Left or right? Does it matter?
There are very few people who are all liberal or all conservative. I tend to find people are a mixture—it would be wrong to say there’s even a continuum between left and right. We tend to be a pick-and-mix people, coloured by our experiences and our hopes. We change our views as we age.
Last year, I stood for a left-wing party but am one of the more centrist members in the Alliance.
I tend to say I am Confucian, which some people have mistaken for socialist when in fact it is closer to libertarian. And some folks think libertarian is an inherently right-wing idea. Yet both the Alliance and the right-wing ACT Party here in New Zealand have incorporated libertarian ideas, if one defines that as maximizing personal liberty. There are areas where the two diametrically opposed parties agree as a result. They simply disagree on how that liberty is to be achieved: the Alliance believing in the necessity of some state mechanisms and nationalization of some industries for the sake of job creation. ACT is a monetarist, technocratic party.
I love the ideals of patriotism and freedom, I believe more in Keynes than the technocracy, and I wish to put people first. When it comes to running this country I want to see locally owned businesses get better breaks than foreign-owned ones, whether at the local level or the national level. I want to encourage domestic ownership of international businesses, rather than the other way around. I believe in the innovative spirit of New Zealanders.
So am I right-wing or left-wing, liberal or conservative? Other than economic theory I think both sides would agree that the majority of the last paragraph applies to them. If we have a sense of right and wrong, then I am not sure it is that important we belong in a “camp”.
Fight corruption, support the good, build friendships, piss off the evil. Not a bad strategy to have through life.
Comments
I found it amusing the NZ blog ranking has me as Politics ?
I think people should do all they can to look after themselves (lib/right?) but acknowledge that some won't be able to do that and society should (left?)
The most good, for the most people, most of the time?
But you're right. Most people are as much 'lefties' as they are when they take a walk. They avail themselves of both perspectival limbs on the basis of whether society or their personal interests are paramount....and their understanding of what sentience is.
But i wouldn't say that you're 'Confucian' Jack. The idea of conformism and immutable hierarchical structure is quite the theme within it. Especially since it was syncretised with Taoism and Han Fei's Legalism 2000 years ago. But, i suppose, we're all Confucian every now and then in different situations.
Good thoughts Jack. Most interesting. Thanks.
ed
Thank you, Ed: you are right, it is all relative, and it is a shifting centre.
Perhaps I should re-term it modern Confucianism—in today’s defragmenting, more segmented society it would be ignorant of me to believe in conformity. But the ideas of self-regulation and social responsibility do appeal to me.
Within the confucian(China) context of things, it rather serves as a coping mechanism that enables the government to continually extract from the people. In such a context, and in the longer run, the people will inevitably adopt the exploitative persona of the government. As a result, social responsibility will contract and generally include only the family, whilst everyone takes on a siege mentality and grossly opportunistic stance toward each other. It goes on in china as well as in singapore.
A wise confucian philosopher once said, perhaps a thousand years ago or so, that what the government is, the people will become. Most astute.
I really enjoy your thoughts on such matters Jack. Thank you.
ed
It's the corrupt idiots you've really got to watch!
It appears that the Dems total control of the Federal Government is going to be problematic. The Dems seem driven to a more socialist agenda.
The Dems appear to reject the idea of keeping a balance between socialism and capitalism and allowing a loyal opposition. Therefore, American is in for a rough ride socially and economically over the next 3 years.