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What does a right wing government mean?

(104 Posts)
Whitewavemark2 Wed 02-Sept-20 08:26:53

Someone posted that they don’t think that Johnson’s government is right wing enough, and I find that interesting.

I wonder what others consider a right wing government is, and what sort of policies it would/should follow.

I’ll kick off the debate with the following.

A right wing government is more authoritarian than a centrist or left wing government.

It is intolerant of other sources of power like the judiciary or civil service, media, academia, etc.

It tends to centralise power.

It may or may not be populist.

It believes in the “natural order” of things, and that the individual is paramount.

It does not believe in “society”

That’s a start

varian Wed 02-Sept-20 18:50:03

We really didn't need to have any general elections in that last forty years. All we needed to do was to ask Rupert Murdoch who should be in charge of the UK government. The result would have been the same.

Whitewavemark2 Wed 02-Sept-20 18:33:52

I think Cummings employing someone who thinks live rounds should be used on Black lives Matter folk qualifies as pretty right wing.

He has since resigned.

varian Wed 02-Sept-20 18:24:29

Grandad posts -"In a country such as Britain, I am not at this time concerned in regard to the security of our democratic system, for as long as elections are held whatever any one party brings into being by way of legislation can be reversed when an alternative political party is elected into government."

Unbelievable!!!

We live in a sham democracy where governments are elected by a minority of voters, influenced by Rupert Murdoch and other unoccountable press barons and can in effect run a dictatorship for the next five years.

Dinahmo Wed 02-Sept-20 17:30:04

GrannyGravy13

Dinahmo Private Health Insurance premiums are taxed as a perk

If your company pays them, in which case you are just suffering the tax. Many people pay such premiums personally, in which case it isn't a benefit.

GrannyGravy13 Wed 02-Sept-20 17:13:51

Dinahmo Private Health Insurance premiums are taxed as a perk

Dinahmo Wed 02-Sept-20 17:07:22

What would irritate the Tories?

1. An increase in higher rate taxes
2. Removal of charitable status from private schools
3. Changes to inheritance tax
4. A tax on private health insurance premiums
5. Removal of higher rate tax relief on pension premiums

Grandad1943 Wed 02-Sept-20 17:06:40

GrannyGravy13 Quote [What is your concept of 'the State',GG143Who do you think it is 'for'?] End Quote

I am no sure if the above quote is posted towards me but I will put in my view just in case.

The extreme left would be Marxist/Leninist thinking and in that, the basis of such politics is that the state should control "all means of production and distribution". The means of production and distribution within the fully communist Soviet Union included all housing, manufacturing, employment health with only the ownership of personal consumer goods being exempt from state control.

Every person of working age was guaranteed employment and should it be that they worked in a factory, transport or any other large establishment, workers committees (soviets) decided how the establishment should be run even to the extent of electing all managers etc.

In theory the state controlled wages in all industries in consultation with those soviet worker committees.

With an extreme right government, it is the direct opposite of the above in that all means of production and distribution must be commercially or privately owned. The state normally prevents any worker representation whatsoever, as in theory the state speaks and acts for all who are employed but in practice, there is normally little or no employee protection.

Both bastions of a Soviet communist system, Russia and China, have since the 1990s transformed from such systems to outright extreme right neo-Fascist societies that hold no democratic elections and therefore those systems cannot be democratically reversed.

In a country such as Britain, I am not at this time concerned in regard to the security of our democratic system, for as long as elections are held whatever any one party brings into being by way of legislation can be reversed when an alternative political party is elected into government.

varian Wed 02-Sept-20 17:00:39

We need an apolitical civil service, an independent judiciary and a powerful Elections Commission, but all of these are under attack from Mr Cummings and his Vote Leave government.

MaizieD Wed 02-Sept-20 16:37:21

Thank you for that, GG13

I, too, hope that there are still some tory MPswith a conscience and courage. Maybe even some who have respect for the British constitution and the Rule of Law. Who are not prepared to pander to xenophobia. A vote of no confidence is badly needed.

But if Cummings gets Gove into power we are truly lost...

GrannyGravy13 Wed 02-Sept-20 16:00:15

MaizieD I am not happy with a lot that the Government is doing/has done.

I am not in the legal profession so my knowledge of legal matters / procedures is scant but I am not happy with any Government or organisation being above the law

I come from a long line of Conservative supporters, I am not a member of the Conservative Party although family members are. I hope that there are still
some Conservative MP’s with a conscience and some courage. I truly dread the thought of Michael Gove as PM, in my opinion he could be far more dangerous than Boris Johnson.

Whitewavemark2 Wed 02-Sept-20 15:55:18

What concerns me is that this government is pushing more and more to the right, and I am beginning to be fearful for our institutions that have stood us in such good stead for centuries.

