There are identifiable philosophical positions of "left" or "right" that don't necessarily indicate slavish adherence to any particular left-wing or right-wing

There are identifiable philosophical positions of "left" or "right" that don't necessarily indicate slavish adherence to any particular left-wing or right-wing party's platform. A given policy (welfare programs) can be justified by either a left-wing or a right-wing framework. Left and right are different motivations and different ways of seeing the world more than they are different policy platforms.