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Yes, but I don't think this Democrat party is capable of moderation. A third party, centrist and practical, is what's needed. All it would take is a dynamic leader to get it going. The party would only need 10-15% of the vote to do deals with the other two parties - whichever was more reasonable on a particular issue.

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The thing is that Labour politics can also exist without Labour style parties https://europolitics.substack.com/p/social-democratic-politics-can-exist

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When it comes to populism, politics, patriotism

People can be patriotic in different ways, and patriotism if not always constitutional nor democratic. Remain supporters in the UK, those who want the UK te rejoin the EU, are in general also patriotic, both for the country and the union, and have global attachments as well.

Left-wing parties in Europe as Labour and social-democrats have mainly not been loosing votes to right-wing populist parties but to other progressive parties as to greens and socialists ones.

Culture wars are zero sum game, ending up in more people becoming losers, tribalist and nationalist. The problem with a big welfare state is that general elections become a competition who will promise and deliver more, even if the resources are limited and the welfare state itself has many administrative problems.

If liberal and other parties want to have a future, they need to promote more decentralisation and make it easier for citizens to solve problems locally and in communities by more cooperation

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/may/14/why-copying-the-populist-right-isnt-going-to-save-the-left

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The media promulgates a brainless electorate cult of personality view of the President and Prime Minister... for better or worse... worse if right-leaning better if left-leaning... and then the media delivers some deep political assessment of the poll numbers.

Maybe the British election is a sign of a way forward for the left. Or, maybe it is just people voting against the political party headed by the current media-made villain on the stage.

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When rethinking the left wing/right wing continuum on "cultural issues," distinctions have to be made. Certainly, there is a place for the left to be more attentive to legitimate concerns about actual crimes against people and property.

However, when it comes to issues that bring clashes with the religious right, then true conservatives, who base their political views on a foundation of limited government, should side with the left. Efforts to ban abortion, limit access to contraception, and put an end to same sex marriage are examples of government overreach. Conservatives who disapprove of members of sports teams taking a knee before a game, should never want a law actually banning such conduct.

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