Left or right? Blue or red? Perhaps a hippy green or libertarian yellow?
People either value tradition and want to conserve social norms, or they want to progress further in order to feel liberated.
Plus, in terms of economics, people either think we're all in this together, or that it's every person for him/herself.
The political dichotomy as we know it, is just more programming from the sensationalist media, and the political establishment.
The news media loves scandal, drama and debates; because it provides them with a constant flood of ad revenue. The viewers/voters like to feel that their in a tribe, and want to hate on those in the other colour.
The political class, i.e. politicians and lobbyists, give us the illusion that only their team can give the people an actual solution. Only an entirely liberal set of policies will fix the problems, or only conservative policies with solve everything; so we're told. But the whole left/right dichotomy only ensnares us in a perpetual state of misery. Whether by design or not.
Across the developed world, the two major political parties of most nations, are pretty much identical. We all know this by now. In Britain, both the Conservative Party and Labour Party are both progressive. Even though the conservatives spout these policies begrudgingly, and they don't support weed and euthanasia legalisation; they cheer on the tired out controversies like gay marriage and abortion, because they don't want to scare off too many voters.
While Labour are far more adamant about social justice, with Corbyn's transgender normalisation policies, and plans to legalise medical weed. So all in all, neither of these parties value tradition and family.
The same goes for economics. Since the premiership of Margaret Thatcher, the UK has been falling in a spiral of neoliberal depravity. All of her successors, whether they wore blue ties or red ties, are now infamous for their pathological cuts on public spending, on anything from the NHS, housing, emergency services, disability assistance, libraries and cultural heritage sites.
Labour, especially under Corbyn, may advocate higher taxes on corporations and the rich, plus a revival of spending on public services. These are all good, but they can and probably will be reversed in five, ten or fifteen years time; whether by a Tory or Labour PM after Corbyn's inevitable go at the job.
Not unless the control of these services are further decentralised, by being put in the hands of public sector workers and regional government officials. Instead of MPs in Central London who have money thrown at them by lobbyists, or who invest in the private companies that chip away the public services.
The very concept of left-wing and right-wing is very muddled, distorted, and their own views are self-contradicting.
Conservatives, want a government to protect their religion and family, but don't want it to protect their jobs and money. They fail to realise that corporations cannot be trusted, and they have succeeded in destroying the family by allowing women to become extra tax-sources and consumers.
Right wingers put too much faith and trust the private sector by relieving them of government scrutiny, but are oblivious to the dangerous consequences: Over worked and underpaid employees, faulty products and environmental damage spring to mind. I could go on but these are the most obvious.
Liberals, want the government to stay out of their personal lives, to give them the freedom of ruining their lives with drugs, and letting children become very confused about their genders.
But liberals want the state to provide them with or protect their employment prospects, plus give them affordable health care and housing.
They too, fail to realise that the state is always involved in the people's lives. Whether they let you take drugs or to end or your own life, their the ones with the final say. It's in the government's, and society's at large, best interest for tradition and civility to be encouraged. Yes, everyone deserves a roof on their heads, food to prevent starvation, and medicine, but people also deserve and need heritage, national identity, tough-love morality and responsibility for each other.
It's moronic to partially trust the state and corporations. Only one is the enemy, because it corrupts the other. Big business is the enemy because it hijacks the state, which is suppose to protect and provide for the people. Not leave them sick and homeless because hospitals and homes are underfunded, scarce and expensive. Or snatch away their mothers and wives so they can toil away in an office, then by useless crap.
The state and corporations are opposing forces. One provides, the other steals. One protects, the other attacks. Businesses don't care about workers' livelihoods, the environment that we depend on, our culture and so on; they only care about their profits that they only want to keep for themselves.
The very point of starting a government, and therefore a society, is to have a mechanism of laws that looks after the people who identity within that community. Not to let selfish corporatist wreak havoc at the expense of the citizens.
The true political spectrum is actually libertarianism on the left, and communitarianism on the right.
You either trust corporations or the state. The two are opposing entities with different goals and incentives.
A mix of the two, just never solves problems but just gives the illusion that they do. Hence the rise of neoliberalism and social democracies across the Europe especially. Instead, a socialistic economy, traditional culture and decentralised political power is what will save nations.
If the current dichotomy were more realistic and honest, people would realise what they're really voting for.
(This is a re-post from my blog, link is in my profile)
