Political confusion

I attended a conference last week, along with delegates from more than twenty countries. The socialising was terrific, with lots of chances for talk about work, the world and politics. The last was confusing, as understanding of specific terms varies so much.

To an American, being a socialist seems to have connotations of extreme communism, with shades of what we would call fascism. It's the opposite of the ideas that I subscribe to, which I guess are close to the Scandinavian model and the principle of all citizens working towards the common weal, instead of purely for themselves. That's why I don't mind paying taxes.

And to the French, being a "liberal" - which I regard as being a shade of socialism - appears to mean Anglo-Saxon free-market uber-Capitalism. So what am I? A libertarian, certainly. Do what you want, as long as it doesn't hurt or impinge too much upon your neighbours. And a collectivist, a believer in social cohesion. I support the state's duty to support its citizens, together with citizens' duty to support the state.

Liberty, equality and fraternity seems to sum it up. We're losing all of those in Britain at the moment. The loss of equality and the increasing gap between rich and poor worries me, as does the rapid erosion of our freedoms. I should take up politics again.


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