Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: annalex

Sorry, but you’re wrong. Pretty much all of European political philosophy is what we in the US would call leftist, whether the Europeans call it right or left. For them, the difference is between international and national socialism; overweening, intrusive government is accepted as a given. Here, the difference is between the ascendency of the state over the individual (leftism) versus the ascendency of the individual over the state (rightism). There really isn’t an equivalent to our right in Europe.


27 posted on 03/29/2014 11:00:09 AM PDT by Doug Loss
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies ]


To: Doug Loss
There really isn’t an equivalent to our right in Europe

In some respect Europe is ahead of us because they have genuine longstanding political parties on the right. We don't, and our political efforts go mostly into fighting the GOP rather that making real change. But I agree that in America one finds clearer conservative ideology. On the other hand there are no monarchists to speak of in America, and that is quintessential right wing.

ascendency of the individual over the state (rightism)

That is not "rightism", that is libertarianism. Indeed, that is less in evidence in Europe, but let us not switch definitions. The Right wing implies, for example, nationalism, and the libertarians are barely waking up to the issues such as national borders, and are uncomfortable with nations becoming a part of the political language.

61 posted on 03/30/2014 11:26:38 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson