User:C mon/Politics

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"Freedom without Socialism is Injustice, Privilege, Socialism without Freedom is Slavery, Brutality"

– Bakunin

"The lasting liberation of people from suppression, discrimination and poverty is the core of leftwing politics"

– Femke Halsema

Politics
<--- This user is Left-wing
This user is a green.
According to the Political Compass this user is:
Economic Left (-6.13) and
Social Libertarian (-8.31)
This user stands at personal freedom 90%, economic freedom 40% on the Nolan chart.
This user is committed to peace.
This user is committed to diversity.
This user is committed to democracy.
This user is committed to solidarity.
This user is committed to sustainability.


This user is an Anarchist who believes violence is incompatible with the principles of Anarchism.‡
This user realises that what we take for granted today may not be here for our children.
This user believes that the death penalty should never be used.*
This user is against involuntary military service.


This user's safety and liberty are threatened by all firearms.†
This user supports immigration and the right to travel freely upon the planet we share.
This user supports heterosexual and homosexual marriages, and is against any kind of gender restrictions.
This user wants a
World government.
This user supports the European Union.


This user thinks Nationalism is outdated.
This user wants all of Europe to join the EU.


This user wants all of Europe to adopt the euro.

In the realm of grand theories and ideologies, I prefer to remain non-dogmatical and open:

  • I like the philosophical foundations of anarchism (each human should be free from domination, to be master of his own life), but I dislike its implementation (violent revolution, unchecked power structures).
  • Socialism for me is an outdated ideology. I will defend Marxism and try to explain its nuances to people, but the revolution is not coming and I do not expect that the bureaucracies ruling state-planned economies will ever dissolve themselves voluntarily. I am attracted to Analytical Marxism.
  • Left-libertarianism sounds good in principle: free individuals in a political and economic system oriented at keeping them free, but I think free market economics, if left unchecked will lead to more unfreedom and unequality.
  • Green politics is too underdevelopped to be a real alternative, although it adresses new themes and a new way.
  • I like the ideas of cosmopolitanism, multiculturalism, environmentalism, egalitarianism, feminism, but realize that they can never be fully developed ideologies.

All in all my position is somewhere between libertarian-socialism or libertarian egalitarianism trying to non-dogmatically combine the best of each of these for maximum individual freedom

There are some issues I'm really keen on:

  • I am an Euro-federalist. I believe that the EU can be a beacon of democracy, diversity and peace and show that states are an outdated way of organizing the world
  • I am a pacifist, principally I'm against the use of any violence in solving conflicts between states. I attended demonstrations against the war Iraq and Afghanistan. The only war which might have been good is the NATO actions to stop the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. I support any peaceful solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Because of the terrors of the Shoah, I tend towards the Israelis and suppor the Israeli peace movement.
  • I think the European states should focus more on international development, through micro-credits, opening their border for products from third world nations and debt relief.
  • Seen the dangers of nuclear power, the instability of oil producing countries and global warming, alternative energy, especially wind and solar energy are the way to go.
  • I think animals have rights. Therefore I'm opposed to Industrial farming and I see vegetarianism and organic farming are viable alternatives.
  • I dislike cars and I think public transport offers an environmentally friendly and safe alternative.
  • I think that any modern country should legalize same-sex marriage: the love between two people of the same sex is worth as much as two people from a different sex.
  • The way European countries currently treat their muslem minorities is terrible: these groups which need our support because they form the lowest group in social and economic terms, are instead repressed and stigmatized because of their religion.
  • I think education system should be diverse and liberal and should be financed in such a way that the worst off have the best chances for a good life.
  • I believe that every citizen (and in the end every world citizen) should receive a basic income so that all kinds of pensions, charities and benefits can be abolished. If this is implement a radical green tax shift can be implemented.
  • I think it is everybody's fundamental right to decide over her own body, including to end it. Euthanasia and even the Drion's Pil should be legal.
  • I fear European countries, even more than the United States, are turning into police states where individual freedom will be subjected for collective security. And as Benjamin Franklin said: "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
  • The Netherlands should become a republic instead of a monarchy.

