[lbo-talk] Conservativism

[Somebody Somebody]

I agree it's a simplification, and I'm sure you can point out in numerous exceptions, but I think broadly speaking it's a good description of Eastern European politics. Reactionary populist in these terms means things like being anti-EU, protectionist, McCarthyite in terms of advocating ex-communist purges, and so on. Poland is an extreme case, with a truly awful hardline Catholic right-wing. The point about these countries is that like in America, but unlike most of the older capitalist states of Europe, the reformist left is outside the mainstream. The electoral field boils down to Manchester liberalism versus traditional conservativism. I guess that's what happens when socialism is brought by bayonet.