Honours come in strange flavours

I note with an odd pleasure and a little trepidation that I’ve been listed on the blogroll of E Pleb Neesta, along with Praguetwin under the title - Left leaning blogs deserving respect.

I know of two of the four contributors to the blog - no_slappz and Lysander Cadwalader. I must admit, despite a few spats, I respect their willingness to engage in debate and not simply trivialise with name calling as some from the right tend to.

The trepidation, indeed fear for my safety, is being found by the Australian left to be impersonating a lefty. Indeed, the left here is a very different animal to that in the US. I’m not a socialist, in fact economically (the only real measure) I’m a tradition economic liberal, in the style of Keynes and Galbraith.

Oh, I’ve been called a ‘red ragger’ (communist) and a fascist, both in the same paragraph, but that should put me fairly much in the political centre.

On social issues:

• I subscribe to minimum intervention into personal morality, but that is more of a spiritual question than political.
• I am an avid supporter of full and open democracy, unlike both left and right.
• I believe in our wealthy societies, decent education and health care are not merely social prerogatives but economic necessities.

I don’t really do labels, and this is as much a disclaimer to the real left as an explanation generally. Still, the honour is noted and appreciated.