Constant surveillance of every square inch of American soil, maybe - by cabellero
Zygoptera on 23/1/2007 at 22:13
Quote Posted by Aerothorn
The difference is that the far-right people tend to be more united than the far-left people (since "far-left" is generally just a bundle of different views such as various types of socialism, communism, and - if you want to classify it as such - anarchy).
The far right is also a bundle of different views though- libertarians, religious conservatives and neo-nazis are all far right (by most definitions) and have considerably different views. The one group which is better organised and probably more importantly better funded than the others- and many 'mainstream' groups too- is the religious right.
Aerothorn on 23/1/2007 at 22:52
My dad's a libertarian, and he's pretty liberal. So I dunno if that's far-right by definition.
SD on 23/1/2007 at 23:05
Yeah, I don't know where Zygop gets the idea that libertarians are "far-right" from. Libertarians are most often part of the big happy liberal family (that's liberal in the true, European sense, and not in the American sense ie being interchangeable with STALINIST BABY KILLERS)
Aerothorn on 23/1/2007 at 23:23
Hey, don't slack Zygop. He's just repeating the traditional wisdom (in the USA) - people just automatically place libertarians on the right, in the same way they place socialists on the left. Why? Because most libertarians vote Republican, due to the parties history of "state's rights" and all that. Course, the modern Republicans have abandoned that, so I dunno what the libertarians are up to.
SD on 23/1/2007 at 23:42
Quote Posted by Aerothorn
people just automatically place libertarians on the right, in the same way they place socialists on the left. Why?
I rather think it's because libertarians are generally free-marketeers, ie "conservative" on economic policy.
Shoshin on 23/1/2007 at 23:55
They're also generally pro-gun, small government, anti-tax, leave-me-the-hell-alone types, which in the past has been more Republican than Democrat.
Zygoptera on 24/1/2007 at 22:09
Mainly it's because I subscribe to the 'four corners' approach where right/left wing are not inherently related to the social style of government- right/left wing economics modified by liberal/ authoritarian social policy. Thus you have (far) authoritarian left wing ~ stalinism, authoritarian right wing ~ fascism, liberal right wing ~ libertarianism and liberal left wing ~ anarchism.
Certainly here we would define the 'classic' libertarian economic view as being far-right. Our own Libertarian party basically believes taxation should be voluntary, no governmental social support etc. etc. and as far as I know they are basically repeating what the US version says.
Aerothorn on 25/1/2007 at 02:22
Yes, I suppose they are far-right that way - I guess it's just a matter of how little government control you desire before you're deemed a libertarian.
The way some people paint it, thinking that the government shouldn't subsidize the switch to HD-TV makes you a libertarian.
SD on 25/1/2007 at 02:30
It's still not really "far-right" in the traditional sense that we reserve for fascists is it though. I've never heard libertarians described in that way, not even by proponents of the Nolan Chart/political compass, and I'm sure if you suggested to them that they were followers of far-right politics, they'd clock you.
Convict on 25/1/2007 at 10:27
Quote Posted by Zygoptera
Our own Libertarian party basically believes taxation should be voluntary
How on earth could that work? :eek:
