‘Beyond left and right’ or ‘the end of ideology’? Comparing two discourses
Denise Thompson
Social Policy Research Centre
Contact Email:   d.thompsonunsw.edu.au

This paper argues that there are similarities between recent arguments to the effect that politics has moved ‘beyond left and right’ and the 1950s Cold War thesis concerning ‘the end of ideology’. In particular it argues that both are ideological offensives against the left, and as such, both are right-wing, claims to neutrality and moderation notwithstanding. The paper starts by briefly defining ‘left’ and ‘right’ in terms of stances in relation to power-as-domination. The main part of the paper is devoted to a discussion of what each discourse has had to say about both the left and the right, in order to demonstrate some of the ways in which both discourses can be regarded as right-wing. It points out that politics today, far from transcending any left/right distinction, demands ever greater clarity and vigilance about what is at stake. It concludes by raising the question (but not answering it) of why there has been a renewed ideological offensive against the left, given the success of neo-liberal policies worldwide.

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