Political Ideology

Seems like this poll will inevitably be met with overwhelming numbers of liberals, but being a conservative myself, I am curious to see what sort of ratio there is here on ZU. Am I alone?

Also what views you hold that are liberal or conservative as well as how you define these labels is important if we want anything to discuss

I myself identify myself as a moderate. I feel that both the left and the right (and I will note here that American liberals are, at best, left-of-center on a global scale) have their points. I generally believe in the ideals of the left (even though they are quite optimistic), and I feel that many leftist views have been supported by a far stricter methodology of verification by than the right, but good ol' fashioned cynicism keeps me from embracing the ideology outright. ^_^;

As I have joked before, "I believe in equality, fuzziness, and tree-hugging like the left, but I believe we will need to lie, cheat, and murder like the right to get there." XD

(Apologies to any leftists and rightists I may have offended; this is an exaggerated joke. XD )

conservatism for me means basically this; the governments job is to protect our rights, build roads, and protect our country. beyond that they just get in the way and try to play parent

Depends on the country's scale. A conservative in Canada (or most first world countries, for that matter) would likely by called a liberal in the US.

I'd consider myself a progressive. I'd vote for the Liberal party of Canada (moderate, leaning left), but they're useless right now. So I'm stuck with the Conservative party (right wing, usually more fiscally conservative than socially conservative), and the NDP (far left wing), neither of which I really agree with.

Even though I'd say I'm mostly left wing, I hold a few moderate positions. I'm undecided on abortion, I think foreign intervention is sometimes necessary (although I don't think Canada really needs a large military, mostly peacekeepers and diplomats), and I think that many rich people do a lot of good in the world (Bill Gates is a great example).

Other than that, I agree with the left most of the time. I think welfare is important to create an even playing field in which everyone can compete in our capitalist society, regulations are an important part of protecting the environment and the economy (pretty much saved Canada from the worst of the banking collapse), support Cannabis legalization and taxation (although I'd personally never smoke it), strongly support gay rights, and very strongly support science (evolution, climate change, modern medicine, etc).

Haha, odd to think our left is right in most other places, and I am extreme to our right, what does that make me relative to the rest of the world?

I'm not much for left or right labels. I'm in favor of solving problems using objective methodologies, critical thinking, and fairness in regards to basic human rights. If that takes on characteristics of the left or right (which is, at best, a subjective scale that can only be used intranationally), so be it. That label only serves to bias and cloud the processes that I support.

I find myself agreeing with liberalism most often, but that, I think, is a product of the extreme right-leaning government we have in America compared to other countries.

I don't pretend to understand what I am, so I don't call myself an of those.

Originally Posted by R3B3LCAUSE

Haha, odd to think our left is right in most other places, and I am extreme to our right, what does that make me relative to the rest of the world?

Crazy.

Hahaha, no, I'm kidding. Really.

I find myself agreeing with liberalism most often, but that, I think, is a product of the extreme right-leaning government we have in America compared to other countries.

If you view our government as it is right now as right leaning you definitely fit my description of liberal

Crazy.

Hahaha, no, I'm kidding. Really.

Haha, I have never been one for following the herd =) Crazy people have all the fun

Originally Posted by R3B3LCAUSE

Haha, odd to think our left is right in most other places, and I am extreme to our right, what does that make me relative to the rest of the world?

Well, I don't mean to offend you in any way, but we would generally regard you as weird. Sort of in the same way you'd think of socialist parties. The impression we get of the Republican party of America is akin to that of an extremist party. Of course, we don't think that the GOP is the same as the Taliban, but not that far off. After all, both are religious fundamentalists that base much of their politics around that and ignore things that the rest of the world considers fact. The fact that most of the GOP proudly asserts their disbelief in evolution is mind-boggling, considering such a slip would end many political careers elsewhere.

Now, that isn't the view the rest of Canada/Europe holds. We're just as diverse as the US, and I'm sure that many Canadians would identify with the Republican party. The thing is, they're a small minority, and generally shunned (just as communists exist here, but are also generally shunned). On a world-political scale for first-world nations, America would be the most far right, the UK and Canada would be somewhere around the center, and many European countries would be on the left (such as Sweden, Norway, France, etc).

---------- Post added at 12:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:10 AM ----------

Originally Posted by R3B3LCAUSE

If you view our government as it is right now as right leaning you definitely fit my description of liberal

Obama would be considered right wing in pretty much every other first world country. He actually lines up nearly exactly with the Conservative party of Canada.