I am desperately hoping that many conservative voters will along with those of us in the centre left say “enough”. We value our country not for the values displayed by Johnson but for values of honesty, playing a straight bat and morality.

Our democracy is threatened, our values are threatened and extremism is rearing it’s ugly head.

MaizieD Wed 02-Sept-20 15:45:43

I thought your post of 15.28 was very funny, growstuff grin

MaizieD Wed 02-Sept-20 15:44:27

GrannyGravy13

Which is why I posted that the judiciary should not be politicised.
Accountability seems to be flying out of Westminster at the moment, I cannot see enough back benchers ready to oppose the Government.

Apologies if I've maligned you, GG13.

So you are concerned about the government trying to put itself above the law and evade all scrutiny, are you?

LauraNorder Wed 02-Sept-20 15:44:05

Growstuff [I know they were ridiculous, but I know what prompted Whitwave's op and I've read posts by the poster concerned. I wouldn't mind betting they're not far off the mark].
I hope you mean that the views attributed to the particular poster are not far off the mark and not that you attribute these views to the majority of Tory voters.

growstuff Wed 02-Sept-20 15:42:18

GrannyGravy13

Which is why I posted that the judiciary should not be politicised.
Accountability seems to be flying out of Westminster at the moment, I cannot see enough back benchers ready to oppose the Government.

But that's what the government is trying to do and why Whitewave is concerned.

MaizieD Wed 02-Sept-20 15:41:59

growstuff

GrannyGravy13

Whitewavemark2 the judiciary does not need politicising but it definitely needs looking at judging by some of the decisions and sentences handed out.

What is under threat is judicial review, which is the process by which the government itself can be held to account. Without it, the government could do whatever it wants and would not be legally accountable, which is potentially a very dangerous situation for democracy.

This isn't about looking at some of the bizarre sentences which are sometimes handed out.

Somewhat worrying when an intelligent business person is unaware of how our legal system works and appears to be open to government misinformation on legal processes.

I suspect this is not uncommon and is why there seems to be no alarm about the government trying to set itself completely above the law

growstuff Wed 02-Sept-20 15:41:08

GrannyGravy13

If they want to live in that sort of society growstuff may I respectfully suggest a move to UAE

Ah! Now there's the irony! I agree.

GrannyGravy13 Wed 02-Sept-20 15:39:58

Sorry that post was to growstuff

GrannyGravy13 Wed 02-Sept-20 15:38:36

Which is why I posted that the judiciary should not be politicised.
Accountability seems to be flying out of Westminster at the moment, I cannot see enough back benchers ready to oppose the Government.

MaizieD Wed 02-Sept-20 15:36:04

None of which I even voted for, BTW

MaizieD Wed 02-Sept-20 15:35:35

M0nica

Maizie Any party that cannot see themselves as others see them has got problems.

What on earth does that mean, MOnica?

Do you think I've been a rabid communist all my life, or something?

Do tell me what was so authoritarian and centralising about Wilson, Callaghan, Blair and Brown? They were 'left wing' governments, weren't they?

growstuff Wed 02-Sept-20 15:35:35

LauraNorder

growstuff

I think somebody did ask, but there's been no reply.

I suspect it might be along the lines of not only bringing back stocks, but castrating sex offenders, chopping off thieves' hands, abolishing all benefits and torpedoing anybody spotted in the Channel in a small boat.

Very extreme and ridiculous views not representative of the average left or right winger but certainly held by a tiny minority of left or right persuasions

I know they were ridiculous, but I know what prompted Whitwave's op and I've read posts by the poster concerned. I wouldn't mind betting they're not far off the mark.

paddyanne Wed 02-Sept-20 15:34:48

No chaos here Laura we've had clear concise guidance from our FM every day during the pandemic.THATS what countries should do the chaos has been under Bojo the clown and his circus of incompetents .Its your attitude to "devolved nations" taht makes Independence nearer by the day .Should we bend out knee and doff our caps to the Eton boys ...whatever mess they make ?

growstuff Wed 02-Sept-20 15:33:50

GrannyGravy13

Whitewavemark2 the judiciary does not need politicising but it definitely needs looking at judging by some of the decisions and sentences handed out.

What is under threat is judicial review, which is the process by which the government itself can be held to account. Without it, the government could do whatever it wants and would not be legally accountable, which is potentially a very dangerous situation for democracy.

This isn't about looking at some of the bizarre sentences which are sometimes handed out.

LauraNorder Wed 02-Sept-20 15:33:26

growstuff

I think somebody did ask, but there's been no reply.

I suspect it might be along the lines of not only bringing back stocks, but castrating sex offenders, chopping off thieves' hands, abolishing all benefits and torpedoing anybody spotted in the Channel in a small boat.

Very extreme and ridiculous views not representative of the average left or right winger but certainly held by a tiny minority of left or right persuasions