Jacques Attal (2015) “Think differently about the Right and the Left, L’ Express Blog, 09 March.
While political parties, doctrines and party platforms might not want to admit it, there is a certain, albeit slow, shift in the traditional Left-Right cleavage in the practice of governments all over the world: As so often happens, practice precedes doctrine and creates it.
Clearly there is still on the one hand the weak and, on the other, the powerful; on the one hand the rich and, on the other, the poor; on the one hand, there are those who say that the poor only have themselves to blame for their own plight; and, on the other, those who maintain that the future of the poor depends on their seizure of political power.
Despite these universal characteristics, we are witnessing a strange shift in the left-right-cleavage model: Some on the political right have proposed to work to strengthen the State rather than weakening it; some on the political left have proposed to dismantle rents, even when they are concealed under the name of « acquired benefits.»
In Europe, in particular, it is clear that conservatism is present in political parties, Left and Right; that in both camps there are people who think that things were better before and others who believe that change can be the bearer of well-being.
Relevant posts:
- Palaiologos, Υ. (2015) “It’s Time for Greece’s Left to Get On Board“, Wall Street Journal, 05 March.
- Cowen, T. (2015) “Why is the Greek government so popular with left-wingers?“, Marginal Revolution Blog, 10 March.
- Feldman, N. (2015) “Greece Turns Left, Europe Goes Right“, BloombergView, 30 January.