The Political Dialogue Has Shifted To A Debate Between The Far Right And The Center Right

I remember when William F. Buckley was a lonely voice for conservatism. He complained that the political debate was between the far left and the center left. Conservatives were excluded from the dialogue that defined the late 60's and early 70's. This article is about how the dialogue has shifted since then in the UK. Government proposals for dealing with unemployment via a weak tax cut is viewed as an inadequate response by an economist. The response by labor, however, is also very weak. The dialogue is between the far right and the center right. Any stronger response would be regarded as too radical and impractical. Conservatives have been successful in reversing the situation that Buckley described. That appears to be true in the UK but it also describes what has happened in the US and parts of Europe as well. The Obama administration passed a healthcare reform bill that was very close to a plan proposed by the conservative Heritage Foundation, and implemented by a republican governor in Massachusetts. The times have changed, however, the Obama healthcare bill was described as socialism. The governor who passed the bill in Massachusetts, and who is a leading candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, has been forced to defend himself against attacks by his opponents for passing a conservative reform bill that is now regarded as socialism. The Obama administration has also been accused of class warfare for proposing the the temporary tax cuts made in Bush administration should be allowed to expire. If they are allowed to expire, taxes on the wealthiest Americans would return to what they were during the center right Clinton administration. That is a far cry from class warfare, but that is how the dialogue has shifted in the US.