To wonder what is so bad about being a 'lefty'?

[imwithspud]

I see it all the time during political discussions on social media. That if you hold certain views you are branded a 'lefty' or 'loony left' like its some sort of insult. I've noticed that it tends to be a stock response by some people when they can't think of something more intelligent to say.

Aibu to wonder what is so 'loony' about holding left wing views, and that actually the world would be a better place if people were more tolerant?

But if we are talking about the "preachiness" of the left then I also despise the way if for example, you don't really want to sing the national anthem or wear a poppy then you are regarded as some sort of pariah.

I really don't think preachiness is the preserve of any one particular group at all.

But when people say 'lefty' to me I suppose I think of those people who pity the poor working classes that they so desperately want to help and enlighten, but who will persist in their dreadful racist and sexist and homophobic views but if they had only read politics at Uni they would UNDERSTAND like they do. It's the talking down to people, and the deep seated belief that they are more virtuous and better than other people.

*they don't want to help BME or the Woking class they want to pity you and tell you if you were just as educated as them then you would see that your being sold a pup by the daily mail and if you would only read the guardian adopt a vegan diet and buy all. Your clothing from boden you would come to see jc it real answer to your Woking class woes

Nothing wrong with being a Lefty.

It used to be used to describe a specific branch of the left, specifically the furthest left but if Labour and people who were too left to be Labour at all. So it described people like Derek Hatton, whose commitment to ideology was not necessarily a good fit with the practical realities of running a city. Now it seems to be thrown at anyone to the left of Tristram Hunt, i.e. many Labour supporters. People like Katie Hopkins use it because they view anyone to the left of Dave Cameron as 'loony'. People like Mike Gapes use it because they fear the negative influence of people who find it difficult to compromise.

Happy to be called a lefty myself
It is not the term, just how some people use it. Some very annoying people

puglife I'm a lefty both in handedness and in my political views.

so it must be true!

pleasemothermay1, that really is an extraordinary stereotype you've built up there out of, basically, nothing. It's the left wing that brought us the NHS, enforceable provision for SEN, benefits for the disabled, safety laws that prevent exploitation and dangerous practices in industry, legal aid, and numerous similar provisions. Do you really think that that is evidence of people who don't want to help but only to pity?

Runny. You put it so much better.

There is absolutely. I thing wrong at all with having a left wing view of politics but what pees me off is that the 'lefties' generally assume the moral high ground and decide that anyone who doesn't agree with them is automatically wrong.
Words like 'racist, fascist, Tory scum are commonplace'.

^ this

I'm wealthy but v left wing. Why do I have to be poor to champion views of tolerance, and to wish for a universal healthcare and social security system that genuinely look after those in need?
So what if I had Bupa? Can't I still wish and campaign for better provisions for people who are less well off?

For example you can't tell us proles how wonderful the NHS is and must be privatised while yu skip the que a wonder off to bupa

Seriously, how many left wing types actually do this? I have a fairly wide circle of friends with universally left wing views, and not one of them uses private health care, private schools or anything similar.

I've no problem with ballroom socialists using Bupa, I suppose, unless they start telling "poor people" how jolly grateful they should be for the NHS and how silly they are to perceive that unmanaged immigration has placed a strain on it.

And don't say how fabulous and democratic the comprehensive school system is if your kids go to a fake comp (ie a comp surrounded by expensive housing) or worse, a selective school.

I say this as someone who'd go private, and whose kids went/go to a naice comprehensive school. What I'll never do, is hector people in lower socioeconomic groups. I'm no Guardian-writer hypocrite.

It's the rank hypocrisy and 'virtue signalling' that I struggle with.

By all means have left-wing tendencies, but by God have the courage of your convictions.

I know a good many people who were supporting the remain camp (in the Brexit vote) because they'd framed the debate as good v evil or left v right issue (when it wasn't that at all). They had no idea WHY they wanted to remain, but rather that all good lefties were 'remainers.'

Same thing in Scottish Indyref.

Yes/left wing/good

No/right wing /bad

My sil is a classic case. Wonderful woman, love her dearly but doesn't want her kids educated along with the children of the poor. The poor that she champions loudly, without prompting, at most social occasions.

She hates it when the Daily Mail lambast them, but in practice, she isn't too keen herself.

Just thought I'd throw this grenade article into the mix

www.livescience.com/18132-intelligence-social-conservatism-racism.html

Beautifully put maninawomansworld01

I think some Lefties are so because it is trendy and sounds right.

In reality some of the most vocal Lefties I know are the most hypocritical. Spending a lot of time preaching (by this I mean posting on FB or bending ears over expensive cocktails in the bar) about the plight of homeless people, for example. Or talking earnestly about food banks whilst eating nothing but "authentic" gastro foods. IN other words, loving nothing more than appearing to be Lefty without actually doing anything except talking about it to people from their own social level. That's what annoys me.

