The Economist
The Economist is a left leaning British Economics magazine. Many on the far FAR left claim that they're right leaning, because they aren't as rabidly anti-business and anti-economics as they are. But you only need to look at the Economist's views on Global Warming, Israel, American Conservatives/Republicans and other issues to realize they are not socially conservative, they're not fiscally conservative (they were against the austerity that helped many countries). The only thing I can find that makes them "right wing", is that they're slightly less rabidly left than most of the British News.
Now in truth, they might be centrist by European (collectivist/anti-individualist) standards, but that makes them left-wing to Americans. Examples include: 2 items
New Jersey and the Economist - The Economist ran an oft quoted FakeNews story that any first year economics student should call bullshit on. It was that red states get a surplus of tax benefits, because of subsidies by blue states. The truth is that for each $1.00 New Jersey gets back from the fed, they have to give the fed $1.64 in taxes, they have to pay $.18 in compliance costs, and the government borrows about $.81 of that dollar, and sticks New Jersey with the debt obligation. On top of that, federal work-rules and controls means that dollar is actually only about as effective as $.60 would be if it was under local or private hiring practices. Progressives see the $.60 of real value as a net win. Anyone else, can see that you paid about $2.63 to get it. This isn't as dramatic for some red states, but the only states that come out ahead are West Virginia, Mississippi, New Mexico and Puerto Rico (and D.C.). So if any publication repeats the lie of the Red states mooching off the Blue ones, you know they don't have fact checkers, or are just partisan shills.
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2019.03.28 Labelled Ben Shapiro Alt-Right - The Economist published an interview with Ben Shapiro, timed to the release of his new book, and decided to frame Shapiro as “Inside the mind of the alt-right sage without the rage”. Ben is a devout Jew, and been one of the leading critics of the alt-right... and the feeling was mutual. Economist tried to defend their position, but the informed were smacking them around too hard, and they had to retract.
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Other positions include:
- They were against individualism/rights and opposed leaving the EU
- They do flip on some local election -- but they were for John Kerry, Barack Obama (twice), Hillary Clinton -- none of those were the conservative, right, or pro-economics positions to take. So for the last 20 years, they haven't been right/center on American candidates
- While they supporter Iraq Invasion in 2003... then they took the far left position after that, saying that this was one of their biggest mistakes (it wasn't)
- They're far left (and anti-economic) on Global Warming scare mongering
- They are pro-Drug legalization (which I agree with), but that's a left wing position
- They are pro-Same Sex Marriage (which I agree with), but that's a left wing position
- They are pro-Gun Control (anti-individual liberty and anti-Constitution)
Conclusion
Are you seeing a pattern? In Europe, left and right mean different things than in the U.S. -- but by the U.S. standard, they aren't conservative (either economically or socially), individualist, Constitutionalist, pro-Nationalist, or pretty much any of the things that Americans would call "right wing" or centrist.
Written 2018.05.30 |