Your Political Compass

[Caffeine Fiend]

I do think many people in the world don't grasp the basics of politics. Wanting people to afford to heat their homes and eat is not a left position and similarly wanting people to be cold and hungry is not a right position. Totally misses the point, but explains why we are where we are.

Some great acts of charity have been from the right due to the ideologies of individuals funding philanthropic endeavours rather than wanting to be taxed more and the government to provide a service. And left positions have also lead to millions starving. It's not as nearly as simple as good Vs bad.

Celebs known for their charity who tax dodge in order to fund their organisations seem on the right to me. They often defend it claiming they're better to spend money to help others rather than the government. But it's all rather mixed as you can be right wing on wanting a smaller government while also supporting gay rights.

Le pen is often called far right, but overall she was just off center as on society she was on the right, but very much on the left with welfare policies.

I've given up trying to have this discussion irl, I'll just accept that most younger people think being left is about feeding people, and being right is about starving people .

I think its definitely more nuanced than that but these quizzes / scales do tend to have it a bit like what youre saying.

In an ideal world everyone would pull themselves up by the boot straps and get on with it but its not an ideal world and the majority of popular worldwide politics are central / central left / central right. There isnt a huge gulf between the parties in this country imo. People like to think there is, but there isnt, not how I see it anyway.

Me saying that I want people to have better lifestyles / be able to afford things isnt me being oh look at me Im a liberal leftie and if that had to happen I wouldnt give a flying duck whos in 'charge'

I work for the government in welfare and have done for quite a while. I can only comment on what I see and witness and things are much worse now for those relying on disability benefit or top up benefit on earnings than theyve ever been the whole time Ive worked there. We do collections for homeless charities / food banks often in our office but it all needs to be kept under the radar because the official line is that we cant be seen to support organisations like this. Like WTF?

 

[Slaybutter]

On my end I live in the US where the national guideline is “if you’re poor, you should rot.” I want to see more intervention in poverty but still allow for free trade.

 

[Lalla]

Definitely further left than expected. I'd consider myself generally right of centre economically but quite liberal in terms of equal rights, crime, etc.

 

[Yel]

There isnt a huge gulf between the parties in this country imo. People like to think there is, but there isnt, not how I see it anyway.

There really isn't at the moment and hasn't been since new labour.

It might have been different if Corbyn got in, but for the last 20 years there's barely been a rizla paper between the two main parties policies.

The conservative government probably did as much as labour would have done during covid so I'm unconvicted just voting labour would fix society.

I just see a lot of jack monroe level politics where she advocates that more money should be printed and it would solve everything. In reality that kind of mismanagement would very quickly lead to many more going hungry - look at Venezuela or Sri Lanka right now.

On my end I live in the US where the national guideline is “if you’re poor, you should rot.” I want to see more intervention in poverty but still allow for free trade.

The attitude over there is shocking compared to Europe. I went to an international school and you had people there with the attitude where they don't care about road maintenance, they'd just get a 4x4 for themselves and be fine

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

There really isn't at the moment and hasn't been since new labour.

It might have been different if Corbyn got in, but for the last 20 years there's barely been a rizla paper between the two main parties policies.

The conservative government probably did as much as labour would have done during covid so I'm unconvicted just voting labour would fix society.

I just see a lot of jack monroe level politics where she advocates that more money should be printed and it would solve everything. In reality that kind of mismanagement would very quickly lead to many more going hungry - look at Venezuela or Sri Lanka right now.

Covid was a huge left ball that noone saw coming. It wasnt dealt with well though, the dishing out of the money. (Speaking with first hand experience of it) it was all v much slap dash, panic stations with no thought to how it would roll out.

I cant say too much in regards to things Ive witnessed as I could be outing myself but official advice from ministerial level was to leave legacy payments in payment from March 2020 to July/Aug 2020.

Even if the customer themselves reported a chance of circumstances that would end entitlement to benefit, it was to be left in payment.

