Political center-left
In political science, the centre-left refers to the political spectrum where political formations between the center and the revolutionary or rupturist left are located. The center-left therefore opposes not only the right and to the extreme right, but also to the ideologies and positions of the extreme left. The most common center-left ideologies in the West are progressivism, social democracy, and socioliberalism.
In most Western countries, the essential center-left constituency consists of sections of the urban working class, members of the academic intellectual middle class, and even the rural population in certain places. Unlike other countries, in the United States center-left politicians and political proposals are called liberals.
The study of political systems, has shown a tendency of broad social sectors to define themselves in the center or center-left, since being a position defined according to the context, their ideology varies from progressive positions to others that some consider neoliberal.
Features
The word «centre-left» was born at the beginning of the XX century to describe political ideologies close to socialism, but which accepted numerous aspects of the social organization of the capitalist system, although since the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall it has been used more by the promoters of "capitalism with a human face" or "popular capitalism"; and has thus replaced the term "moderate left."
Most of the center-left political forces are basically social democrats and pro-welfare state. Many centre-left parties (such as the UK Labor Party) originally advocated so-called 'democratic socialism', which was the peaceful and gradual transition to a socialist economy within the democratic system of Western capitalist countries (as opposed to changing violent and revolutionary accompanied by the dictatorship of the proletariat that communism supposed).
However, with the passage of time these forces began to give up the goal of socializing the economy, especially after the economic problems experienced by some centralized economies of the Soviet bloc countries. The fall of the Berlin Wall accelerated the process by which the democratic socialist parties renounced Marxism and integrated the defense of the free market economy as a basic ideological assumption.
Currently, the main characteristics of the center-left in Western countries (mainly in Europe) are the following:
- Progressism as the only viable possibility for a model of economic and social development.
- Defense of the mixed economy as a viable economic model (as they match the right center). However, the central left likes to emphasize the social character of the model of capitalism that they defend (“capitalism with a human face”); therefore they prefer to say that they defend the so-called social market economy or socio-liberalism.
- Moderate, sometimes almost zero, tax reduction and rejection of very large tax cuts; since although the left-wing party is not necessarily opposed to reducing taxes (and, in fact, some central-left governments have reduced taxes when they have ruled), it is not as enthusiastic as the right center of such measures. The center-left prefers to maintain relatively high taxes to finance social spending, and therefore use it as an instrument for redistributing income to society.
- The defence of the state of well-being, since it has historically been the centre-left, which led to the creation of the welfare state and therefore considers it a commitment to defend social policies for equal opportunities and access for all citizens to basic social services.
- Increased public spending that is willing to allow the right center, especially in social programs; although many centrally-left economists are opposed to falling into excesses in the matter.
- Fiscal balance (procurate not to fall into fiscal deficit) but with more flexibility and greater room for manoeuvre than the right center.
- Moderate position in the face of the privatization of State enterprises; although the centre-left does not necessarily oppose the privatization of State enterprises and in fact many central-left governments have implemented privatization programmes, the centre-left is usually less radical than the right centre in this regard and may agree to retain some public enterprises or at least a minority participation of the State in its actions, when national political or social interests advise it.
- Extension of State social protection programmes.
- Strengthen control of financial markets, prohibit the most dangerous forms of speculation, clearer rules, more transparency and greater supervision, to prevent abuses of private enterprise and to defend the consumer.
- Conquer greater rights for workers and a decent minimum wage, prevent unfair tax competition and wage dumping.