If I may ask, what self-understanding do the "Liberals" on this forum have of what the political ideology of "Liberalism" is?
The reason I ask is because in the UK context I vote for the Liberal Democrats and am intending to vote for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) in the EU elections next month, through voting for a Lib Dem MEP for my region.
I identify myself with both classical Liberalism and twentieth century Social Liberalism, in that I believe in the need for a free market economy but with a social foundation. I believe in the importance of the rule of law, of the freedom of the individual from infringement of personal freedom but not to the extent of Libertarianism, given that I regard stare intervention as healthy provided that it is circumscribed by subsidiarity and I do not agree at all with unlimited, unregulated laissez-faire style capitalism. I view the freedom of the individual as harmonious with the common good of the community.
I see Liberalism as a broad-church ideology which is largely "centrist" as far as politics and economics go, with some Liberals identifying more with classical thinkers such as John Locke, Montesquieu, Thomas Jefferson, Goethe, Thomas Paine, Friedrich Hayek, Adam Smith and Benjamin Constant while others "social Liberals" are more inclined towards the likes of Charles Dickens, John Stuart Mill, John Maynard Keynes, William Beveridge, John Rawls, Isaiah Berlin and Ronald Dworkin.
I know that in the Lib Dems in the UK, there are friends of mine who are admirers of Hayek and his book "The Road to Serfdom" while there are others who identify with John Maynard Keynes and Beveridge. They are both "centrist" although their orientations gravitate towards centre-right and centre-left respectively.
I am personally quite opposed to the so-called "neo-Liberalism" (ie Margaret Thatcher, Reagan) or right-wing "Libertarianism" and its social Darwinian traits of unlimited freedom of competition (treating economics like a valueless, amoral science) and its assault on a safety net for the poor and weak in society, which I think is a misappropriation of classical Liberalism which was revolutionary and forward-looking in its day rather than reactionary. I think that Classical Liberals rightly called for the freedom of the individual by limiting the power of the government in response to the absolute monarchies of their day and this is still a basic doctrine of Liberalism today against authoritarianism, however I strongly feel that "Neo-Liberalism" has taken this to an extreme. Nonetheless, I do subscribe to a free market as well as the belief in meritocracy and personal initiative.
I think that most "Liberals" situate themselves, at least in Europe, between the extremes of Socialism and Neo-Liberalist Capitalism.
The strange thing for me, is to find that in the USA "Liberalism" seems to be wedded to "progressives" whereas in Europe and in Australia it is still a very centrist ideology with more right and left orientations included in its ranks. Is "Liberalism" less of a broad-church in America?
Are there any "Neo-Liberals" who would consider themselves 'Liberals' for this sub-forum or would such a person be more inclined to participate in the Libertarian Only sub-forum?
Would the Liberals on here regard themselves as "social Liberals"?
The reason I ask is because in the UK context I vote for the Liberal Democrats and am intending to vote for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) in the EU elections next month, through voting for a Lib Dem MEP for my region.
I identify myself with both classical Liberalism and twentieth century Social Liberalism, in that I believe in the need for a free market economy but with a social foundation. I believe in the importance of the rule of law, of the freedom of the individual from infringement of personal freedom but not to the extent of Libertarianism, given that I regard stare intervention as healthy provided that it is circumscribed by subsidiarity and I do not agree at all with unlimited, unregulated laissez-faire style capitalism. I view the freedom of the individual as harmonious with the common good of the community.
I see Liberalism as a broad-church ideology which is largely "centrist" as far as politics and economics go, with some Liberals identifying more with classical thinkers such as John Locke, Montesquieu, Thomas Jefferson, Goethe, Thomas Paine, Friedrich Hayek, Adam Smith and Benjamin Constant while others "social Liberals" are more inclined towards the likes of Charles Dickens, John Stuart Mill, John Maynard Keynes, William Beveridge, John Rawls, Isaiah Berlin and Ronald Dworkin.
I know that in the Lib Dems in the UK, there are friends of mine who are admirers of Hayek and his book "The Road to Serfdom" while there are others who identify with John Maynard Keynes and Beveridge. They are both "centrist" although their orientations gravitate towards centre-right and centre-left respectively.
I am personally quite opposed to the so-called "neo-Liberalism" (ie Margaret Thatcher, Reagan) or right-wing "Libertarianism" and its social Darwinian traits of unlimited freedom of competition (treating economics like a valueless, amoral science) and its assault on a safety net for the poor and weak in society, which I think is a misappropriation of classical Liberalism which was revolutionary and forward-looking in its day rather than reactionary. I think that Classical Liberals rightly called for the freedom of the individual by limiting the power of the government in response to the absolute monarchies of their day and this is still a basic doctrine of Liberalism today against authoritarianism, however I strongly feel that "Neo-Liberalism" has taken this to an extreme. Nonetheless, I do subscribe to a free market as well as the belief in meritocracy and personal initiative.
I think that most "Liberals" situate themselves, at least in Europe, between the extremes of Socialism and Neo-Liberalist Capitalism.
The strange thing for me, is to find that in the USA "Liberalism" seems to be wedded to "progressives" whereas in Europe and in Australia it is still a very centrist ideology with more right and left orientations included in its ranks. Is "Liberalism" less of a broad-church in America?
Are there any "Neo-Liberals" who would consider themselves 'Liberals' for this sub-forum or would such a person be more inclined to participate in the Libertarian Only sub-forum?
Would the Liberals on here regard themselves as "social Liberals"?
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