was simply a matter of not taking historic use of the colours into account and arbitrarily applying it in election broadcasts, only to have it stick.
labster 10y ago
The roots of blue meaning liberal and red meaning conservative in the U.S. date back to the 2000 Presidential election, and Bush v. Gore. By accident media outlets standardized that year, picking from the colors of the flag. And because talk whether a state turned red or blue (winner take all by state election == electoral college) stretched on for weeks, it stuck in the popular psyche.

> I wonder how they decided how to color each party. Exactly. It would make more sense if they used red for the left (due to their Bolshevik legacy).

by lgieron 10y ago

> I wonder how they decided how to color each party. Exactly. It would make more sense if they used red for the left (due to their Bolshevik legacy).

alkonaut 10y ago

This is an American news outlet. In the US the republicans ("right") are usually depicted in red, and democrats (slightly less "right") in blue. If you want really weird, consider Denmark where there is a right wing party called "Venstre" (meaning "the left") :)

vidarh 10y ago
It's not that weird - it just reflects history. Norway as well as a centre-right party called Venstre and a right wing/conservative party called Høyre ("right"). In our case it dates straight back to the fight over parliamentarism in Norway, and the left/right naming took inspiration directly from the origin of the left/right axis in the aftermath of the French revolution (where those seated to the left were those against the monarchy and those seated to the left were supporters of the monarchy), so the most monarchy friendly party was "obviously" right wing. The name first started looking weird when the Labour Party (then revolutionary socialists, now social democrats) was formed well to their left, followed by further splits up until todays situation where there are - depending on how you place two of the more centrist parties - between four and six parties to the left of Venstre in Norway, counting parties that have or have had a member of parliament at some point. I don't know the history of the Danish party names, but I'm expecting it is a similar history of very literally being the left when formed only to have the balance shift substantially to the left since. The US colour use is different in that it was simply a matter of not taking historic use of the colours into account and arbitrarily applying it in election broadcasts, only to have it stick.

labster 10y ago

The roots of blue meaning liberal and red meaning conservative in the U.S. date back to the 2000 Presidential election, and Bush v. Gore. By accident media outlets standardized that year, picking from the colors of the flag. And because talk whether a state turned red or blue (winner take all by state election == electoral college) stretched on for weeks, it stuck in the popular psyche.