Why I am a centre left social democrat

History is the best teacher and it teaches us centre left/social democracy is the way to go.

Human civilisation has been around for thousands of years. Different ones came to be independently. So we should look at them, evaluate which worked best and made people happiest, and copy.

Across cultures and races one thing was common; humans sorted themselves into class systems.

These differed but ultimately under all systems there was an income and power disparity between the top and bottom and when societies evolved this became brutal with feudalism in the West for instance and a society in which most were poor farmers who paid taxes and died young and a small few reaped the rewards. So this idea/way to be was clearly wrong.

The industrial revolution lifted people out of poverty, allowed for new inventions and life changing medicinal advances, but the same class struggle remained if not worsened. Work was longer and conditions were terrible, child labour abounded. Also not great but probably better.

Communism was a really revolutionary idea but it led to famine and ultimately no revolution lasted. If it happened once you can say try again. But when the same failure occurs across cultures/time – China, Russia, Vietnam, Cuba etc. this is a pattern. Communists can make excuses but it is clear to me this idea didn’t make people happy and is wrong.

The best, happiest societies I can see from history were industrial/post industrial and centre left/soc dem with welfare and workers rights.

The stats suggest it (note World Happiness Report).

Theory is interesting but when it comes to humans I’d rather be practical and look at what actually happens.