By American standards, most would consider me a centrist, but I’m curious how this translates to Irish politics.
Here’s a quick summary of my views…
Economy
– I support democratic capitalism (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_capitalism : *The implementation of democratic capitalism typically involves the enactment of policies expanding the welfare state, strengthening the collective bargaining rights of employees, or strengthening competition laws. These policies are enacted in a capitalist economy characterized by the right to private ownership of property.*)
Social Issues
– I strongly believe that on essentially every single issue both sides have lost their minds. Take climate change for example. On one side we have denialists an on the other we have alarmists, but I find myself somewhere in the middle. Does climate change exist? Absolutely, and it is almost certainly accelerated and intensified by human action. With that said, I neither believe our current situation is nearly as bad as the alarmists on the left suggest nor that humans have as much impact on it as the left says. That doesn’t mean we do nothing, though, or else we will at some point reach a point of no return. We must invest heavily in clean energy, especially nuclear, as well as infrastructure and also pursue energy independence and dominance. In addition, we ought to implement a carbon tax and rebate system and work to ban styrofoam and at some point single use plastic bags, etc. I look at every social issue this same way, believing both sides have fair points and fair concerns and considering all options and then coming up with realistic, pragmatic, balanced conclusions and solutions.
Foreign Policy
– Prioritize our national interests first and foremost and work to maintain a neutral, non-interventionist foreign policy.
– Realistic, pragmatic approach.
30 comments
Reading your post you’d be firmly right wing in Ireland.
Also, FYI it doesn’t matter what you believe personally about climate change. The only thing that matters is what the scientists are saying and they’re saying alarming things so I’d be more inclined to listen to them. In Ireland, opinions are not given equal importance to scientific empiricism like in America. We listen to the science. There is no alternative.
What you have to understand is that the Overton Window in Europe is far to the left of the United States. Our centrist politicians would be considered hardened communists in America. For example, if you look at someone like Bernie Sanders…the American media labeled him a communist whereas in Ireland he’d be considered centre-right. In Ireland there is nothing particularly controversial about the concept of a public healthcare system. It’s just common sense.
General jist is whatever you are in USA take three big leaps to the right and that’s what you are in Ireland.
Edit to add: try this and see how you fit in, as in reality things are a bit more nuanced than a straight line: https://ireland.isidewith.com/political-quiz
>Foreign Policy
>- Prioritize our national interests first and foremost and work to maintain a neutral, non-interventionist foreign policy.
‘Our nation’ wants to emigrate to another country…
Too far right to really “fit” into Irish politics. American centrists are far right by most countries standards.
You see yourself as a centrist. We’d consider you right wing.
As soon as you start talking about a polar “Left vs Right” or “both sides” axis, you’re talking about American politics and it doesn’t fit into Irish politics at all.
Virtually all Irish politics is what Americans would consider left wing and socialist, and there are many parties with a proportional representation voting system which does not map onto the US view of things. As a result, highly polarised parties gain essentially no traction here.
TL;DR : American politics doesn’t map onto Ireland *at all*.
On a lot of issues, I think we’d replace your “both sides” with “American media”.
We see the entertainment-focus of American, 24 hour media circus as exploitative and uses outrage to generate profit (though it’s been slowly infecting here too). It’s not that both sides are wrong or crazy, it’s the way it’s all packaged to split and generate outrage, clicks, and merchandise. The “both sides” is part of that too, so is a cop out. It’s not perfect, but our media is much tamer here and we almost all fall to the left of the “both sides”, which shows something.
The economy part is pretty normal.
Everything else you said is redolent of the sort of emotional/territorial stuff that poor far-right conspiracy theorists get sucked into. There’s no political party here like that, but often an independent candidate here and there who will end up getting about 30 votes.
Most *Democrats* in the US hold views that would be considered right wing here. You would be way right. Also I’m not sure how you are asking “where would my national interests first opinions fit?” of a country in the EU but maybe try Italy?
You see, the issue with being a centrist is, you inadvertently benefit the right wing.
You believe in climate change yet don’t see it as much of a panic as the left see it. Thus you are happy enough to move slow enough on it which will see inreversable damage take place. Same as being a right winger and not actually believing in it.
https://ireland.isidewith.com/political-quiz
Do the test!
Why are you asking this question here?
Forget about poltics and don’t mention the shite.
