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Yes the definition depends on where you are and when too indeed :) I think the mainstream opinion is that the PS, LFI and EELV are left parties. Everyone is fr

by forty 5y ago

Yes the definition depends on where you are and when too indeed :) I think the mainstream opinion is that the PS, LFI and EELV are left parties. Everyone is free to define left and right as they prefer (or any other word actually) but it's easier to use the same meaning as most other people to communicate ;) I do agree though that this is a bit subjective, and for example whether LREM is left, center or right if probably a matter of your political opinion :) One important thing I realized a while ago with something called the "political compass" [1] is that there is actually 2 main axis. Depending on when/where you are, left and right can be associated to different side of the axis. [1] https://www.politicalcompass.org https://www.politicalcompass.org

southerntofu 5y ago
> I think the mainstream opinion is that the PS, LFI and EELV are left parties. I think that's what the propaganda apparatus is trying to build for a picture, yes. But compare their programs to those of the PS, PCF, and Greens (ancestors of those modern parties) from 40 years ago and you may have a few surprises in how the entire political apparatus has moved to the right over the years. > LREM is left, center or right if probably a matter of your political opinion LREM is definitely right-wing. They have regularly attacked the poor and the oppressed, while removing taxes on the rich . It could be considered a centrist policy ("all taxes should be equal") if it were accompanied by a traditional centrist "civil rights" program for political freedom and dismantling of monopolies (separation of investment/savings banks, break up of media from other industry interests, defending the right to protest, etc). Which is was not. In the political compass, LREM/Macron policy is no doubt categorized in the top-right corner, in the authoritarian capitalist quadrant. > Depending on when/where you are, left and right can be associated to different side of the axis. Agreed, but there is a common understanding that left means redistribution of wealth while right means private property. Moreover, i would personally argue that the political compass is good for evaluating political speeches/opinions, but fails to grasp the complexity of facts in practice. For example, the USSR is usually painted as "authoritarian left", while in practice many critiques have pointed out that "There is no communism in Russia" [0]. [0] https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emma-goldman-there-is-no-communism-in-russia https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emma-goldman-there-i... (1935)

by forty 5y ago

southerntofu 5y ago

> I think the mainstream opinion is that the PS, LFI and EELV are left parties. I think that's what the propaganda apparatus is trying to build for a picture, yes. But compare their programs to those of the PS, PCF, and Greens (ancestors of those modern parties) from 40 years ago and you may have a few surprises in how the entire political apparatus has moved to the right over the years. > LREM is left, center or right if probably a matter of your political opinion LREM is definitely right-wing. They have regularly attacked the poor and the oppressed, while removing taxes on the rich . It could be considered a centrist policy ("all taxes should be equal") if it were accompanied by a traditional centrist "civil rights" program for political freedom and dismantling of monopolies (separation of investment/savings banks, break up of media from other industry interests, defending the right to protest, etc). Which is was not. In the political compass, LREM/Macron policy is no doubt categorized in the top-right corner, in the authoritarian capitalist quadrant. > Depending on when/where you are, left and right can be associated to different side of the axis. Agreed, but there is a common understanding that left means redistribution of wealth while right means private property. Moreover, i would personally argue that the political compass is good for evaluating political speeches/opinions, but fails to grasp the complexity of facts in practice. For example, the USSR is usually painted as "authoritarian left", while in practice many critiques have pointed out that "There is no communism in Russia" [0]. [0] https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emma-goldman-there-is-no-communism-in-russia https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emma-goldman-there-i... (1935)