A guide to British politics: what it means to be left or right wing
Are you right-wing or left-wing?
Would you even know how to answer that question?
What does it mean to be right-wing and left-wing?
Although they are frequently used terms in the world of modern political journalism, the two are rarely explored or defined. Simply put, ‘the right’ generally defines more conservative and reactionary ideologies (that is, opposed to new and sudden change), while ‘the left’ represents reforming and socialist views. However, it’s important to note that these beliefs are a spectrum: one could be center-left, for example, and have quite different views to someone who is very left wing.
Conservatism
Conservatism is the belief that society should stay the way it is, for the most part. Broadly speaking, they are more likely to be opposed to radical change, particularly in cases where individuals stand to lose out.
Conservatives – not necessarily the political party of the same name - are likely to support the doctrine of free markets. This can be beneficial for a capitalist economy as it allows for competition between businesses which encourages them to set their prices lower in order to draw businesses away from their competitors. Drawbacks begin to arise once the policy on non-government intervention results in a single company gaining a monopoly over a certain market. This means that they dominate the market, which allows them to set prices as high as they like safe in the knowledge that, if the consumer wants their goods or services, they have to accept their extortionate prices.
Equally, conservatives are less likely to endorse ideas where the collective benefits. They are generally more individualist. In some cases, this results in extremely capitalist views, such as that the poor simply haven’t worked hard enough or else they’d all be as rich as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Of course, this can be construed as a little misguided.
Being far-right is often equated with being highly authoritarian, though this is misguided. The Soviet Union, perhaps one of the most authoritarian states in living memory, was extremely left-wing. Also, Nazi Germany, usually deemed exceptionally right-wing, had some quite centrist ideas and appropriated some socialist economic ideas to generate a broad appeal. Extreme wings of either side of the spectrum can end in dictatorship and tyranny.
Prominent political parties in the U.K. following the conservative doctrine include the Conservative Party, UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party), the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party), and, at times, the Liberal Democrats – though they claim to be centrist. In the US, the major right-wing political party is the Republican Party (GOP), whose candidate is currently President of the United States, Donald Trump.
Theresa May, Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill and Benjamin Disraeli are notable examples of Conservative prime ministers.
Socialism
Socialists are the group who tend to make up the left-wing. A commonly-held leftist belief is that society needs improving and the socialists are generally more open to radical change. Unlike the conservatives, who look mainly to the past, the socialists view themselves as looking mainly to the future.
A key fundamental socialist belief is that of the redistribution of wealth. It is generally viewed as quite unfair that there is such a gap between the richest of society and the poorest, so socialists tend to believe that the solution to this is charging the rich more than the poor in taxes. This extra money, they argue, can be spent on amenities such as the NHS and state education, so that everyone can benefit from the wealth rather than just a lucky few. Conservatives often view high taxation of the rich as unfair on those that have worked hard for their income.
Socialists are also more likely to promote government intervention in economy. This means that the government would attempt to aid smaller businesses in order to promote competition. This means that monopolies are much less likely to form, but does result in a slight bias in the market and adds a degree of unpredictability (which, as Brexit is showing, is not all that great). Extreme socialists, otherwise known as communists, believe that private business is bad and campaign for state ownership of business. State ownership has both a great many negatives and a great many positives.
Whereas conservatives are fundamentally individualist, socialists tend to be more collectivist, with everyone in society working towards a common goal. For example, in the Soviet Union, this was the existence of a completely sustainable communist state; in the Third Reich, it was the pursuit of a new nation that showed the pride and power of the German people (but without the groups that Nazis deemed undesirable). Often states that claim to have communist values actually have the hallmarks of dictatorship, and most of the political and economic power lies with a select few individuals - typically, this is not an accurate representation of communism.
Collectivism is the main idea behind taxes, which shows us that all governments throughout history have to be somewhat collectivist in order to survive and fund the state.
Finally, socialists are keener for increased social mobility, or even for the removal of the class system entirely as socialism is fundamentally based on the idea that everyone is equal.
Prominent political parties in the U.K. following a more left-wing doctrine include the Labour Party, the Green Party, and, at times, the Liberal Democrats. In the US, the major left-wing political party is the Democratic Party (GOP) whose most recent President of the United States was Barack Obama.
Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Clement Attlee are notable examples of Labour prime ministers.
If after this you are still uncertain as to where you lie on the political spectrum, there are a great many websites you can go to and complete quizzes etc. to determine where you may lie. Approach them with a grain of salt however, as they may not always be totally accurate.
The Political Compass: https://www.politicalcompass.org/test
8 Values: https://8values.github.io/instructions.html
Callum Caldwell, Year 12
Would you even know how to answer that question?
