George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Partly because so many formerly leftwing parties have turned to the right, there's a lot of confusion about what right and left mean in politics. I hope this helps: The right defends economic power. The left resists economic power. 671240303 1.2K
Anywhy @anywhy.bsky.social · 03/11/2025I think it's more like, The right fight to control economic power. The left fight to democratize economic power. What do you think? 110 1
Duncan Gill @duncangill.bsky.social · 03/11/2025*My* Left resists *private* economic power, and thinks that government should exist to ensure that the economic power that exists should be managed sustainably to achieve equality of opportunity for everyone who resides within the state. 130 3
RadiantHostility (he/him) @radianthostility.bsky.social · 04/11/2025Dude no. The Left tries to seize control of economic power for workers. That is and always has been our whole thing. The book is called "Capital". Its about control over economic power. 010 1
Amanda @amandagillender.bsky.social · 04/11/2025It should be remembered that a booming economy means nothing if you have to step over the homeless to get to your wildly successful office. 020 2
sociablesocialist.bsky.social @sociablesocialist.bsky.social · 04/11/2025Centralists end up standing for nothing It’s almost as if ‘big money’ all those decades ago conspired to create a political philosophy that would nullify any attempts to limit their greed and hold on power. 010 1
Nigel @nigeldalek.bsky.social · 04/11/2025If you're in England vote Green. If you're in Wales or Ireland vote Plaid Cymru and Sinn Fein; and if in Scotland vote SNP for want of something better. Vote left. 010 1
chicken2little.bsky.social @chicken2little.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Right defends big business. Left defends the people. 040 4
psbaker10.bsky.social @psbaker10.bsky.social · 03/11/2025The replies to this are what you expect, the Left can't agree on what they stand for. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbog...youtube.comLife of Brian - The People's Front of JudeaYouTube video by layniann 380 8
Judith H, #FBPE 🔶️ @musicienne.bsky.social · 04/11/2025I came here to say that you need to be more explicit about what you mean by 'economic power'. I see you've already addressed that in your subsequent post. 020 2
Paul Bowman @helvetius66.bsky.social · 03/11/2025The status quo combines the principle of equality in political right with inequality in economic right. The left think the political equality is good and the economic inequality is bad, or at least problematic. The right think economic inequality is good and equal political rights for all is bad 020 2
PA @panuzis.bsky.social · 03/11/2025🤷 ... well, it's a bit like one of those Tommy Cooper sketches... .. when he turns the other way, then left is right & vv, but when he goes back to his original position, then right becomes left & vvmedia.tenor.coma man in a suit and tie is wearing a red fez hat .ALT: a man in a suit and tie is wearing a red fez hat . 020 2
Paying attention to political framing. UK #LibDem #EU @politicalframing.bsky.social · 04/11/2025Classical (different to US) Liberals defend freedoms for people and proper support for just laws. 000 0
animaljere.bsky.social @animaljere.bsky.social · 03/11/2025This will help me easily sort some of what's happening in UK politics. I have a tough time comprehending it sometimes 020 2
MrFlintlock @mrflintlock.bsky.social · 03/11/2025The Spanish have their own version of "lefty loosey, righty tighty", which is "la derecha oprime, la izquierda libera", which translates as "the right oppresses, the left liberates"...got that on a t-shirt... 050 5
Andy Smart @andysmart1948.bsky.social · 03/11/2025I think we have to separate social policy from economic policy. They appear to operate almost independently! 020 2
Tiger-Fred @tiger-fred.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Did you know that the original American revolution that created the USA was a Left Wing revolution? It was! 110 1
Kyle Memoir 🍉🐧 @f800gecko.mastodon.online.ap.brid.gy · 04/11/2025@georgemonbiot.bsky.social Once again, those in the middle who FUCKING HATE either fascist extreme get fucked in the [redacted]. 110 1
John Hughes @jlh128.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Can't we just have both and not polarise everything into good and evil? 210 2
Brizo75 @brizo75.bsky.social · 03/11/2025The right believe in socio-economic Darwinism. The left arent c***s. Think that pretty much sums it up. 040 4
Boiled Like Frogs @leedsjohnlufc.bsky.social · 04/11/2025I did a doctorate on Marx, and I have no idea what this means! 000 0
EAARTHNET™❂ @eaarthnet.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Thanks George, A very effective sentence that says it all. 051 5
