Sure, there are always outliers and you can correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s just the overall impression I have.

(I wasn’t sure if !asklemmy@lemmy.world or this community would fit better for this kind of question, but I assume it fits here.)

      • MajorHavoc@programming.devEnglish
        92·
        3 months ago

        but most of the world considers them to be right wing.

        Yep. I’m fiscally conservative, mildly sympathetic to people who fear and resist change, and fond of the pragmatic pursuit of libertarian ideals, where that’s possible.

        I also feel that how others do sex is none of my damn business, taxes supporting social services are necessary, and equitably applied rule of law is critical for any real economic prosperity.

        On the scale of history, I suspect that makes me centrist or even a moderate conservative.

        In my country, and today, somehow, astonishingly, this combination makes me what most would call very left leaning.

        I feel that the right has gone insane and continues to alienate people who might otherwise have been allies.

      • Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        21·
        3 months ago

        No. Liberalism is against most things that the right wing of the political spectrum explicitly stands for. Liberalism exists as a counter argument to conservatism. As I mentioned earlier US political language has twisted and distorted what these words really mean.

          • Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            31·
            3 months ago

            No. I’m not talking from a US perspective. I’m talking from a political perspective. Liberalism is a moral and political philosophy - that is available in more than one flavour. Many things liberalism stands for are incompatible with right wing governments. Conservatism is far right? No, fascism is far right and there is an enormous difference between being conservative and being a fascist. Right and left are both part of a spectrum and run the whole gamut from dipping your toe in the water to being fully submerged. It’s disingenuous to suggest otherwise.

              • Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
                2·
                3 months ago

                Again, no. I was talking about John Locke and David Lloyd George type characters - to suggest that the last Liberal party prime minister of the UK was to the right of the political spectrum was an interesting take I’d never heard before.

                  • Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
                    3·
                    3 months ago

                    I’m no expert - it’s just that the (UK) liberal party merged with a left of centre party, the SDP (Social Democratic Party) and were briefly called the SDLP; before rebranding to the Liberal Democrats. They are still left of centre.

                    I think a lot of the liberal views towards capitalism can only be seen through the context of trying to humanise the inherent framework of capitalism. I think you’re correct that they never looked beyond existing within capitalism and therefore perhaps ultimately paid a price for that.

                    Thanks for the weekend wishes, same to you.