# Are there any areas in which the USA is politically left of Western Europe? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 27, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780 "2015-02-27T17:31:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/21 "2015-02-27T23:23:55Z")
The structure of the NFL is deeply socialist in comparison to the tooth and claw capitalism of the various European football leagues. ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/22 "2015-02-27T23:27:23Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Well, I think that’s his point. High American corporate tax vs. low Western European corporate tax = America’s more liberal on that issue. > > Few American vouchers for private school vs. many Western European vouchers for private school = America’s more liberal on that issue. > Few American privatized state pensions vs. many Western European privatized state pensions = America’s more liberal on that issue. The private school thing is, I think, because so many private schools in the US are religious schools, and often very religiously conservative. The biggest reason most Americans send kids to private school (if the truth be told) is religious, although obviously there are several other very common ones (like when the local public schools suck). ---
**Author:** ![BOOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@BOOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BOOM)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/23 "2015-02-27T23:27:38Z")
> [@glee](#): > > So to give an example from here in the UK, one of our political parties stands for: > > - **strict gun control** (no guns for home defence; beat police not armed etc.) > - **gay marriage** > - the **National Health Service** (taxpayers pay for universal health care) > - **no Capital Punishment** > - \*\*not teaching Creationism \*\*in schools > > and they are our **right-wing** party - the Conservatives! > [@Velocity](#): > > Wow…so what does the left-wing party stand for, then?? UK only: There’s no principled disagreement on these issues (the public don’t want change) so the parties differ on approach and degree. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/24 "2015-02-27T23:30:18Z")
Also IMHO the U.S. has nothing that compares to sectarian sports violence. Nor really anything that compares to a Basque football team, or a Catholic football team. There are no longer, at the professional level, traditional white or black teams. ---
**Author:** ![BOOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@BOOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BOOM)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/25 "2015-02-27T23:34:13Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Also IMHO the U.S. has nothing that compares to sectarian sports violence. Well, it wouldn’t would it. Did thousands and thousands go to the away matches every week in the US in the 80s? ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/26 "2015-02-27T23:41:59Z")
> [@BOOM](#): > > UK only: There’s no principled disagreement on these issues (the public don’t want change) so the parties differ on approach and degree. I think the public do want capital punishment. “Bring Back Hanging” is always a popular sentiment, but it’s not a popular idea with the political classs on either side of the divide. ---
**Author:** ![BOOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@BOOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BOOM)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/27 "2015-02-27T23:45:42Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > I think the public do want capital punishment. “Bring Back Hanging” is always a popular sentiment, but it’s not a popular idea with the political classs on either side of the divide. It’s worth reading for the final 4 words: > **[Support for death penalty falls in UK, survey finds](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/12/less-half-britons-support-reintroduction-death-penalty-survey)** > > 45% in favour of capital punishment, down from 51% in 2010, says YouGov poll to mark 50th anniversary of last executions ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/28 "2015-02-28T00:34:48Z")
> [@The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](#): > > Europe isn’t a monolithic bloc with identical policies in all areas. For a simple example, gay couples in Germany have had same-sex unions since 2001, but even today they lack all the rights of married couples. Is Germany more progressive than US in gay marriage? Reasonable people could argue either side. There’s no clearly right answer. > > I’ve also heard that the FDA is far more conservative when it comes to allowing new drugs and medicines to be sold on the market than Europe’s regulatory agencies. Inasmuch as liberals generally support regulation and some extreme conservatives want to abolish the FDA, I guess this could be seen as an example where America is more progressive than Europe. But the issue isn’t clear cut. that’s true of the US as well, though. A lot of things are left to the individual states to decide. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/29 "2015-02-28T02:51:28Z")
Many European countries have an official state religion. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/30 "2015-02-28T06:45:59Z")
> [@BOOM](#): > > It’s worth reading for the final 4 words: Damn Saudi wannabes ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/31 "2015-02-28T07:39:30Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Also IMHO the U.S. has nothing that compares to sectarian sports violence. Nor really anything that compares to a Basque football team, or a Catholic football team. There are no longer, at the professional level, traditional white or black teams. Well I’m glad to say the UK has never had professional white and black teams. Isn’t Notre Dame a catholic team? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/32 "2015-02-28T07:51:42Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Isn’t Notre Dame a catholic team? Not quite. The team is named after its university; the university, while officially catholic (it was founded by a priest and many of its current teachers are members of his same order, the Congregation of the Holy Cross), does not discriminate employees or students by reason of religious affiliation or in any other way impose religious practice upon them. Many universities and colleges in the US have some sort of religious affiliation or origin, but how much that actually is expected to impinge on the lifes of the people working or studying there varies greatly. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/33 "2015-02-28T19:08:22Z")