I despise the Republican Party in most cases, they are generally too interventionist. And I don't believe in evolution. I am the craziest of the crazies

And most of my crazy ideology is based on Christianity (although I don't like the negative connotations of the word 'fundamentalist'). But luckily I live in a largely conservative ranch town, we have fun shooting stuff and driving big 'planet-killing' trucks. We think American leftists are as crazy as you think we are, its truly astonishing how different people can see the world

Originally Posted by R3B3LCAUSE

I despise the Republican Party in most cases, they are generally too interventionist. And I don't believe in evolution. I am the craziest of the crazies

What is considered crazy in the political arena is purely subjective, my friend . Even most democrats in the US would consider the NDP to be crazy, but they're perfectly acceptable up here.

Dare I ask what the NDP's view of abortion is?

They're pro-abortion, although so is most of Canada. I believe they were the ones that got it legalized, or were at least major players.

The Conservative party holds the majority in the house of commons right now (they can pass pretty much whatever they want as long as it's constitutional), although they've sworn not to touch social issues like abortion, gay rights, and our universal health care. Mostly because such a move would lead to political ruin (healthcare and gay rights are nearly extremely popular, and abortion is mostly accepted), and they're more fiscally conservative than socially conservative.

Oh, so what is the crazy right wing party of Canada? do they have a Libertarian Party?

Originally Posted by R3B3LCAUSE

If you view our government as it is right now as right leaning you definitely fit my description of liberal

I just meant that our country is comparatively right-leaning when you look at other nations.

I only say this because the differences in "left" and "right" between countries skew the definition of what those terms mean, so if I'm left here, I may not necessarily be left in England.

Hence my confusion with the terms "conservative" or "liberal". I'm neither, I just support the best solution to problems (as dictated by scientific inquiry) with the resources available.

I just meant that our country is comparatively right-leaning when you look at other nations.

I only say this because the differences in "left" and "right" between countries skew the definition of what those terms mean, so if I'm left here, I may not necessarily be left in England.

I understand, I am just pointing out how fundamentally different some peoples views are

if you don't "believe" in evolution or global warming then, I'm sorry to say, you're just ignorant. These aren't matters of political opinion, they're matters of scientific fact.

now as for actual politics, I too believe that the sole purpose of the government is to protect the rights of its citizens. What other purpose could a government possibly reasonably assume? I believe in freedom and liberty; a person should be as free as possible to do whatever they want, provided they do not infringe upon the freedoms of anybody else.

I don't know nor do I care what the political terminology is that best suits my beliefs.

I personally veer all over the political spectrum. I support abortion, legalising marijuana, and the random selection of the head of state. However, I also support police force UAVs, stricter (borderline lethal) riot control, and putting all criminals with <10 year sentences onto an island and telling them we'll come back for them later.

For the other discussion that's going on, britain's parties are fiscally liberal/conservative, as opposed to socially. Equal rights tend to be much more important than they are in America, for example, and the removal of any one service can cause major uproar, and isn't even really considered except in the direst of need.

Hell, the current conservative government is pressing for an enormous trainline all the way through the country (as in a->b, very few diversions), and a goodly number of them are openly gay or atheist. That's how conservative they are.

Edit: we also have the BNP. If you want oppression of minorities, look no further.

Originally Posted by Lysis

now as for actual politics, I too believe that the sole purpose of the government is to protect the rights of its citizens. What other purpose could a government possibly reasonably assume?

Providing education, healthcare, financial aid to new industries that struggle and would be benefitial for everyone (such as green energy)?

if you don't "believe" in evolution or global warming then, I'm sorry to say, you're just ignorant. These aren't matters of political opinion, they're matters of scientific fact.

Sad thing is, the republican party try their damndest to make it seem like a political opinion. And since there's a lack of good public education in the US - it works. Isn't it something like 40-45% of the US population that doesn't believe in evolution? That's a stunning and sad number.

Originally Posted by Hombre de Mundo

Providing education, healthcare, financial aid to new industries that struggle and would be benefitial for everyone (such as green energy)?

all people should have a right to education and healthcare. Green energy would also be protecting the rights of the people, since it protects the environment the people live in.

I'm a liberal. I'm not super liberal, but to use as many names I can think of, I'm a progressive moderate liberal democrat.