Hard left

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the Australian political tendency, see Labor Left.

Hard left or hard-left is a term that is used particularly in

political group.[1][2] The term is also a noun and modifier taken to mean the far-left[1] and the left-wing political movements and ideas outside the mainstream centre-left.[3] The term has been used to describe wings and factions of several political parties across the world, such as the left-wing of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom[4] and left-wing factions of the Australian Labor Party.[5][6]

Australia

As with the Labor Right faction, the Labor Left faction of the Australian Labor Party is split between multiple competing sub-factions, called "fractions". These vary between state branches and in union support and affiliation. In New South Wales, the left is split mainly between the so-called "hard" left and "soft" left. The hard left was historically focused on the trade union movement and international issues, and organised around figures like Frank Walker, Arthur Gietzelt, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.[7] The soft left presented a "more pragmatic" vision of the left and used rank-and-file members to gain power through branch stacking, and organised around politicians Peter Baldwin and Jack Ferguson.[8] In

far-left "Tomato Left" faction, which included Bill Hartley, George Crawford, and Joan Coxsedge
.

Britain

The term was first used in the context of debates within both the

Tribune Group, embraced more moderate social democratic ideas.[10][11]

Politicians commonly described as being on the hard left of the Labour Party at the time included Tony Benn, Derek Hatton, Ken Livingstone,[12] Dennis Skinner,[13] and Eric Heffer.[14]

The term has since then often been used pejoratively by Labour's political opponents, for example, during the Conservative Party's election campaigns of the early 1990s, and by the media.[15][16] It has continued to be used pejoratively for the left-wing of the Labour Party.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Definition of 'hard left'". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Definition of hard left". Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  3. ISBN 978-0-415-11599-5
    . Condemnation by label is a favourite tactic of political antagonism ... Descriptions like 'hard left', 'far left' ... all have extra connotations, political under-meanings to damage the people they describe
  4. ^ a b "Labour's left wing 'can't tolerate dissent', a right-wing Labour MP has claimed". The Independent. 5 January 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  5. ISBN 978-1-921866-53-1
    .
  6. ISBN 978-0-522-86106-8
    .
  7. ISBN 978-0-9803883-5-0
    .
  8. ISBN 978-0-9803883-5-0
    .
  9. ISBN 978-0-7190-2483-2
    .
  10. ISBN 9781443832397
    .
  11. ^ "What's left of the Labour left?". Total Politics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  12. ISBN 0739103466
    .
  13. ^ Andrew Roth (20 March 2001). "Dennis Skinner". The Guardian. Andrew Roth's parliament profiles.
  14. ISBN 978-1137248152. [dead link
    ]
  15. ^ James Curran (29 July 2005). Culture Wars: The Media and the British Left. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 196, 209.
  16. ^ Use by BBC: * "Kinnock attacks hard left", BBC World Service. 18 September 1998. <Use by The Guardian:
    • Wintour, Patrick (24 October 2015). "Unite challenges expulsion of alleged Trotskyists from Labour party". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015. However, there is concern in the parliamentary party that several hard-left groups such as Left Unity, the Socialist Workers party (SWP), the Socialist party and the AWL are trying to attach themselves to Momentum to gain entry into the party. Party moderates are fearful that Labour's largest affiliated union is too relaxed about opening the party's doors to the hard left.
    Use by The Independent: Use by
    The Glasgow Herald
    :

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hard_left&oldid=1182620219"