Leaning Left Or Right?

I think I am going to give a go at talking about politics. This could get me into trouble, but here goes anyway!

One of my readers has me as probably a conservative, another as ‘in the middle ground’. I have yet to be called a liberal but I guess it will happen.

I want to take an issue and hopefully demonstrate how “Are you right or left-wing?” is not always the most important question.

The issue is work. Now suppose I said “I believe in full employment. It is the states responsibility to ensure that everyone has a job. We must organise our economy to ensure that people all have a responsible job to do and are valued by society”

My guess is that almost everyone would have me down as a raving lefty. The language sounds extreme, almost communist.

Supposing I said instead “People should not be allowed to sponge off society. For all but the most sick I propose abolishing any kind of unemployment benefit. Immediately there will be no more benefit cheats with jobs because there will be almost no one on benefits. With the vast amounts of money saved we will provide tax incentives to companies and local essential service providers to provide low paid jobs for anyone who will take them. We will make these breaks so attractive that no company in their right mind would not give a job to anyone who could walk, and indeed many who cannot. The people can be paid at rates slightly above that given on the dole, and as such the minimum wage will be lowered to a level that will ensure that a man can work for 35 hours a week and receive enough to feed a family of four. This policy will ensure that anyone who wants a job can get one, therefore anyone who refuses to work will not receive one penny of taxpayers money to feed themselves with”

That kind of wording will be seen as extreme right wing and the liberals would be up in arms about it. Of course, as a smart reader you have already realised that the ‘left-wing’ solution and the ‘right-wing’ solution essentially amount to the same thing described in somewhat different language.

Of course, this idea that almost certainly won’t be enacted by any political party, despite the fact that it would be pretty popular with most working voters. Why should my taxes pay for someone to sit at home watching TV? This is surely an international scandal whilst our parks are dirty, our streets never get gritted properly during snow, our hospital wards are teaming with infections transmitted by inadequate cleaning, and our office support staff are way too overstretched.

It is also one of the few political ideas that has a totally clear biblical mandate.