What does it mean to be right-wing and left-wing?
Although they are frequently used terms in the world of modern political journalism, the two are rarely explored or defined. Simply put, ‘the right’ generally defines more conservative and reactionary ideologies (that is, opposed to new and sudden change), while ‘the left’ represents reforming and socialist views. However, it’s important to note that these beliefs are a spectrum: one could be center-left, for example, and have quite different views to someone who is very left wing.
Conservatism
Conservatism is the belief that society should stay the way it is, for the most part. Broadly speaking, they are more likely to be opposed to radical change, particularly in cases where individuals stand to lose out.
Conservatives – not necessarily the political party of the same name - are likely to support the doctrine of free markets. This can be beneficial for a capitalist economy as it allows for competition between businesses which encourages them to set their prices lower in order to draw businesses away from their competitors. Drawbacks begin to arise once the policy on non-government intervention results in a single company gaining a monopoly over a certain market. This means that they dominate the market, which allows them to set prices as high as they like safe in the knowledge that, if the consumer wants their goods or services, they have to accept their extortionate prices.
Equally, conservatives are less likely to endorse ideas where the collective benefits. They are generally more individualist. In some cases, this results in extremely capitalist views, such as that the poor simply haven’t worked hard enough or else they’d all be as rich as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Of course, this can be construed as a little misguided.
Being far-right is often equated with being highly authoritarian, though this is misguided. The Soviet Union, perhaps one of the most authoritarian states in living memory, was extremely left-wing. Also, Nazi Germany, usually deemed exceptionally right-wing, had some quite centrist ideas and appropriated some socialist economic ideas to generate a broad appeal. Extreme wings of either side of the spectrum can end in dictatorship and tyranny.
Prominent political parties in the U.K. following the conservative doctrine include the Conservative Party, UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party), the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party), and, at times, the Liberal Democrats – though they claim to be centrist. In the US, the major right-wing political party is the Republican Party (GOP), whose candidate is currently President of the United States, Donald Trump.
Theresa May, Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill and Benjamin Disraeli are notable examples of Conservative prime ministers.
Socialism
Socialists are the group who tend to make up the left-wing. A commonly-held leftist belief is that society needs improving and the socialists are generally more open to radical change. Unlike the conservatives, who look mainly to the past, the socialists view themselves as looking mainly to the future.
A key fundamental socialist belief is that of the redistribution of wealth. It is generally viewed as quite unfair that there is such a gap between the richest of society and the poorest, so socialists tend to believe that the solution to this is charging the rich more than the poor in taxes. This extra money, they argue, can be spent on amenities such as the NHS and state education, so that everyone can benefit from the wealth rather than just a lucky few. Conservatives often view high taxation of the rich as unfair on those that have worked hard for their income.
Socialists are also more likely to promote government intervention in economy. This means that the government would attempt to aid smaller businesses in order to promote competition. This means that monopolies are much less likely to form, but does result in a slight bias in the market and adds a degree of unpredictability (which, as Brexit is showing, is not all that great). Extreme socialists, otherwise known as communists, believe that private business is bad and campaign for state ownership of business. State ownership has both a great many negatives and a great many positives.
Whereas conservatives are fundamentally individualist, socialists tend to be more collectivist, with everyone in society working towards a common goal. For example, in the Soviet Union, this was the existence of a completely sustainable communist state; in the Third Reich, it was the pursuit of a new nation that showed the pride and power of the German people (but without the groups that Nazis deemed undesirable). Often states that claim to have communist values actually have the hallmarks of dictatorship, and most of the political and economic power lies with a select few individuals - typically, this is not an accurate representation of communism.
Collectivism is the main idea behind taxes, which shows us that all governments throughout history have to be somewhat collectivist in order to survive and fund the state.
Finally, socialists are keener for increased social mobility, or even for the removal of the class system entirely as socialism is fundamentally based on the idea that everyone is equal.
Prominent political parties in the U.K. following a more left-wing doctrine include the Labour Party, the Green Party, and, at times, the Liberal Democrats. In the US, the major left-wing political party is the Democratic Party (GOP) whose most recent President of the United States was Barack Obama.
Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Clement Attlee are notable examples of Labour prime ministers.
If after this you are still uncertain as to where you lie on the political spectrum, there are a great many websites you can go to and complete quizzes etc. to determine where you may lie. Approach them with a grain of salt however, as they may not always be totally accurate.
The Political Compass: https://www.politicalcompass.org/test
8 Values: https://8values.github.io/instructions.html
Callum Caldwell, Year 12