What Does it Mean to be on the Political Right?

Posted on: July 19, 2023

The author - Matthew McManus - shares a little bit about the book and the key takeaways that you can get from the book. 

What inspired you to write "The Political Right and Equality" and why now?

I grew up during what can only be described as a very conservative era. The hangovers of Reaganism were everywhere. George Bush was in power in the United States and even Canada had Stephen Harper running the ship of state. This made it absolutely necessary to think through the appeal of the right in a mass age.

Who do you envision reading your book? Who needs to read it?

The book is mostly on political theorists and the adjacent, but the hope is that any thoughtful person would get something from it. This includes activists and intellectuals on the political right who might be skeptical that a liberal socialist would have anything to say. While the book is very critical of the political right, my hope is that its intellectual aptitudes would come to the fore.

What, in your opinion, is the most pressing challenge we face today in terms of the political right and equality?

Since 2016 we’ve seen a wave of “illiberal democrats” and soft-authoritarian populists win power around the globe. In the intellectual sphere the far right has gained more influence than it’s had since the 1930s. For those of us committed to preserving and expanding liberal rights and democracy, particularly to the economy, this is obviously a serious threat that has to be systematically confronted at ever level.

Lastly, what are some key messages that you hope our readers will take away from this book?

The political right often presents itself as the faction of moderation and realism, when a careful look at its diversity shows a more complex picture. While there are many moderate conservatives and ordered liberty liberals out there, the right is very capable of its own radicalism and utopianism. We are in a moment when these strands of the right are becoming dominant. For those of us committed to the modernist project of securing liberty, equality, and solidarity for all this is deeply worrying.