I’ve written often in the past about the terminological confusion at the core of American politics. JLF is named for one of the founding philosophers of liberalism, John Locke. In much of the world, ?liberal? is a political label that describes people who favor free trade, lower taxes, smaller government, and individual liberty. That was the meaning of the term in Anglo-American politics in the 19th and early 20th centuries. But then the likes of Herbert Croly and John Dewey sought to redefine the term to mean pretty much the opposite of its original definition ? their argument boiled down to the notion that you can?t be truly free unless someone else is paying your bills ? and now we have the absurdity of ?conservatives? who promote economic liberalism and ?liberals? who promote the welfare state.
The terms haven?t totally lost their meaning in Europe, however. In the European Parliament elections over the weekend, here are the top three parties in seats won:
? European People’s Party-271 seats maximum.
? Party of European Socialists-161 seats max.
? Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe-82 seats max.
Which parties would be considered market-oriented or ?conservative? in America? The first and third.
