? Is this right?

[Mac]

On the political compass the UK parties 2010 chart seems a little inaccurate. Look at the position of The Labour Party, for example.

[Comrade Gwydion]

Labour seems to be on the right spot. Seems to me though, that the Libdems & Greens should be a hell lot closer to that spot as well, while SSP & Respect should be more in the libertarian-left corner.

[Mac]

I thought labour was left wing.:confused:

[GPDP]

The Political Compass is shit. Judge parties by their class character and policy implementation, not by what they say their ideology is.

[crazyirish93]

I thought labour was left wing.:confused:

As with most "labour party's" these day's they do not represent the workers they represent both large and small businessmen.

[The Underdog]

Ed Miliband is a typical, Eton-educated, Socialist-when-it-suits puppet for the bourgeoisie, as is his party.

[Revy]

They finally put BNP on the right? I remember that site putting them as slightly left, but very high (authoritarian). And now they only have them as slightly right. Like they don't want to offend the right by saying the BNP is far right.

[Pretty Flaco]

hmmmm I didn't realize plaid cymru was farther left of sinn fein. but then again, my dad's side (they're irish) don't talk much about politics ever.

[Shropshire Socialist]

Ed Miliband is a typical, Eton-educated, Socialist-when-it-suits puppet for the bourgeoisie, as is his party.

Neither Ed or his brother David went to public school: their father was a Communist after all. They both went to Haverstock Comprehensive School in Chalk Farm, North London.

[The Underdog]

Neither Ed or his brother David went to public school: their father was a Communist after all. They both went to Haverstock Comprehensive School in Chalk Farm, North London.

My bad... could've sworn that I had heard of an Etonian link. :blushing:

[Battlecat]

Neither Ed or his brother David went to public school: their father was a Communist after all. They both went to Haverstock Comprehensive School in Chalk Farm, North London.

Wait, I'm confused - In Britain, is a public school state owned or privately owned?

[Blake's Baby]

1 - the political compass is shit;
2 - Labour are not 'left wing';
3 - even if they were, they'd only be the 'left wing of capitalism' (they administer the capitalist state and fight capitalist wars after all).

For info - 'public schools' in England are privately-run. From the days when the contrast was not between 'public (ie state)' and 'private (ie capitalist)' but between 'public (founded by lay people)' and 'church'. Many 'Public Schools' in Britain go back well before the establishment of capitalism, and were set up for the sons of the aristocracy who weren't going to end up in the Church. So we tend to use 'public' and 'state' as opposites, which does get confusing for those who read 'public' as meaning 'funded through taxation'. I try to use 'private' rather than 'public' to mean 'fee-paying'. Just to be clear.

[The Underdog]

Wait, I'm confused - In Britain, is a public school state owned or privately owned?

It's weird... a public school is actually a private school. Normal schools are normally referred to as 'state schools'.

I don't really hear the term 'public school' in popular parlance anymore. People usually just say 'private school'.

[Battlecat]

It's a sad, sad day when the BNP are considered more economically left then the labour party..

[Tommy4ever]

My bad... could've sworn that I had heard of an Etonian link. :blushing:

Both Ed and Dave went to Oxford though - that might be what you were thinking of.

[DinodudeEpic]

Note that left and right only means economics in the political compass.

For all purposes, just look up-down as you would left-right. Down would be politically left, up would be politically right.

The problem with political compass is that it confuses right-wing with laissez-faire capitalism. Without even looking at the history of the terms to find out that the laissez-faire right is mostly a feature in the USA historically. (Although some other countries have similar right-wing groups, like the UK's conservatives, Chile's Pinochet, and others. But, the right sometimes also favors mixed capitalism (Sometimes even with welfare in the case of the BNP and other such 'Nationalist' parties.) or even a feudalistic planned economy that works with the corporations. (Saudi Arabia? UAE?)

[GPDP]

Note that left and right only means economics in the political compass.

For all purposes, just look up-down as you would left-right. Down would be politically left, up would be politically right.

The problem with political compass is that it confuses right-wing with laissez-faire capitalism. Without even looking at the history of the terms to find out that the laissez-faire right is mostly a feature in the USA historically. (Although some other countries have similar right-wing groups, like the UK's conservatives, Chile's Pinochet, and others. But, the right sometimes also favors mixed capitalism (Sometimes even with welfare in the case of the BNP and other such 'Nationalist' parties.) or even a feudalistic planned economy that works with the corporations. (Saudi Arabia? UAE?)

The problem with the PC is that it's completely centered around liberal capitalism. That is why it's so limited - it doesn't tell you anything concrete about political economy other than whether you want the state to have more or less of a hand in today's capitalist society. Maaaaaaybe if you're solidly pro-capitalist it might be useful, but to us socialists it's useless.

[Blake's Baby]

I've had arguments on forums with the most rabid reactionaries who claim that they're dead centre on the political compass. They probably are, thus it must be a pretty useless tool.

[Zanthorus]

They finally put BNP on the right? I remember that site putting them as slightly left, but very high (authoritarian). And now they only have them as slightly right. Like they don't want to offend the right by saying the BNP is far right.

The reason the BNP is left on the political compass is because the 'Left-Right' axis is a measure of economic collectivism/individualism and not any of the other things we would associated with that axis such as social values and feelings on topics such as immigration. The BNP is economically 'left' in that sense, at least in comparison to parties like the Labour party, so they get put to the left.

[Shropshire Socialist]

It's weird... a public school is actually a private school. Normal schools are normally referred to as 'state schools'.

I don't really hear the term 'public school' in popular parlance anymore. People usually just say 'private school'.

They were called public schools because they were open to the public at a time when only those who could afford to pay would send their children to school.

Later, as church school and local schools began to pop up public school came to mean private school.

The 1844 Education Act really opened up schooling to everyone and so those who did not go to public school went to state school.

Cameron and Clegg both went to public school. Cameron to Eton and Clegg to Westminster School.

Previously, Gordon Brown went to Kircaldy High School (state school) and then on to Edinburgh University.

Tony Blair went to Fettes College (a public school in Scotland) and then Oxford University.

John Major (Tory PM 1990-1997), went to Rutlish Grammar School (state school) in Merton but did not go to university.

Margaret Thatcher went to Kesteven and Grantham Girls School (a state grammar school), and then Oxford University.