Transformation?

Many years ago, when I was a student, I was a deeply committed Marxist in my political beliefs. Later, I toyed with Anarchism, and, eventually, became a rather soft Libertarian Socialist. I held this position for many years and voted for the Labour Party.

But, from the late 1990’s I found that the ‘left, liberal’ position was drifting towards totalitarianism and intolerance. This happened slowly at first but has accelerated at breakneck speed in recent years.

I found myself, at first to my dismay, drifting to the right of the political spectrum as the whole political spectrum shifted.

I found myself agreeing more and more with what are called ‘right wing’ arguments because they were the only political groups that were defending freedom of expression and freedom in general.

I was, and am, aware that there are some very dangerous groups out there on the extreme right, but they differ very little from the more extreme groups on the ‘left’, at least in practice.

This ‘drifting’ lead me to read more and more of the ‘Classical Liberal’ materials and traditionally conservative books and articles. And I agreed with them, mostly. This was a major shift in my views from 40 years ago.

Well, as they say, if you are not a socialist when you are young you have no heart, but if you still are a socialist when you are older you have no brain.

The only problem I have with these more conservative positions is their general social intolerance, their religiousness and their anti-science positions.

I am and have been for many years, a hard atheist, and that is unlikely to change. I have never found any evidence to cause me to change my views on transcendental or supernatural beings or forces. I dislike religion as a socio-political phenomenon in all its forms. The all tend to an intolerant and even totalitarian position. The only ‘religious’ philosophy that has, and does, attract me is some form of Buddhism. However, recently I have re-discovered Stoicism which is a philosophy very, very similar in practice to Buddhism.

I toyed with the Quakers once, but I could not accept a belief in any ‘god’ and nor could I be a pacifist.

I am very socially liberal. All forms of behaviour should be allowed unless they interfere with another's freedoms. A classical J. S. Mill position.

I would legalise all forms of drug use, all forms of sexual behaviour and all forms of transactions between people for money, including sexual transactions. I would hope that the old, and important, distinction between the public arena and the private sphere would become accepted once more.

I don’t care a jot about a politicians, or a businessman's or a celebrities private behaviour as long as they can do their job and do not transgress the freedoms of others.

My positions on issues like abortion are ambivalent. I do think that abortion is a form of murder, BUT the alternative to legalised abortion is far, far worse. I am, just, old enough to remember the time before abortion was legalised, in the UK. Therefore, it should be legal.

I am very, very pro-science as a method for discovering truths about the physical world. I fear that the process has become somewhat corrupted in recent times by politics and money, but I still believe in the scientific method as the only way to discover truths.

I believe in equality of opportunity, regardless of gender, race and all the other labels we use, but the outcomes will be what they will be. One cannot equalise outcomes without massive state intervention verging on totalitarianism.

I believe that the worst murderers, corruptors and abusers of power are States and organised religions. So I now call myself a Libertarian with conservative tendencies. A minarchist I suppose.

Heavens, that was a long spiel. The left itself has pushed me, and I suspect many like me, away from them and into a variety of other political and social positions.