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Can someone explain? (Politics in UK)

This is probably gonna sound dumb, but I've never really understood politics and I'm struggling to get my head around it for my A-Level History.

What is the difference between left wing, right wing & center?

I know that Conservative is right wing, and Labour is left wing, but what does it mean if say, a person in the Conservative party is associated with the right wing faction/left faction of the party? And the same for Labour.

I'd appreciate it if someone could explain it in a way that makes sense. :smile:
Original post by KyraMay
This is probably gonna sound dumb, but I've never really understood politics and I'm struggling to get my head around it for my A-Level History.

What is the difference between left wing, right wing & center?

I know that Conservative is right wing, and Labour is left wing, but what does it mean if say, a person in the Conservative party is associated with the right wing faction/left faction of the party? And the same for Labour.

I'd appreciate it if someone could explain it in a way that makes sense. :smile:


Hi @KyraMay,

Right wing tends to be more traditional and conservative (small 'c', not keen on change, favouring business, private ownership, and socially conservative ideas).
Left wing tends to favour social equality, reforms, joint ownership, nationalisation (stuff like the NHS which everyone pays for through tax, but the service is free) and are more socially progressive.
Centre is in the middle of both of these, shares a mix of both values or a diluted version of these values.

Hope this helps!

Lucy
Screenshot 2018-12-03 at 18.28.51.png29.5KB

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