> [@get\_lives](#): > > The biggest reason most Americans send kids to private school (if the truth be told) is religious, although obviously there are several other very common ones (like when the local public schools suck). Not to sidetrack things, but I don’t think that’s really true. The majority of people I know who send their kids to private school do so because their local public schools are bad (or at least are perceived to be bad). It’s not unusual at all for people to send their kids to a private religious school of a religion they don’t even practice, just for the educational benefits. > [@GreenElf](#): > > Many European countries have an official state religion. This is a good one. Also, royalty seems to me to be inherently a conservative thing. Abortion laws in Europe are [apparently](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_law#Europe) not as liberal as in the US. Quoth Wikipedia: “Although nearly every European country makes abortion available on demand during the first trimester, when it comes to later-term abortions, there are very few with laws as liberal as those of the United States.” ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/34 "2015-02-28T19:27:25Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Also, royalty seems to me to be inherently a conservative thing. Yeah, I suppose it is. The current European constitutional monarchies are the UK, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium and Spain with Luxembourg as a constitutional grand duchy, and Liechtenstein and Monaco as constitutional principalities. There must be some element of “if it ain’t broke” to most of these countries (Spain might be different I guess), and that’s a conservative trait. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/35 "2015-02-28T19:58:03Z")
You could make the argument that Western Europe has at least historically been to the right of the US in terms of environmental regulation (to the extent that its a left-right issue). In recent years, they’ve taken a much stronger stance on climate change, but they’ve been lagging far behind in terms of basic air and water quality regulations. Things like the US Clean Air and Clean Water Acts that were passed back in the 70’s didn’t really see strong European equivalents until this century. EU regulations have essentially caught up but even that’s a _very_ recent development (like last 5 years or so). Of course government policy doesn’t necessarily reflect popular political opinions. I think the big reason why Europe’s environmental movement is growing while the US’s is flagging is precisely because most Americans don’t remember how bad things were before vigorous environmental regulation, whereas in a lot of Europe people are still dealing with direct and immediate environmental health issues. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/36 "2015-02-28T23:07:08Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > You could make the argument that Western Europe has at least historically been to the right of the US in terms of environmental regulation (to the extent that its a left-right issue). In recent years, they’ve taken a much stronger stance on climate change, but they’ve been lagging far behind in terms of basic air and water quality regulations. Things like the US Clean Air and Clean Water Acts that were passed back in the 70’s didn’t really see strong European equivalents until this century. EU regulations have essentially caught up but even that’s a _very_ recent development (like last 5 years or so). > > Of course government policy doesn’t necessarily reflect popular political opinions. I think the big reason why Europe’s environmental movement is growing while the US’s is flagging is precisely because most Americans don’t remember how bad things were before vigorous environmental regulation, whereas in a lot of Europe people are still dealing with direct and immediate environmental health issues. I don’t recognize any of what you speak in terms of environmental policy, which perhaps goes to show the danger of talking about Europe as if it’s one country. For example, the UK introduced the Clean Air Act in 1956. ---
**Author:** ![BOOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@BOOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BOOM)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/37 "2015-02-28T23:14:08Z")
No, I have no idea what he’s talking about either. Maybe he means some of the post-Communist, pre-EU countries. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/38 "2015-02-28T23:39:26Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Several European countries have restrictions on abortion that wouldn’t be legal in the United States. I think that is the most notable one. The lefties here in the US would howl with anger if Congress suddenly enacted typical Western European abortion laws instead of what we have now. Of course, abortion laws vary by state and some states make it so difficult, legally and socially, for abortion providers to exist that they are few and far between. BTW, the thread title is poorly worded. I expected this to be a discussion about regions that are more politically left than Western Europe. Berkeley, CA, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/39 "2015-02-28T23:41:37Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Well I’m glad to say the UK has never had professional white and black teams. > > Isn’t Notre Dame a catholic team? Notre Dame isn’t professional. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780/40 "2015-02-28T23:47:18Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > BTW, the thread title is poorly worded. I expected this to be a discussion about regions that are more politically left than Western Europe. Berkeley, CA, for example. Yeah, I should have said “issues” not “areas.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-areas-in-which-the-usa-is-politically-left-of-western-europe/713780.md?page=3)