Left vs Right, i.e. Good versus Evil? + A Defense of Privatization

With the squabbling on the Norwegian political right about potential coalitions for the elections next year going on, I'd like to share some more or less coherent thoughts on left vs. right.

To start with, I do not consider the good old left-right axis of politics to be very helpful. Those who have read my previous posts, or who know me, would probably position me somewhat to the right. And if we were to use the left-right axis at all, I would agree to that. But it is a very one-dimensional way of looking at politics, and a way of simplifying it down to stupidity. Still, I will be using the left-right notion in this post, if for no other reason that it is so ingrained, and that the political parties are seen to belong somewhere on this axis.

It happens on both sides of the political spectrum, the presenting of itself as the only "good" option, while the other side is pretty much seen as "bad," sometimes almost "evil." The left presents itself as taking care of everybody, while the other side wants to create a society where every man and woman stands on his and her own. The right on the other hand presents itself as the only side able to keep the economy going, and it the left gets its say, the economy will fall to pieces immediately. We have had governments from both sides in Norway, and the society and our country is still alive and kicking, and mostly everybody got a decent life. Contradicting a lot of the rhetoric from both sides, neither have inflicted any serious damage on our society yet.

I do not think a leftist government would be total ruin for our economy, even if we have a Minister of Finance from the Socialist Left party (SV). And I seriously doubt it very much that people who vote right would want to live in a society where people are left on their own if they cannot afford to pay for hospitals, schools, or care in their old age. I certainly do not. Keep that in mind as you read on. Otherwise, some of the following might come across as slightly tasteless. That is not my intention.

The idea of the welfare state is still going very strong in Norway. Very few would want to abolish State owned schools, hospitals, or unemployment security and social security systems. Having said that, I do not understand the allergy on the left towards anything and everything that smacks of privatization. The thinking seems to be that if we allow private schools, hospitals or caring facilities for old people, our welfare state would go straight down the drain. I strongly disagree with that.

Competition has proven itself to be a very effective way of increasing quality. If businesses have no competition, they see absolutely no reason to strive hard to provide the best products or services. But as soon as there are others competing for the same customers, each will have to try very hard to come up with better products and better services. That will push prices down, and customers get better products and services. The same goes for hospitals and schools.

Again, I do not want to see state owned schools or hospitals abolished. Every sick person should get care, no matter how much or little they earn. And every child should have education, no matter what the income of their parents. And everybody should be cared for in their old age.

But I do think that allowing private schools, hospitals, and caring facilities would benefit our society, and help increase the quality also in the state owned ones. And it will also provide us with more choices and options. If my old grandmother is not happy with one caring facility, she should have to option to choose another one. Why should she not be allowed to do that?

When the time comes to send my children to school, I want them to have the best possible education there is. If I or my family gets ill, I want us to have the best possible treatment we can get. And when I am old and fragile, I want to have the best old-age care that I can get. Even if I have to pay for it. Quite frankly, no matter how politically incorrect it may sound to Norwegian ears, I do not care if there are other children that do not have the same opportunities than mine have, and I do not care if there are other old people who can not afford the same care that I can. And probably there will be children with parents who can afford to send them to better schools than I can, and there probably will be people who can afford better care in their old age than I can. So be it.

I do believe in the old Norwegian saying that "Hver er sin egen lykkes smed" (a little less poetically translated to "each of us are creating our own happiness"). If the government of the country that I live in will try to stop me from creating my own or my family's happiness, or if, in the name of equality, it tries to prohibit better schools or hospitals for some on the grounds that there are others that cannot afford it, I would think really hard about whether I want to live there or somewhere else.

Comments, aynone?