Obviously with legacy benefits official error is a thing which it wouldnt be with UC but still. Its crazy to think this happened and thats without even looking at bounce back loans, no proper checks on new UC claims, self-employment grants, eat out to help out, stamp duty holidays, furlough which went on far too long.

 

[Slaybutter]

The attitude over there is shocking compared to Europe. I went to an international school and you had people there with the attitude where they don't care about road maintenance, they'd just get a 4x4 for themselves and be fine

Yep, that doesn’t surprise me. These days the wealthy use their helicopters to travel between New York and the tony Hamptons.

ETA: It’s not an issue of crumbling roads rather they think they’re above sitting in traffic.

 

[soph30]

Bit of a strange quiz though on some of the questions- “do you think some races are superior to others”? I’d say that was a racist position, not a right-wing position maybe far right

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

Bit of a strange quiz though on some of the questions- “do you think some races are superior to others”? I’d say that was a racist position, not a right-wing position maybe far right

That is a radical right wing ideology though. The same as you get radical left wing ideologies.

Far right but its still right wing not left. That compass scale is huuuuuge and ultimately we are probably all around the middle axis unless you are a raging racist then yes youl probably be towards the right.

 

[Yel]

In terms of US politicians both Biden and Obama are pretty far on the right.

 

[Slaybutter]

In terms of US politicians both Biden and Obama are pretty far on the right.

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Hmm… I wonder if that’s based on their personal politics or what transpired in their presidency. Because once upon a time, Obama had a lot of leftie ideals. And Biden, I understand is pretty left too, but I actually don’t pay that close attention to him - I’m loving my 4-year hiatus from the news / existential worry

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

Hmm… I wonder if that’s based on their personal politics or what transpired in their presidency. Because once upon a time, Obama had a lot of leftie ideals. And Biden, I understand is pretty left too, but I actually don’t pay that close attention to him - I’m loving my 4-year hiatus from the news / existential worry

Biden is not left at all. Maybe by American standards but certainly not by the political compass.

Id imagine that the traditional 'right' parties in the UK are still more left leaning than the majority of Democrats.

However in America personal policies / beliefs dont matter because its what they can actually pass in the house / senate and it is a Conservative country so its actually difficult to get any movement with things

 

[xxAprilxx]

Further left than I thought I'd be

 

[Purrrrrrr]

So I'm not a rabid right winger like I keep being told

 

[Ensay]

In terms of US politicians both Biden and Obama are pretty far on the right.

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Seems hard to accept anyone who's pro choice/pro same sex marriage like Obama could be that far to the right?

 

[Yel]

Hmm… I wonder if that’s based on their personal politics or what transpired in their presidency. Because once upon a time, Obama had a lot of leftie ideals. And Biden, I understand is pretty left too, but I actually don’t pay that close attention to him - I’m loving my 4-year hiatus from the news / existential worry

Yeah that's not his personal opinion but the policies he campaigned for.

That's us elections for you, either quite far on the right or even further on the right. And people act as if anything not really far right is the same as momentum

 

[Switchstreetz]

Must confess I'm surprised how many people there are in the green square compared to the other 3!

 

[soph30]

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Must confess I'm surprised how many people there are in the green square compared to the other 3!

I found a lot of the right wing questions were VERY right wing and there weren’t so many that were VERY left wing (communism etc)

 

[Switchstreetz]

I found a lot of the right wing questions were VERY right wing and there weren’t so many that were VERY left wing (communism etc)

That's a good point , I think although the UK is seen as a majority conservative country, that's not really true when you think about the majority of the public's positions on human rights & liberty - abortion, same sex marriage both supported by majority whenever UK citizens are polled - are technically left wing and I think I saw recently that majority of public now support nationalising the trains and energy providers as well!

A national health service is also a left wing institution.

It always makes me laugh in America when republicans call the democrats communists, the democrats seem to be essentially the same ideologically as our conservatives! (aside from a few exceptions in the younger representatives)

 

[CELESTE CROCKETT]

As I expected