Brent Crude @brentcrude.bsky.social · 04/11/2025Its almost as if the left uses democracy as a tool to counterbalance gross concentrations of economic power 000 0
Robert S @ro8ert.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Or to put it another way: The right believes that the rich deserve to be rich, and the poor deserve to be poor. The left don't. 1162 16
Peggy Sanders @peggysanders.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Once a few individuals own and control a nations wealth, democracy cannot exist. bsky.app/profile/rbre....Robert Reich@rbreich.bsky.socialThe 400 richest Americans are now worth a record $6.6 trillion. The entire bottom 50% of America is worth just $4.2 trillion. Read that back. When 400 people control more wealth than half a country’s population, we have a very serious problem. 0184 18
Peggy Sanders @peggysanders.bsky.social · 03/11/2025There’s a war going on right now between a few extremely wealthy $billionaires/$trillionaires vs people and nations for control of all wealth, land, nations governments. Neoliberalism ➡️ predatory capitalism ➡️ warlord capitalism ➡️ authoritarianism/fascism. The people and nations commodities. 030 3
Arthur Van Siclen @arthurvansiclen.com · 03/11/2025Bullshit. The left literally invented marketplaces, impersonal trust (eg, signing contracts with strangers), accounting and financial mathematics, and modern legal system. 220 2
ClimateGirl @climate66.bsky.social · 03/11/2025That is far too simple. The right is about hate, racism, sexism -- exploiting natural resources, wildlife, & every living creature -- all to amass huge sums of money, no matter if it is corrupt & does so in a manner that takes advantage & oppresses others. The left is the exact opposite + empathy. 100 1
Em @emptyedens.bsky.social · 03/11/2025But the left doesn't, it gives lip service to fighting for the workers but betrays them all the same. Every president we've had has worked for the capital class, just one is more blatant about it. Even FDR only did what he did at the threat of the end of the States power over it's people. 300 3
Peter Jones @pjones188.bsky.social · 03/11/2025The right believes in greed and selfish The left believes in sharing and fairness 1181 18
wonkyjonty.bsky.social @wonkyjonty.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Thank you George, that’s succinct enough for me to a) understand it, b) agree with it and c) remember it! 🙂 051 5
Ben Sowton @bensowton.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Sorry no that really doesn’t help. I’d say the right wants power to be in power for the few. The left wants power to effect change for the many 4230 23
chris-atkinson791.bsky.social @chris-atkinson791.bsky.social · 03/11/2025That's just the kind of post I like to see. Clear, concise and true. Thank you for that George 👍 (Not meaning any criticism of your other posts, of course, which are always excellent.) 030 3
Russell Jon @russjon1.bsky.social · 03/11/2025As a general rule of thumb I see it as: the ‘socialist left’ will largely consider people before profit, whilst, for the ‘capitalist right’, the pursuit of wealth is the foremost consideration. I guess the clue is in the words ‘social’ and ‘capital’ 040 4
Cocky Robin @cockyrobin.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Eh? Can’t anyone have economic power… I mean wouldn’t the left protect the economic power of the working class? 020 2
Siue Allen @sitebadger.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Also the right seeks to demolish democracy, the left fights to preserve democracy. 040 4
lucindacatchlove.bsky.social @lucindacatchlove.bsky.social · 03/11/2025I break it down to "do you care about other people you don't know or do you only really care about yourself" 3200 20
John Berry he/him @thejohnberry.bsky.social · 03/11/2025There's an even simpler way: the right lies all the time, the left is evidence based. 010 1
Herefordrob @herefordrob.mindly.social.ap.brid.gy · 03/11/2025@georgemonbiot.bsky.social Here's my thinking the following hashtags are the cornerstone of most if not all political ideologies, practices & theories. I understand some "act" more than others & the systems of domination control all our action. But when we choose a label we add to the divisive […]mindly.socialOriginal post on mindly.social 011 1
Happyroach @happyroach.bsky.social · 03/11/2025It is that simple. Which is why I consider Feminism to be orthogonal to the Left. It's nice when the goals coincide, but I've seen too much misogyny from Lefists to believe they're inherently congruent political movements. 000 0
Rick—The Political Gardener @politicalgardener.bsky.social · 04/11/2025Socialism without Capitalism is Communism. Capitalism without Socialism is Fascism. 010 1
