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I am genuinely sick and tired of being called far-right. ‘Right-wing’ does not mean “everything that a leftie disagrees with”.
I am genuinely sick and tired of being called far-right.
I disagree with David Cameron, but I also disagree with a lot of lefties and left-wing policies, but that does not make me far-right.
Just because David Cameron had done a lot of stupid and unpopular decisions, does not make his position hard-right.
Just because you’re a leftie, does not mean all your beliefs and policies are left-wing. ‘Right-wing’ does not mean “everything that a leftie disagrees with”. There might well be some ideas you actually endorse, but which are right-wing in principle; and there might be some policies you absolutely detest, but actually have its origins in left-wing ideology.
Some lefties have argued that the left-right spectrum depends on the context you operate in; in the context of the UK, right-wing is defined by the Conservative party, and left-wing is defined by the Labour party. If that is the case, then you cannot accuse David Cameron of being hard-right, so the terms hard-right or far-right becomes meaningless. And if you want to define terms this way, then you better abandon the association of far-right with Nazi ideology. The National Socialists were nationalist first and foremost, which manifested itself through socialist policies and cronyism. The British Conservative party is neither nationalist nor socialist. The only parties which are nationalist are economically centrist (UKIP) or left-wing (SNP, BNP). Every party claims to oppose cronyism and nepotism, but every party is subject to, and some even indulge in, these vulnerabilities.
Myself, I have no interest in nationalism, and I despise cronyism. I am neither right-wing, nor am I left-wing. I am pragmatist, and will go with whatever ideas and policies most capable of delivering results. In traditional parlance this used to mean that I am a centrist. However, such an expression is no longer helpful – this is because in modern British political parlance, ‘centrism’ is actually closer to populism, which usually means right-wing social attitudes (traditionalism) and left-wing economic attitudes (statism).
I joined UKIP because they were willing to disregard political ideology and political-correct terminology. They were willing to confront the hard truths and take a stand on politically sensitive issues, because they were prepared to stand up for the citizens of their country. This has resulted in them making controversial statements attracting support from hard-line or otherwise ‘colourful’ characters, but this is not an accurate representation of the party.
Every time you refer to me right-wing/hard-right/far-right, you tell me you are politically ignorant, and so I cannot take you seriously. Please educate yourself before you cast such judgement.
If there is anything you disagree with, please raise it with me directly, instead of calling me names behind my back or making passive-aggressive snipes. I have a strong interest in science, economics, and philosophy, and will be willing to pursue discussion in any direction, on almost any subject.
This post was originally published by the author on his personal blog: https://hoongwai1984.wordpress.com/2017/06/12/exhausting-the-far-right-label/
