The Political Compass

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Gavin Scott
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Posts: 6442
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 13.16
Location: Edinburgh
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This is circulating Facebook and is quite interesting insomuch as it expands upon the traditional left > right linear line of political ideas. The site which hosts the questionnaire provides some fascinating analysis and looks at historical party placement too. Well worth a read.

I took the test and, unsurprisingly, have been classified as the following:

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To put this in some context, currently, UK and Ireland political parties compare thus:

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Apparently where the Green party are indicated as at 2015, the Labour Party used to score in the pre-Blair days. Again, probably not a shock to anyone.

If you feel so inclined, take the test and upload a screenshot of your results.

http://www.politicalcompass.org/
bilky asko
Posts: 1400
Joined: Sat 08 Nov, 2008 19.48

You're reading my mind, it seems - I was just about to start a thread on this very subject.

I've taken the test twice before, and I decided to take it again yesterday:

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That's Economic: -1.25, Social: -5.28

I've been on both sides of that economic centre line (each time very close to the centre) on previous occasions; the social figure has remained pretty much the same.

You can make your own charts with it; I reckon it would be interesting to see how Metropol's members all sit on the compass.
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Alexia
Posts: 2999
Joined: Sat 01 Oct, 2005 17.50

Quelle surprise.

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cwathen
Posts: 1309
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 17.28

Hmm, shocked the hell out of me. Apparently I'm a leftie!

I do think though that the questioning is basically broken - some of the questions I found very odd - whilst I agree that a one party totalitarian state can get things done more quickly than a democratic one, that doesn't mean that I *want* a one party state, yet agreeing with the statement would seem to imply that. Similarly, no answer to the question 'punishment is more important than rehabilitation' adequately conveys my view - my view is that punishment is an important and integral part of rehabilitation, as well as acting as a deterrent to others. Yet the question divides the two into mutually exclusive things and I have to pick one or the other.

On top of that, there is no 'neutral' or 'none of the above' option on any of them, you either have to agree or disagree with everything, I'm certainly not happy with the answers I've given to about half of the questions.

Perhaps the real answer is that there is no simple way of summing up anyone's views - I'm a capitalist who believes in putting working people at the top of the tree and I want to see the benefit system slashed so that no one on benefits can be better off in real terms than someone working full time minimum wage - I do not agree to dysfunctional scum families milking the equivalent of a regional manager's salary out of the benefits system just because they can't keep their legs shut and have knocked out a few kids whilst other people work full time and struggle to get by.

These views typically make me right wing, yet when it comes to homosexuality, sex before marriage and abortion my views are about as left as you can get, and I take offence at being automatically assumed to hold right wing views on those issues just because I do on others.

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all new Phil
Posts: 1965
Joined: Sun 13 Feb, 2005 00.04
Location: Next door to Hell

I didn't take a grab of it but from the centre, I'm 1 to the right and 2 down. There is literally no party to represent me!

I've always said my views are part conservative (small c) and part liberal, which I guess this shows, but is there a gap in the market for a party like this?
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Finn
Posts: 610
Joined: Sun 06 Nov, 2005 17.02
Location: Manchester

Hmmm...

I thought people got more right wing and authoritarian as they got older?

I seem to be going ever more in an opposite direction (and started in that quadrant anyway)

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Economic Left/Right: -7.38
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -8.51
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Bail
Posts: 1142
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 21.41
Location: UK

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BNP = Hitler, that made my laugh...


We're all fairly similar though it seems, he's mine, and I was considering Green this May too, that's confirmed it.

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tillyoshea
Posts: 364
Joined: Sun 23 Nov, 2003 14.34
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
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Here's mine:

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So it looks like I'm basically Bilky Asko.
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martindtanderson
Posts: 527
Joined: Tue 23 Dec, 2003 04.03
Location: London, UK
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Sure why not...

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Beep
Posts: 738
Joined: Sat 24 Mar, 2007 23.53
Location: That London

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