tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295303072530017502.post207749521623498471..comments2023-09-16T08:50:44.836-07:00Comments on Movement for a Democratic Mixed Economy: Politics, Power and the Economy - by Mike BallardVaughann722http://www.blogger.com/profile/11604027151490275320noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295303072530017502.post-28078288785433117882016-02-14T17:01:15.030-08:002016-02-14T17:01:15.030-08:00The problem is if you do away with Left and Right ...The problem is if you do away with Left and Right perhaps it only compounds the problem of convergence on a 'third way centre' - with no real choice - and no real appreciation even that there are choices....Vaughann722https://www.blogger.com/profile/11604027151490275320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295303072530017502.post-34652939758410341252016-02-05T03:46:18.170-08:002016-02-05T03:46:18.170-08:00This is a pretty decent analysis and gets down to ...This is a pretty decent analysis and gets down to the brass tacks of how politics works. Good job! I don't really have much to say substantively on what Michael Ballard has written here, there are a number of points that could be raised and expanded on but I think I'll wait and see if there's any more commentary offered from elsewhere first.<br /> One minor issue that sometimes bothers me these days is related to the political compass. I find myself pretty solidly in the far lower left corner, firmly in the libertarian socialist camp and, for practical purposes, I also continue to refer to the left/right divide but I'm seriously beginning to question how useful this is a theoretical tool. I'm beginning to wonder if this worn-out legacy of the French Revolution shouldn't be quietly retired. <br /> I know this is a controversial position and, in fact, one usually advanced from the right of politics, but it seems to me that sometimes the right/left divide obscures more than it explains. What is perhaps more useful is to view socialism, liberalism, religious/nationalist/conservative ideologies as distinct world-views embodying quite disparate understandings of human nature and society. This may perhaps seem more complex as an approach. The question may also vary between the contexts in which we use them. For example, popular discourse is always much looser with terminology than academic discourse and it's probably the latter where precision matters more. My problem is that left and right are no longer clearly understood in the popular realm either. I'd be interested to see what others think.<br /> Of course, for most of us the "Left" is an identity that we positively embrace in a way that Rightists seldom do. I think the Left/Right divide matters more to us because it's part of our identity. I also feel that identification but I wonder if this identity is well understood outside our own circles- i.e. if this label has become more a barrier than an aid in explaining our politics?Shayn McCallumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16271879521616740320noreply@blogger.com