Below one can find a list what I would want to vote in different countries of which I have some intuitions about the party system. The basic idea is: as left as possible without becoming communist, and as libertarian as possible, which often means Green. In some countries however I would vote for parties or candidates because of particular issues.

Hypothetical Voting (Countries)
Country
Region		 Party Orientation Issue
Netherlands GroenLinks green Diversity (Islam)
Flanders Groen! green Diversity (Islam)
Wallonia Ecolo green
Germany Die Grünen green
Austria Die Grünen green Diversity (Islam)
Switzerland Grüne Party green Openness (admission to the EU)
France Les Verts green
Ségolène Royal Socialist Anti-Sarkozy, Le Pen and Bayrou
Diversity (feminism)
Luxembourg Dei Greng green
United Kingdom Liberal Democrats left-liberal Democracy (proportional representation)
Ireland Comhaontas Glas green
Spain ICV green Democracy (federalism)
Portugal Os Verdes green
Denmark SF nordic greenleft
Norway Norwegian Labour Party social democratic Openness (admission to the EU)
Sweden Vänsterpartiet nordic greenleft
Iceland Alliance social democratic Openness (admission to the EU)
Finland Vihreä liitto green
Italy Radicali Italiani libertarian Diversity (homosexuality)
Greece SRA socialist
Poland SLD social-democratic Diversity (homosexuality)
Czech Republic Strana zelených green Diversity (homosexuality)
Slovakia MKP liberal Diversity (homosexuality)
Hungary SZDSZ liberal Diversity (homosexuality)
Slovenia SMS green Diversity (homosexuality)
Estonia SE social-democratic Diversity (homosexuality)
Latvia LZP green Diversity (homosexuality)
Macedonia SSM social-democratic Diversity (homosexuality)
Lithuania Naujoji sąjunga social-liberal Diversity (homosexuality)
Romania PSD social-democratic Diversity (homosexuality)
Bulgaria ZPG green Diversity (homosexuality)
Croatia HNS liberal Democracy
Bosnia SBH liberal Diversity (ethnicity)
Serbia DS social-democratic Democracy
Cyprus ED liberal Openess (re-unification)
Malta AD green
Turkey CHP social-democratic Openness (admission to the EU)
Israel Meretz-Yachad social-democratic Peace (between Israel and Palestine)
Palestine Palestine Democratic Union socialist Peace (between Israel and Palestine)
Russia Yabloko liberal Democracy
United States Greens green Democracy (proportional representation)
Barack Obama
although I'm closer to Dennis Kucinich		 progressive
Canada NDP social-democratic
New Zealand Greens green
Australia Greens green

Below one can see a table with my voting preference in the Netherlands over time. The basic idea again is: as left as possible trying to avoid communism and as libertarian as possible. Some important issues however can bend these rules.

Hypothetical Voting (Periods)
Period Party Orientation Issue
1918-1932 SDAP Democratic Socialist Socialist economy
1933-1936 OSP Orthodox Marxist Opposition to fascism
1937-1940 SDAP Democratic Socialist Opposition to fascism
1946-1947 CPN Communist Decolonization
1948-1958 PvdA Social-Democrat Welfare State
1959-1988 PSP Democratic Socialist Nuclear disarmament
1989-now GreenLeft Green Diversity

Finally, the Dutch parties on a preference order going from left-libertarian to rightwing authoritarian. Of each party a reason to vote for them and to vote against them has been included.

Hypothetical Voting (Preference order)
Position Party orientation + -
1 GreenLeft Green Idealistic Party for the intellectual elite
2 PvdA Social-Democratic Regierungsfaehig Centrists
3 D66 Social-liberal Nuanced Amateurist
4 SP Socialist Principled Scary, conservative, authoritarian populists
5 PvdD Animal rights one issue party Idealistic Naive
6 VVD Liberal Conservatives Liberals Conservatives
7 ChristianUnion Social Christian Inspired Leftwing party Opposes gay marriage
8 CDA Christian Democratic Centrist Arrogant party of power
9 SGP Orthodox Protestant Honest Will remove women's rights
10 PVV Conservative Liberal Courageous Will remove rights of migrants
v • d • e
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