As someone said earlier, surely it makes sense that there are radical views on both sides of the spectrum. Google Ken Livingston and GLC to get a flavour of the original loony left!

And again as others have said it's particularly nauseating when the left are a) utterly hypocritical ('Two Jags' and now 'Lord' Prescott) and more intolerant than many of their counterparts on the right (Gordon Brown calling that female voter a bigot as a complete knee jerk reaction). They throw women's rights under the bus in favour of sucking up to various religions, and then claim the moral high ground re anti-racism and xenophobia while barely disguising their anti-Semitism and holding all Israelis to blame for their government's actions. And while I'm on this theme, why does Israel always attract their loathing more than, say, Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, or even Isis? Hmmm, I wonder.

One more example of why the extreme left qualifies as loony is Owen Smith suggesting we could bring Isis to the negotiating table. That is not someone in their right mind.

Daisy garden not sure I get your point. Are you saying that those who want to discuss homelessness and the need for food banks from a political viewpoint have to be homeless or eating from a foodbank? What the...?

I vote labour.
We are a 6 figure household.
I use private healthcare, never used to, but I don't want to wait 6 weeks for a non emergency drs appointment or 3-4 for an emergency one and I figure that if those who can afford to go private, do, then we will have more for those who can't. I don't know what the solution is long term, but I know the NHS is a wonderful thing that is at breaking point and I don't want to break it anymore.

cocklodger

I think some people want people who say they are left wing to donate to food banks, support the homeless etc rather than say they are left wing but decide to spend their money on gastro food.

Maybe it's possible to have such a lifestyle but expect Government to have policies that help out people who need help and support.

Or you could be on the other extreme, have a great lifestyle and not give a fuck about anyone else?

Or maybe it's somewhere in the middle and not be sure about how much Government policy should help people and how should they be helped?

Big Society, individual responsibilty etc

I've NC'd for this. Champagne Socialist, this implies that if you have any dosh you are only paying lip service to concerns about the poor. It's very easy to make value judgements and assume that everyone has always been how they appear now. We have 6 figure income and are extremely comfortable by many people's standards. It has not always been the case. The welfare state such as it was then allowed me to escape from a miserable background. Free higher education, my grant was enough to live on without any parental support. They could barely provide dinner money for me when I was a school, I often had to say I had forgotten it because they wouldn't apply for free meals, so there was no chance of them paying towards uni but I didn't need to ask. Council housing- when my then future DH got his first job it was in an area where a council new town was being built. He was able to secure a brand new council house for us. While we lived there on a reasonable rent we were able to save a deposit to enable us to buy our own home. By today's standards we were extremely fortunate. To me, education and secure, affordable housing and the NHS are the building blocks for a fair society. I also believe that profits from utility companies should be fed back into the system for the benefit of everyone rather than into private companies, hardly any of which are British. I would like to see them renationalised. The money that is paid to private landlords to keep families living in B&bs is a disgraceful waste. Again it is going into the pockets of private individuals when it could be put to use paying for decent, permanent homes. So this is why I am now what I suppose to be Champagne Socialist. Just because I now heave a home and more money than my parents could ever have imagined, it doesn't mean I don't remember being at the shit end of things and wanting people who are there now to have the same chances for moving on.

I don't understand the notion that if you are well off and have naice lifestyle you are a hypocrite if you claim to be a socialist/lefty. Surely it's possible to empathise with those who are less well off and to want everyone to have the opportunity to have a decent standard of living regardless of your background? Just because someone uses private health care doesn't mean they can't be in favour of the NHS and all the good it does surely? It seems like to some you can only be a socialist if you aren't considered rich? Unless I've massively missed the point there.

I get accused of being both a loony lefty and a right-wing extremist. Just depends who is disagreeing with any point I make. The knee-jerk is to diminish someone's argument - racist, sexist, stupid, man-splaining, (abuse)-apologist - whatever. That is more an internet thing rather than a face to face thing I think.

I'm perfectly happy with people like Cocklodger and NotHardUp being 'socialist'. I prefer them to the kind of people - rich or poor - who can't see further than their own noses, who think anyone on jobseekers is a scrounger, who don't care about cuts to social services or disabiity allowances etc., who stand by while the NHS collapses and say it's because of immigration, rather than government ideology, the kind of people who have swallowed the agenda of the Daily Mail or Express wholesale without considering the bigger picture. A least the people who many dismiss as 'champagne socialists' are talking about, and often trying to do something about, the problems faced by many in this country.

And at what income level is someone considered a 'champagne' socialist rather than a common or garden one? JK Rowling is well-known for her socialist tendencies, but pays her taxes and uses her position to talk about important social issues. Shall we all despise her because she has money? Does having money mean she should STFU about everything?