Making Sense of the Political Ecosystem
Nadine Ness, founder of Saskatchewan’s Unified Grassroots, a group concerned with civil liberties formed during Covid, invites Bruce Pardy, a professor of law at Queen’s University and the executive director of Rights Probe, to explain changes in the political ecosystem that her group [and many of us] have grappled with but have not been able to articulate. To that end, Prof. Pardy shares his “horseshoe spectrum” of the various political labels; labels we assume we understand that do not align with our experience of these political identities. In reality, this landscape, explains Prof. Pardy, is populated by three main political persuasions beyond left vs right: Collectivist left (progressives and socialists) vs Collectivist right (conservatives) vs Individualists (classical liberals and libertarians).
In the horseshoe model, the political spectrum is represented as a string pulled into a horseshoe shape. The ends of the string, representing the far-left and far-right, come close together at the bottom of the horseshoe. This visualization suggests that both extremes share a focus on group values and dynamics, despite their differing ideologies.
The horseshoe is divided by an imaginary line, with individualists above the line and collectivists below. At the top of the horseshoe are classical liberals and libertarians, who prioritize individual liberty and choice. Below the line are the collectivist left (progressives and socialists) and the collectivist right (conservatives), who emphasize group solidarity and common values.
From this illuminated landscape of alignments, differences and deep divides to getting rid of the Bank of Canada, the discussion becomes a journey that calls into close focus our political system and institutions that have collectively become the managerial state, warping our fundamental understanding of the rule of law. As Prof. Pardy has warned many times: “Instead of protecting liberty, the state has become its leading threat.” If we are not at the point of transformation (firing our administrative state), we can for now embrace the process of clarity. Enjoy the view.
WATCH THE CONVERSATION IN FULL HERE
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