I’m trying to figure out why you have a picture of Regan, he was not a centrist and is the one who messed up so much of the US system. Breaking up unions, cutting taxes to the wealthy and reducing social spending. Decreased spending on health and education while increasing military spending to unsustainable limits. His idea of trickle down economics has messed up the middle class permanently, and even though it hasn’t worked for 42 years the GOP keeps trying to make the US go through it.
We don’t care about your political views. If you come here just don’t be a c**t and don’t talk about politics and you’re fine.
Yeah you’re firmly on the right
I thank my lucky stars every day that I don’t live in America. This place has plenty wrong with it but the USA is broken beyond repair.
Why do you ask? Are you looking for a place to move to?
You’d be right wing here for sure.
Stop picking politics and have a personality, like be a free version of you, you’ll be judge solely on what you drink and how much you can drink
American centrist is right wing in Ireland and most of western Europe. I’ll be honest I look at biden and his policies and mostly see right wing.
There’s a group of lads called The Irish Freedom party that ya might want to look into…
We’d consider you right wing.
Irish politics is very different to American. No one cares if your “far right” “far left” Most people won’t even know what that means….Americans like to “talk about politics” but they literally just talk about politics and forget about the actual issues that need to be discussed
You are very much right wing.
You are getting a lot of right wing comments which is to be expected from just describing yourself as an American conservative. Except your post just talked in vague generalities not actual policies. I see that a lot by Americans who say things like “I like small government” but what does that mean in a case by case basis on policies ? I don’t understand it, too vague.
The problem about trying to place you in the Irish system is what others have said is that it doesn’t map at all. The reason it doesn’t is that in Ireland all politics is local. In America, all politics is national. Ever since Newt Gingrich reimagined how to turn all congressional elections into debates about national policies it seems whether you are running for school board or the house people have to tell you if they are pro life or pro choice of their take on big constitutional issues. Here people only care about issues that you can actually affect by the work you can do in the post you are running for. So why would a candidate here start going on about abortion? It literally would never come up in their daily work.
Statistically here only 15-20% vote on who is going to be the next Taoiseach much more people vote on who is making the best case on how they will upgrade the roads in the area. The last election was the first time that more people voted on national issues then local but it was like a 50/50 split.
I would say look at each parties policies and see which ones seem sensible to you. Get away from this American mindset of labelling yourself something and sticking to it. There’s too many parties here to do that, that kind of political culture is literally tearing your country apart.
The money side sounds normal, except we have no idea to what degree you’re talking about. I mean just about everyone wants private ownership of property and just about everyone wants some state intervention. How much is the question.
To give you a rough idea, I think all the mainstream parties at the moment support eliminating or reducing university tuition fees. I think everyone except fine Gael are advocating making the health system more like a free, tax-funded setup. Just about everyone is advocating building more social housing, rent caps, fuel allowances for poorer people etc… Although to different extents and with diced levels of sincerity.
On social issues, I think every mainstream party came down on the Pro-choice and pro gay marriage side of the recent referenda, as did the majority of voters in every county except possibly Leitrim?
I would say there is a general push towards legalisation of cannabis and dealing with drug addiction as a medical issue rather than a criminal one.
The majority of Irish people are pro, or at least accepting of, immigration. (I think so anyway, of course it’s not everyone, but a solid majority I reckon.)
Does all that make sense?
Nowhere, America is a nation of right wing christian extremists who think kinder eggs are more dangerous than guns… nowhere in Ireland is remotely similar my man.
Sorry but the same people who advise us on climate change (scientists) are the same people who advise us on the impact climate change will have on us. So to say you accept climate change exists, but to deny the impact it will have on us is such an Americanism. Shit or get off the pot, lad.
You’d be centre-right, you’d vote for either Fianna Fail or Fianna Gael, which are the two main centralist / centre-right parties. They both support social welfare & the welfare far more than the American right wing, and probably even more than the centre-right parties on the continent.
The fact that you’re very “Ireland first” might lean you slightly more towards FF than FG. FG are slightly more pro-NATO, FF are slightly more neutrality. However the fact that you’re American and not really an Irish Republican (a rebel, a fenian, someone who identifies strongly with the history of armed violent rebellion against British rule, a distinct notion from being an American Republican) would make you lean more towards FG than FF. The real difference between FF and FG is a culture war (previously a genuine violent civil war) about Republicanism vs non-violent nationalism (but even that is complicated because FG also grew out of armed Republicanism and most of them are proud of that).
You’re slight cynicism towards environmentalism would attract you towards the more rural TDs, who are strongly represented in both FF, FG and also the Independents.
I hope that clears things up slightly.