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Dichotomy: Freedom v Equality. I think that politics is defined by the left seeing politics as the working class, poor, and the exploited versus the rich and oppressors. While the modern right want to define politics as freedom v authoritarians. I am centre left. I support the best of socialism, capitalism, peace, equality, freedom, and the working class, poor and middle class. I support education and luxury for all. I think that it is wrong to define politics as freedom versus authoritarians. Because there is a massive difference between restrictions on freedom from a left wing motivation and a right wing motivation. For instance banning homosexuality, banning the right to protest, banning the right to criticise government, and banning the right to organise trade unions is totally different to the left wing who want to tax and regulate the economy or ban hate speech. They are totally different motivations and policies. To define all government power and action as the same is wrong. Government regulation on the economy is not the same as government regulations on private life actions. I know one right winger who tried to convince a gay person to vote Republican on the basis that the right supported personal freedom on taxes and regulations. His argument was that supporting personal freedom on taxes meant you supported freedom on sexuality. But that is nonsense. The right were at that time less keen on sexual freedom. So defining politics as freedom versus authoritarianism means you vote for a party that supported economic freedom and therefore no benefits, and no redistribution towards the poor. While at the same time supporting extreme authoritarianism on private lives. Yet this is complicated as the left often believe in introducing hate speech laws that some see as a restriction on freedom, but from a left v right perspective would be seen as a way of helping the poor and oppressed. Looking at politics from a left wing perspective means trying to tax and regulate to bring in economic redistribution, stop discrimination, stop hate speech. While at the same time allowing freedom in private life. While the right wing intellectual thinkers want to define politics on the basis that politics is about freedom v authoritarianism. Even if the right are supporting restrictions on protest, sexuality, voting rights, trade unions, worker’s rights. Some on the right want to define the difference between left and right as being about the left being authoritarian and the right being about freedom. So that good left wing things government can do like bringing in worker’s rights, protection of democratic rights, banning hate speech, taxing and regulating the economy to help the poor and the environment. So that that is conflated as being on the same as bad government authoritarian measures like supressing democracy, banning trade unions, banning freedom of speech, banning the right to criticise the government, banning personal freedoms in private life, banning freedom of movement. I think there is a place for both left and right wing perspectives in a free society. But I see myself as centre left, and a supporter of democracy and peace. I see politics as right v left. I see the left as caring for the poor, working class, the ordinary, the oppressed, and disabled. While the right care about the rich and powerful, elites. Some intellectuals on the right want to define the straw man argument, to define it as left supporting authoritarianism versus right supporting freedom. I find this as dishonest as often it means supporting a party that support extreme capitalism with extreme authoritarianism. But I also accept there have been many authoritarian left wing and authoritarian right wing governments. Some on the far right see the working class, as criminals and parasites. I am centre left, I support the centre left, human rights, the working class, the middle class, education, peace, freedom, and the best of socialism and capitalism. > Joey Vimsante.