MPs on the Political Compass
June 22nd, 2004 at 10:31 pm by David FarrarNo Right Turn has posted a copy of leading MPs (and a skinhead!) on the political compass. The original comes from DeepRed.
I’m copying it here so my comments can be viewed in context.
Don and Rodney look about right (being the only two in my quadrant, explaining why I support them both). Anderton I believe is actually very authoritarian and should be nearer Turia. I also would question Fitzsimons degree of libertarian as while no doubt very liberal on some issues, she does have a long list of things she thinks the state should ban (science) or censor (not nice things). I also think Tamihere might be in just over on the right hand side also.
But overall a fairly good estimate. I did once at work compile a graph of all the National MPs and staff who sat the test (it was very popular a while back), but I am keeping that secret until my death or my tell all book (which ever comes first 
NRT also compiled back in November the scores of the NZ bloggers. It is fascinating how there are almost no authoritarian bloggers (Gordon take a bow) but that may reflect how Internet users generally are.
I am very proud of my position on the graph below.
There is also a graph of many global bloggers. I am the DF at the bottom right.
No tag for this post.
June 23rd, 2004 at 1:41 am
Hmm. At some stage I should probably do a cull of that graph and clean out the disappeared.
Also, if any of our other political bloggers want to be added, email me your scores.
(I already know that some people don’t like the test and don’t want to contribute their scores. All I can say is “I didn’t design the bloody thing”)
Vote:June 23rd, 2004 at 2:33 am
The test is far from perfect, but it isn’t too bad in my opinion. It certainly is a big improvement over trying to put everyone on merely a left-right basis.
What could be interesting is to plot major political parties in various countries. For example US Republicans would be very authoritarian but only slightly right economically, while NZ Nats less authoritarian and more economically right.
Vote:June 23rd, 2004 at 9:05 am
Margaret Wilson is libertarian?? Yeah right! She’s the most didactic autocratic bitch in politics.
Vote:June 23rd, 2004 at 2:42 pm
Hehe, does Kyle Chapman even rate a mention, or is he just there to show the radar works?
Vote:June 23rd, 2004 at 7:14 pm
I’m a smidgen to the right of DPF and a bit closer to the line but still in Authoritarian than NZP.
Vote:June 23rd, 2004 at 9:04 pm
Arrgghh. I finished up right in Peter Dunne’s belly button. How will I ever survive that? LbW
Vote:June 24th, 2004 at 10:04 am
gosh i’m surprised that Jordan matches up with Fitzsimons… I would think he’d be reasonably aghast too
Vote:June 24th, 2004 at 10:45 am
Jeanette might be equally upset
I would have thought that Jordan is not that left economically. Always thought he was on the right of Labour economically (not that that is saying much
Vote:June 24th, 2004 at 11:22 am
I must say that I agree, I wonder what he will say when he stumbles across this…
I imagined he would be around where David Slack is, left wise, but where he is now, libertarian wise, if that makes sense.
Vote:June 24th, 2004 at 1:05 pm
There is a difference between what I think is politically achievable and what I think is politically desirable.
In terms of the latter I am on the left of the Labour party.
In terms of the former, I’m off the scale.
Span – we’ve not discussed these issues since I thought Tony Bliar was cool
DPF – left of Labour, not right.
Vote:June 24th, 2004 at 1:19 pm
i assume the Bliar typo is deliberate (it should be)
does that mean that you now support universally free education at all levels (ie publicly funded, publicly provided, funded by the taxpayer)?
and in health? what about a universal base income?
hope it doesn’t seem like i am attacking you, i am just genuinely curious, you’re right we haven’t talked about this stuff in a while and we have probably both made assumptions about where the other (still) stands.
Vote:June 24th, 2004 at 1:39 pm
No, I don’t support free education at all levels. I want to see it free at all levels up to tertiary. At tertiary level, I would like to see a position where the allowance is at such a level that the average student can do a couple of weeks work over the summer and pay their fees.
I am less concerned with who provides than with the fact that we have a major systemic problem in health and in education about both participation/access and in results. Sometimes private organisations can do better than public ones in working on these issues, specially in culturally specific contexts. I don’t rule out private involvement in any public activity a priori. I think that involves a confusion of means with ends.
Vote:June 24th, 2004 at 8:51 pm
I don’t get it. The left is intrinsically authoritarian (we know best) and the right libertarian (you know best). The y axis is redundant – no?
Vote:June 24th, 2004 at 9:45 pm
then where would you put a leftie like me who thinks marijuana should be legalised (at the least decriminalised) as opposed to a rightie like many i know who consider it the demon weed?
the Civil Unions Bill is another good example – most of the centre left in Parliament are supporting it, most of the centre right and right in Parliament are opposed. Yet I would have thought that supporting it was the libertarian perspective, opposing it authoritarian.
just a few thoughts.
Vote:June 24th, 2004 at 9:45 pm
then where would you put a leftie like me who thinks marijuana should be legalised (at the least decriminalised) as opposed to a rightie like many i know who consider it the demon weed?
the Civil Unions Bill is another good example – most of the centre left in Parliament are supporting it, most of the centre right and right in Parliament are opposed. Yet I would have thought that supporting it was the libertarian perspective, opposing it authoritarian.
just a few thoughts.
Vote:June 24th, 2004 at 11:48 pm
Jordan – yes I also have a large gap between my ideal world and what I recognise as possible.
Your comments on ends not means, and that private sector can be better, does sound very right wing to me thouugh
Vote:June 26th, 2004 at 8:22 pm
Interesting to see your views on dope, Span. I’m sure Graham Watson would be most amused!
D
Vote:June 28th, 2004 at 10:12 am
The original idea of the political compass can be found at http://www.politicalcompass.org
Vote:June 29th, 2004 at 12:55 pm
i was one of the leading advocates of a policy that supported decriminalisation of marijuana (along with all the other ex-ausaers in the Alliance at that time that i can think of) in the Alliance party, which we finally won at the 2001 conference (Jim Anderton refused to even let us debate it for years). i could give you chapter and verse on why i hold that view. people can change – when i was at ausa i also opposed the lowering of the drinking age (privately, not publicly, as it was ausa policy to support it) but i now feel 18 is the appropriate age (and i still don’t drink).
i find that while my views on political questions don’t really change much (within certain left-centre-left to left) parameters, my views on moral questions do, as i garner more experience of different situations and different people. i did the political compass test approx five years ago and while i don’t think i’ve moved much left/right i have certainly become much more libertarian, due to my own life experiences i think.
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