Understanding the political spectrum

You’ve probably heard the terms ‘left wing’ and ‘right wing’ before - a politician might be accused of being ‘too left wing’, or a newspaper might be known as a ‘right-wing publication’. Both of these terms refer to the political spectrum. It’s something you’ll come across fairly often, so this guide will help you to understand what it is and why it matters.

In a nutshell

Think of the political spectrum as a scale with two opposite ends - the left and the right. Each end represents a group of principles, and those on the left tend to oppose those on the right. Most of these principles are about the best way to organise society in order for people to thrive. 

Why does it matter?

It’s useful to have an understanding of the political spectrum for three reasons:

• It can help you to recognise bias. If a newspaper, news channel or news site is known as having a left-wing or right-wing bias, it’s useful to keep that bias in mind when reading or watching their news reports, as it might influence how they present certain people and events.
• It can help you to reflect on your own bias. As you read through this guide, think about whether you lean more towards the left or right, and how this might have an impact on your own identity, views and interpretation of events.
• It can help you to understand why a new policy or law is made. Very often, political parties will suggest policies that align with their place on the spectrum (for example, the Labour party in the UK will usually suggest left-wing policies). These policies can then become Law, which in turn can impact our society as a whole.

A tiny bit of history…

The terms ‘left’ and ‘right’ were first used in a political context during the French Revolution, when the people overthrew the French monarchy and took control of the government. Those on the left supported the revolution, whilst those on the right supported the monarchy. This idea of the left supporting change and the right supporting the status quo continues today and is a key part of their philosophies.

Right, ready to dive in? Here’s a snapshot of some key principles, laws, political parties and media outlets that are associated with the left and the right.   

Key principles

1. Government power vs individual liberty

The left

• Those on the left strive for an equal society and believe that the government should play a large part in people’s lives in order to achieve this. This is sometimes referred to as big government.
• Those on the left tend to support higher taxes on the rich, welfare for the poor and government regulation of business. This can also mean taking an interventionist approach towards economics, where the government will step in to prevent a recession (a period of economic decline). They can do this by taxing people highly during ‘boom’ times (when the economy is doing well) and then spending this money when the economy needs it.

The right

• Those on the right believe that a certain level of social inequality is unavoidable, and that the government should play a limited role in people’s lives.
• They tend to support a laissez-faire approach to the economy. ‘Laissez-faire’ is a French term which roughly translates as ‘leave things alone’. Those on the right believe that less business regulation will help innovation, and lower taxes on businesses will help them to grow. In other words, if we don’t interfere with business and we leave the market to its own devices, it’s better for the economy.

2. Progressive vs conservative

The left

• Those on the left tend to adopt a progressive view, meaning they often favour social change or reform. A typical example is supporting same-sex marriage.

The right

• Those on the right tend to uphold more traditional views. A typical example is being in favour of the monarchy.

Laws

The left

National Health Service Act, 1946, UK

• Made healthcare free on the basis of citizenship and need, rather than the payment of fees or insurance premiums.
• Implemented by: The Labour Party
• Principles: equal society, government intervention

Parental Leave Act, 1974, Sweden

• Sweden became the first country in the world to introduce parental leave that could be split between two parents of a child.
• Implemented by: The Social Democratic Party
• Principles: progressive politics, social change

The right

Tax allowance for married couples, 2014, UK

• Married couples get tax benefits such as reduced income tax and the ability to pass money on to a spouse without incurring inheritance tax.
• Implemented by: The Conservative party
• Principles: tradition

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, 2017, US

• Reduced tax rates for businesses from 35% to 21%
• Implemented by: The Republican party
• Principles: laissez-faire economics, individual liberty

Political parties

The left

The Labour party (UK), Green party (UK), Democratic party (US) and Socialist party (France) are often described as being left-wing.

The right

Right-wing parties include The Conservative party (UK), UKIP (UK), Republican party (US) and Law and Justice (Poland).

Worth knowing…

It’s worth keeping in mind that the terms ‘left’ and ‘right’ are often used loosely and aren’t always accurate. For example, many of the UK Labour party’s policies place it in the centre of the political spectrum, or even slightly right of centre. The same is true in the US, where both the Democratic party and Republican party could be considered right wing. Likewise, a political party might become more left or right wing depending on its leader at the time. It’s always worth checking out the party’s actual manifesto before making your mind up on who to vote for.

Media outlets

The left

The Guardian, The Huffington Post, The Daily Mirror, Mother Jones and The Washington Post are often described as being left-wing.

The right

Right-wing outlets include The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mail, The New York Post and Fox News.

Some famous quotes

The left

“From each according to his abilities; to each according to his needs.” - Karl Marx

The right

“Man is not free unless government is limited.” - Ronald Regan

It’s not all black and white…

Not all principles, laws, political parties or media outlets can be neatly classified as left or right wing, as most will include elements of both. Likewise, individual people, even those who describe themselves as being left-wing or right-wing, will often support one or two principles from the other side of the spectrum. This is a good thing - by avoiding strict labels when it comes to our political identity and remaining open-minded, we can avoid having an over-simplified outlook and judge political parties and their policies on their own merit.