In contemporary liberal democracies it may be helpful to supple-
ment this picture by emphasising the existence of a large democratic
centre committed to the existing constitutional system, but accepting
the legitimacy of gradual social and economic change. Both the far
right and the far left are (usually) minorities who wish to drastically
modify the existing constitutional and social system – the left in an
anti-capitalist, the right in an ultra-nationalist (perhaps racist)
direction.
The ‘left’/‘right’ distinction is a shaky one indeed. It conflates
three different distinctions in attitudes. The first distinction turns on
the degreeof change from the ‘status quo’ – in favour or against
change from the present situation (which in turn is affected by which
status quo one is considering). A second distinguishes the direction
of change – in favour of or against capitalism, clericalism or some
other key political value. A third considers the methodof change –
constitutional or revolutionary.
In terms of the conventional linear distinction, fascism and
communism may be seen as occupying opposite extremes with liberal
democrats at the centre. From a ‘centre’ point of view constitutional
individualism constitutes one alternative whilst totalitarian collec-
tivism (whether of the ‘right’ or the ‘left’) is the opposite extreme.
Some anarchists might go one stage further seeing non-violent
individualistic anarchism as the real left, with Leninists and fascists as
the extreme right since both are prepared to mould individuals to a
blueprint by force.
An alternative to the traditional linear model is a circular model.
Here the extremes of fascism and communism are not at opposite
ends, but actually next to one another in the circle, because they share
similar totalitarian traits.The old right: monarchism
Monarchism might be seen in a medieval European context as a
centrist rather than a right-wing ideology. Certainly conventional
Catholic thought has been happy to acknowledge the legitimacy of
princes. The gospel urges Christians to ‘render therefore unto Caesar
the things which are Caesar’s’ (Matthew 22: 21). The normal situation
in medieval Europe was of secular government by kings or emperors
who were crowned by the pope or by archbishops authorised by him.72 IDEOLOGIES