[Skybird]

Such labels are given not by the protagonist, but the audience observing him. I have had threads here wehre I was called a rightwinger, even a Nazi, at the same time somebody else some posts earlier or later called me a lefty or socialist.

It also depends the issue at question, on which I have formed an opinion. The same people that called me left on one issue, may see me as a rightwinger on another.

I personally do not care for how I sh/could label myself, or get seen by others. On issues that interest me, I form an opinion if I feel I have the minimum needed information and education to do so. Where I have not, I refuse to form an opinion, often. that I am able to bring my opinion into line with my conscience and can defend in argument why I am for this and am against that, is much more important, imo.

Conservatism to me means no content and message in itself, but a method, or a strategy: to stick whith something whose value has been shown in the past and has not been put in doubt in the present. chnage for no other reason than chnaging something, I do not like. But to chnage where it is needed and the old habits have turned out to be counterproductive - imo is not contradictory to conservatism.

On some issues I do not think inside the established standards of what goes and what not. Today'S "democracies" I put in doubt. I deny that democracy in all and every circumstance is the best of all possible models. To me it is very much depending on community size.

On controversial measures I often think in terms of "as little as possible but as much as needed". Often this are situations and issues where the acchieving of a defined effect has priority over preferences for or against certain types of measurements. It is a testing of the individual case. Public discussion often sees these things exactly the other way around, and sees needs as subordinate to measures that must be conducted or must be avoided at all cost, no matter what. However, I do not subscribe to a general argument of that the purpose always justifies the means - that is just a generalisation. I tend to think that good intentions alone mean not much if you lack the capability or willingness of bringing them to life. Indeed, the combination of weakness and good intentions often produces more bad than good.

Maybe I qualify for a description of an eclectic. No vote from me, obviously. I cannot identitfy myself with any of the categories.