How do you identify politically, and what does that mean for you?

[DreamyScroller]

No judgement, just interested if my general assessment of the political environment on MN is accurate.

I would place myself somewhere between 'right of centre' and 'right', leaning more central.

What that means for me is, I have a mostly conservative inclination in that I hold traditional values and ideas, believe in limited and localised government, and so on... but I do believe there should be space, for example for social safety nets for the poor, some restrictions on big corporations to protect smaller ones/the environment, etc.

How do you identify politically, and why?

Left of the socialist workers party, green, and a sex realist, therefore pretty much unrepresented, except by the communist party, who I just can’t get on board with!

That about sums it up for me too

I find communists can't really agree with what communism is. Probably because Marx never got round to explaining it. That's why I think we really need a new word to identify as left leaning, in modern terms, that does not involve the word "socialist".

I think "progressive" is almost there, but not quite.

I’ve been voting for decades, but I don’t find local elections anything to get stressed about. I just vote those as a protest vote.

Economically centrist & socially liberal. In a word, Blairite.

In practice, this means I have generally voted for whichever centre-left candidate was best placed to beat the Tory. However, I refused to vote Labour during Corbyn’s leadership and supported the Lib Dems.

Left of Centre Blairite but quite like Andy Burnham but currently politically homeless

Left of centre "Brownite."

I don't believe humans can change sex, I want a serious debate on immigration and a European style health service.

I plough a lonely furrow.

I would say I was centrist ' traditional' Liberal, veering to socially centre Left. This seems to be where most people seem to be but no one is capitalising on this. It's ridiculous. The Liberal Democratic Party, despite having 71 MP's and a golden opportunity to revitalise Liberalism is MIA.

I really struggle to know how to vote.

I want:

• Rights for women not to be destroyed
• Support for those who need it - disabled, elderly, unemployed… money to survive initially but support to get back into work.
• A well-financed NHS, mental health services, schools…
• Tax to reflect someone’s wealth rather than just endlessly targeting the poorest
• Priorities to be the people rather than billionaires in this country
• Actual consequences for the abhorrent racism that is running rampant in this country

I’d say I’m left but I’m not completely liberal.

Was once an old school lefty but increasingly centrist. The Left is so dogmatic but at the same time has abandoned class for middle class identity politics. Sex realist feminist, and passionate about antiracism and equality, but the anti racist movement has been captured by Palestinianism. So very politically homeless!

Are you me? I’d say I was centre left. I was in my comfort zone most, in political terms, during the early Tony Blair era before it all went to shit. We really did feel like we were riding the crest of a wave, and the education, education, education mantra was (and still is) something I truly believe in.

I agree on all three points. I’m happy to join you in your furrow.

And me

Thanks everyone for your replies so far.

Interesting to see how many of us across the board feel politically homeless.

Centre left but gender critical and strongly feminist. At this time I find myself up shit creek without a paddle, politically.

Left, feminist by inclination but turned into a tactical voter in the next general election by Reform. I’ll hold my nose and vote Tory if I have to.

I have zero interest in whether or not sex change is possible, it’s not an issue that affects my vote.

Liberal but not woke. I’m a sex realist but that’s about the only thing “not liberal” about me

Left wing and a feminist, which to me is mutually exclusive, and more so as I get older, and which means none of the main parties are suitable. The greens keep being pushed as the 'left wing alternative' but I find there are as many significant limits to that as there are with the other parties.

I do also believe there is a lot of middle ground between right and left.

Homeless. And in despair at the fact that no political party in the UK seems capable of putting forward anybody remotely competent or willing to take the very obvious and necessary steps that are required to start to improve things.

I’m left. Or as people in the US now, disparagingly and abusively say, a leftard.

Because I believe that the state has a strong role to play in managing the welfare of its people, including investment in defence, the arts and the sciences. And in creating strategies for the welfare of future generations.

I believe that the core necessities of education, health, transport infrastructure, water and energy assets should be owned, invested in and largely run by the people of this country. These should not be opportunities for private profit at the expense of public welfare.

I believe that the welfare of the weakest and most vulnerable is directly connected with the overall welfare of society.

I’m socially liberal, economically free market, supportive of the NHS, nationalised railways, nuclear power, membership of the EU (or at a minimum the Customs Union), and (more) sensible immigration policies.

If The Economist magazine were a political party, I would probably vote for them. As it is, I currently vote Lib Dem because neither of the main parties represent me, and I certainly wouldn’t vote for either of the extremes (Green, Reform, etc.)

Sadly our first past the post electoral system does not encourage politicians to be either sufficiently honest or sufficiently long-term in their approach to running the country or communicating with the electorate. I would advocate for reducing the number of MPs, increasing their salaries (but preventing second jobs / outside interests), and adopting some form of proportional electoral system. Alongside this, increased localism / devolution could make sense.

The LibDems are as near as I can find to that…

I’m left of centre. I did a detailed “who should you vote for” test on TwitterX. Answered all the questions and the winner was Plaid Cymru. I’m in Devon lol, so that’s not happening! I think that the Welsh are lucky to have that option though.

1.How do you identify politically, 2.and why?

1.Dunno, probably slightly left of centre. What is "centre" nowadays? I think I'm communist at heart, but willing to work with a market economy. LibDems are closest to my values, I suppose.

2.My parents are (were) far more lefty than me (must be important influences).
They both grew up poor, my mother cared hugely about injustices. My dad grew up with social stigma and slight development problems. They both care(d) hugely about being compassionate, open-minded, tolerant, low on ego. My mother cared about fairness, my dad wanted logic. Both believed in redemption. I care about those things, too. They were/are a lot more idealistic than me.

I’ve spent most of my life pretty far left (voted for Corbyn in 2019), but the way the world and this country and gone bloody nuts in the last few years I’m probably more left of centre now. Only party I can still vote for in good conscience though are Labour. They don’t represent me at all anymore, but who else is there?

Voted Labour at the last GE to get the Tory out, but I would vote Lib Dem, if it wasn't a wasted vote in my constituency. A nearby constituency has a lib Dem MP. Maybe I can find a Labour Supporter in that constituency to do a deal with. I will vote Labour for you in my constituency, if you Vote Lib DEM for me in yours.