Views of Brexit

Samantha Smith

Poli Sci 153A

Sept 12, 2018

Essay #3

John Stuart Mill’s theory of liberalism and Karl Marx’s Marxism tradition are the foundation for modern-day political parties in England, France, and The United States. While John Stuart Mill is credited for more  classical-liberal thought and aligns more with modern right-wing ideologies, Karl Marx contributed to a more progressive school of thought and contemporary left-wing ideologies. Even though Marine Le Pen, a French right-wing politician has some ideas that do not directly align with those of John Stuart Mill’s theory of liberalism, in general, left-wing politics focal point is on equality and derived from Marx’s work whereas right-wing politics is on liberty and extracted from Mill’s writing.

John Stuart Mill is considered a classical liberal creating the infrastructure for modern-day right-wing and conservative parties. The liberal tradition sees the ideals of liberty and equality as things to strive for. Furthermore, Mill believes the only reason to restrict people’s liberties is to “prevent harm to others” thus that “some rules of conduct must be imposed.

” (Sissa, Lecture Notes) In contrast, is the Marxist tradition which is the foundation for many current-day left-wing or progressive parties. For Marx, inequalities in society arise from a generalized market economy and that the laborer is unable to stop participating in a labor market because he “is under the economic compulsion to sell the only commodity he possesses, to wit his labor-power, also continuously basis.” (Sissa, Lecture Notes) However, the capitalist can  stop participating in the labor force as necessary by laying off workers or selling his business.

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(Sissa, Lecture Notes) Thus creating a society that is more beneficial for the bourgeoisie or capitalist class. The main goal in Marxist theory is for the proletariat or working class to own the means of production and create a stateless, classless society. (Sissa, Lecture Notes) Throughout the last century, left-wing and right-wing politics in Europe and the United States have evolved vastly but much of the ideas from each political party are derived from one or both of these political theorists.

Two examples of apparent influence from theorists John Stuart Mill and Karl Marx are in the United Kingdom. John Stuart Mill’s theory of liberalism has helped create the basis of the Conservative party socially and economically and both Mill and Karl Marx have roots in the Labour party. The crucial divergences of the Labour party and the Conservative party are how they view what the role of the government should be, their views on Brexit, and their positions on equality. Jeremy Corbyn leader of the Labour party is passionate about social justice and states “we don’t have to be unequal, it doesn’t have to be unfair, poverty doesn’t have to be inevitable.” (Labour Manifesto) The ideals of the Labour party are to create a more fair Britain and to create “a country that works for the many, not just the privileged few. With Labour, we’ll build a country where we invest our wealth to give everyone the best chance.” (Labour Manifesto) One way Corbyn intends to do that is to end the current Prime Minister of the Conservative party Theresa May’s method of conducting Brexit. The Labour party seeks to “unite the country around a Brexit deal that works for every community in Britain.” (Labour Manifesto) In contrast, Theresa May intends to “get the right deal for Britain, strike new trade deals and make sure our economy is strong for the years ahead.” (Conservative Manifesto) Thus showing their differences in economic beliefs. The Conservative party is more focused on free markets and individual achievement behind economic prosperity whereas the Labour party focuses on equality and ensuring the Brexit deal benefits all communities and not just the economy. In addition, the Labour and Conservative parties have differing beliefs on how much involvement the government should have in citizens’ lives. The Labour party believes the country will benefit from a larger government that increases  the minimum wage to create more spending power, whereas the Conservative party takes a more traditional liberal approach of lowering income taxes and reducing government spending in an attempt to spur economic activity.

Furthermore, can see Mill’s and Marx’s influence in France’s Socialist Party and some of Mill’s influence in France’s Front National Party. The major differences between the French Socialist party and the Front National party are their ideologies on immigration, economics, and internationalism. The French Socialist party still holds many ideas from the Marxist tradition thus “the ideals of the French Revolution… (our values) retain their strength: freedom and justice, equality and citizenship… Europe and internationalism.” (Sissa, Lecture Notes) While the French Socialist party puts an emphasis on equality and citizenship the Front National party emphasizes the need for “a massive reduction in legal immigration. Ms. Le Pen argues French citizenship should be ‘either inherited or merited.” (Sissa, Lecture Notes) In addition to the mass reduction of immigration, the main policies of the Front National party were to withdraw from the EU, the euro, and give priority to French citizens in jobs and housing. Le Pen’s economic approach is both nationalistic and exclusive in comparison to the French Socialist party which has a socioeconomic model with the aim to “socialize of the means of production and exchange, that is to say, the transformation of capitalist society into collectivist and communist society.” (Socialism in France) Furthermore, while in power the French Socialist party main focuses were on “enacted wage increases, improvements in social security benefits.” (Safran, Socialist Party) Contrastingly, when running for office Le Pen states that “no illegal immigrant would be granted residency or get free healthcare if she came to power.” (Sissa, Lecture Notes) Taking not only a strong anti-immigration approach but also an approach that potentially would limit social benefits for people within the country. After comparing The French Socialist Party to the Front National parties’, the FN parties principles materialize as neofascist. The opposition between the French Socialist Party and the Front National party is substantial and far-reaching.

Both England and France have very contrasting left-wing and right-wing ideologies similar to the United States. Marie Le Pen and Donald Trump’s political ideologies closely align with the end of the right-wing spectrum whereas Emmanuel Macron would be an equivalent of a more left-wing ideology in the U.S despite being a self-proclaimed centrist. It would seem that the opposition of left-wing and right-wing ideologies in France is the most significant due to how extreme both sides of the spectrum can be. While the United States has the most polarizing differences in political parties due to the two-party system. By comparing independent countries with similar philosophical influences together we can see how similar ideologies can be shifted and changed by the laws, leaders and the social climate of each nation.