Which Way’s Left? Ideology

6 November 2009

Should the Left draw more on its social democratic or radical liberal traditions in looking to the future?

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the centre-Left has been home to a lively debate between radical liberals and social democrats. From Hobhouse and the Webbs, to Jenkins and Hattersley, the on-going dialogue and tensions between these two traditions has helped forge the centre-Left’s vision and agenda.

To get under the skin of what unites and divides these two political ideologies we need to think through their different traditions and ideas. After all, there is no single liberalism and no monolithic social democracy. So we need to consider their different attitudes and approaches to particular issues. To take just one example, what is the role of collective action in ensuring people have substantive freedoms and that society as a whole is healthy and strong? Some social democrats believe in the value of collective action as a good in itself, as an expression of social solidarity. Conversely, some radical liberals focus more on the power of individuals and are wary of excessive statism and paternalism. Are these arguments over means rather than ends? What are the fundamental tensions and where can they be reconciled? Which strands of thinking offer the best intellectual guide for the centre-Left today?

To help confront this issue we have asked Richard Reeves, Director of Demos, and Ben Jackson, Lecturer in History at Oxford University, to write short papers responding to this question.

As a guide, we think there broadly two potential approaches they might take:

  • Radical liberalism has the core intellectual resources that the centre-Left requires. It focuses on ensuring individuals have both the freedom to choose their version of the good life and the genuine power to pursue it. The social democratic language of community, solidarity and the common good makes for powerful rhetoric. But to the extent that they mean anything in practical policy terms, they tend to lead to paternalism, state-ism and restrictions on individual liberty (by imposing a view of the good life on some that is chosen by others).
  • Social democracy remains the core philosophical starting point for the centre-Left. It recognises that real freedom requires a more equal society, bonds of solidarity and obligation and collective action. It also acknowledges that the value of these goods extend beyond their instrumental contribution to securing the conditions for liberty. Social democracy draws attention to our interdependence and the pursuit of a shared political project with broader values at stake beyond simply enabling the ‘freedom to choose’. Ensuring that the economy serves the people, politics appeals to humanity over self-interest, and democracy is the route to the common good are enduring goals of the centre-Left. And they are the essence of social democracy.

Some Responses:

Michael Green looks at possible differences between liberals and social democrats on the issue of choice in public services.

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