Walking on the Far Left

One typically views a union as a group of unified masses of all different ages, backgrounds and occupations all standing together on a picket line much like the image above of members of Unite in the UK mobilised in London. All sexes, political orientations and cultures choose to mobilise this way. At first glance, it seems like the ultimate display of unity and collective society and the ultimate means by which a true community-led revolution can succeed. It can even, perhaps, be seen by some as a parallel or potential alternative to state centralisation of political power, and instrumental in the formation of a proletarian-led anarchy. However, it is also through this means of mobilisation that the state can further flourish as can other vanguardist and authoritative means of accumulation of power and resources amongst the masses, as well as equally appearing to further promote alternative pseudo-fascist authoritarian right wing ideology (the AFL CIO is an example of this, as were ma...

With recent voting trends showing a shocking increase in support for the far right amongst the UK and the significant potential for the ultranationalist extremist Reform Party (along with several other extreme minority groups that are even further to the right) to form the next government, one would assume that the left are all in agreement on one thing: the need for the to come together and present a true socially conscious alternative. To some extent, this is true, however the sectarianism amongst the different left wing parties, as well as the infighting that takes place within individual parties themselves, conflict can arise with regard to this. This largely relates to their individual methods and the ways in which they appeal to a specific demographic and work around a niche. As a result, this is clear to see when looking at the recent implosion of Corbyn and Sultana’s new party, and Sultana appearing to have gone under fire for her exclusion of socially conservative people from ...

  The Storming of the Bastille- French Revolution painting by Jean-Baptiste Lallemand (1789). Something that never ceases to amaze me is how a supposedly people centric and class conscious set of communitarian and socialist economic principles can somehow ironically be responsible for the development of some of the most inegalitarian societies that have existed globally. This can be reflected through observing the case of France at the time of the French Revolution during the mid to late 18th century (and even still, to some degree, in more recent times). This was, arguably, the point in time by which the greatest reconstruction and reformation of the social and political dimension of Europe took place, its ever present and significant imprint continuing to be felt throughout the centuries that followed.    While Mao presented the need for the “true” people, as in the workers and peasants, to rebuild society, this was achieved through undemocratic and authoritarian means ...

What appears striking is the sheer breadth and diversity of forms in which republicanism can be observed, spanning a range of ideological perspectives, positions along the political spectrum, and uses to fulfil a variety of objectives that satisfy the needs of many differing demographics. Yet, despite this, in today's political discourse, republicanism appears to be used mainly to refer to either the US government's comparatively conservative, economically libertarian, and capitalist values, or, for many European nations, the abolition of the monarchy and the transition to a presidential republic. It is also surprising that there remains minimal implementation of many typical republican values, and their relative merits and failures in resolving the social and economic issues posed by existing political systems. This can be observed when examining the primary interests and means by which several UK MPs who identified themselves as republicans defined their own version of republ...

So as to put into perspective the breadth on libertarianism and the stark contrast between its various interpretations and application to different concepts across the political spectrum, I have made this political compass based on my personal judgement. While libertarianism is generally considered centrist or centre, it is clear that upon looking at this depiction that many libertarian philosophies appear to be either concentrated around the far-left or far right. This is likely as a result of the clear link between  libertarianism and neoliberalism with social and economic anarchy , and the main aims of this ideology being in reducing the state's influence and ability to impose regulations on the markets and the values and behaviours of individuals.                                                      Generated using   The Political Comp...