political classification

[coalgirl]

Why is Labour described as the left and Conservative as the right rather than the other way round. Was it anything to do with where politicians sat in Parliament.

[Buenchico]

The terms date back to the parliament set up, in Paris, after the French Revolution.

In the House of Commons, Government MPs are seated to the right of the Speaker (irrespective of whether they're 'left wing' or 'right wing'), with the Opposition being seated to his left.

Chris

[jno]

yes, it was where they sat in the French revolutionary parliament. 'Left' implies action for society as a whole; 'right' implies more emphasis on the individual. (I'm trying to put that as neutrally as possible.)

[Quizmonster]

As stated above, the words 'left' and 'right' in politics come from the French Parliament, known as the Estates General. There, the nobility sat on the King's right-hand side and the rest on his left. The nobles, of course, wanted things to go on just as they always had...ie they were 'conservative'. The others wanted change...more fairness in wealth, ownership etc. Nowadays, the same idea applies to modern governments. In the UK, the Conservative Party is right-wing and the Labour Party is left-wing; in the USA, the Republicans are right-wing and the Democrats are left-wing.

[jake-the-peg]

You may notice that the parties that were considerred "left" these days prefer the term "progressive".

Left has come to be associated with extreme or at least radical politics.

The term "progressive" reflects "conservative" as stuck in the past and resisting change.

[naomi24]

^^Oh good grief!! More senseless hot air from the left! I wonder how long it took them to work that one out - and how much it cost them?

[jake-the-peg]

You've obviously been snoozing Naomi - that term's been around for a while and it's international

I'd imagine it cost way less than the Tories spent on their "Oak tree"