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 03/11/2025I see from the replies that people are trying to make it complicated again. So just ask yourself this: does a particular party or faction stand up to billionaires and corporations, or does it roll out the red carpet for them? 1147551 475
Sapiosexual Guy @sapio-sexual-guy.bsky.social · 04/11/2025If, as you say, the right defends economic power, why is it that all the right controlled states are the poorest, most poverty stricken states across America and some are close to bankruptcy? Doesn’t sound economically powerful to me… please explain 000 0
Shared Ground @sharedground.bsky.social · 03/11/2025The Right defends economic power over. Or a misuse of power. 020 2
Paul AN Battye (Parilia) @panbat.bsky.social · 04/11/2025I have a better solution, I think. I agree there is too much confusion about old terms of left and right, socialist, communist, capitalist and fascist, as well as others. Put simply, there's caring politics and uncaring politics. Does this policy help the poor and most vulnerable? If not,justify it. 021 2
Landmarx24 ☭ 🇵🇸 @landmarx24.bsky.social · 03/11/2025And by that clear definition liberals are firmly on the right. 030 3
Logician in Chief @tinydragonhoard.bsky.social · 04/11/2025⛔ Not quite. The left defends diffuse economic power (the kind that enables consumer demand to drive the GDP). The Reich defends concentration of economic power (the kind that shrinks the GDP). Reich-wing lies about fiscal responsibility have been left unchallenged for too long. IT STOPS NOW. 110 1
richard baxter @synapse-fingers.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Correction: left is intelligent and caring. Right is idiot and selfish. 020 2
Matt "Winter is here" @mattrobb.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Then both are as doomed as if they resisted or defended electrical power It simply *is* 410 4
homodorkimus.bsky.social @homodorkimus.bsky.social · 04/11/2025Yeah it’s amazing the DSA has become so right-wing that their candidate in the NYC mayoral race feels comfortable running as an unapologetic antisemite. It’s feeling very “Weimar Republic” in here these days. 100 1
Diana @ditotts.bsky.social · 03/11/2025I look at it like this. The right believe that if you want it, you pay for it. The left think that if everyone pays a bit, then everyone can have it. 'It' being, education/health/welfare/social services/public services. 010 1
sweys @sweys.bsky.social · 03/11/2025There is no more Left in Europe. Most of us are billionaires in spirit, just too dumb to get the money. So we cave bc we want a piece of the Pie, and fawn ourselves with the hope of becoming as rich as they are. Until then, work hard for your Master, vote Them in office and play the lottery. 020 2
Steve B @stevebasnett.bsky.social · 06/11/2025Couldn't find a reasonable place to share this with you, so please forgive me for plonking it here. In my opinion, this one simple graph demonstrates the "Right" and their gutter media machine are smearing blame for their own self-created prisoner release errors elsewhere. bsky.app/profile/stev...Steve B@stevebasnett.bsky.socialCon con con: Conservative and right-wing media outrage at wrongful convict release is a con job. About 50 a year were released in error. In 2023 that number began to rocket under the Tories, hitting 262 in 2024-2025. Not defending Labour - clarifying it's an unreported Conservative convict con. 010 1
worker bee @cornntaters.bsky.social · 04/11/2025Concentrates vs disperses economic power, more like 000 0
deanna @scarsandhearts.bsky.social · 04/11/2025I can make it simpler. I've written so much on this. You do NOT elect a RICH POS businessman to lead your govt bc he's NEVER had to use any program we used to rely on for social value for tax $. His party sees $ & profit as the motivator not VALUE TO SOCIETY this legislation offers. So THEY LAUGH! 🙄 020 2
Matt Berkley @mattberkley.bsky.social · 03/11/2025If someone refers to "conservatives", we can ask, What are they trying to "conserve"? 220 2
KarenFrancoK @karenfrancok.bsky.social · 04/11/2025What happens when Labour in UK has a manifesto more right wing than CDU (Conservative in Germany)? Asking for a friend.media.tenor.coma woman says " i was just asking " in a blue shirtALT: a woman says " i was just asking " in a blue shirt 000 0
Zachary “Mushroom” Hunter @bonforage.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Nonsense. Democratic Socialist defends economic power remaining in the public sector; democrats defend corporate power with social safety nets, republicans used to defend corporate power with no social safety nets; now the fascists want it all, and the rest of us are squabbling over language. 010 1
Paul Park @pauljunhyuk.bsky.social · 03/11/2025The right defends social and economic inequality. The left resists and wants to remove social and economic inequality. 0122 12