[Mzyxptlk]

Agreed. If we compare what we call leftist now to what it was 50 or even 30 years ago, you see some serious shifts in ideology, but not without reason. Authoritarian socialism was gotten rid of, in two ways. The Soviet Union fell apart, putting an end to socialism as a world power, and socialists in the West became more desillusioned with it, putting an end to socialism as a ideology, especially among intellectuals.

At the same time, while the left fell apart, the right (having 'won' the Cold War) prospered. First 9/11, and then the ongoing economic crisis gave them all the excuse they needed to move further to the right than they already were, while still achieving electoral victory. We in the netherlands currently have our first Liberal prime minister in 92 years, and they weren't even the most right wing party in the cabinet (while it lasted, it fell a couple of months ago). Meanwhile, the political left, faced with a rightward moving electorate, and at a loss for a storyline, has felt compelled to go with the flow and move towards the center.

I intentionally wrote "felt", not "was", because our most left-wing party (straight-up socialists, not watered down social-democrats) currently polls record numbers, and we're seeing similar trends throughout Europe (France, for instance). Now, I'm not sure if that actually means anything. I've heard it said that if the crisis had hit while the nominal-left was in charge, then the right would now be on the up.

These continue to be interesting times. I've never been able to understand why most people aren't into politics.