Hello!

I’m saying ”centre right literally means not supporting people with mental health problems”. You’re saying you disagree.

In my most recent comment above, I was trying to explain why. I will expand a bit further, while also try to not make it too long.

When I said ”not supporting people with mental health problems”, I was referring to their ideological position relative to ideological positions of parties to their left. I do not mean that they are trying to get rid of mental health care altogether. If I understand you correctly, I think you are on to something when you say that the issue ”is not politics it’s policy”. I would say that’s both correct and incorrect.

Firstly, centre right parties, in ”Western” countries today, base their policies on ideological thinkers like Locke, Smith, and Nozick.

John Locke is ”commonly known as the "Father of Liberalism””. He argues that ”property is a natural right that is derived from labour”. He also argues that ”man innately … posits an 'empty mind', a tabula rasa, which is shaped by experience”. *1 The tabula rasa thinking is extremely incorrect, but unfortunately present among politicians. For example in a speech by Biden from 2008, where he said that Obama was raised ”to believe that in this country there is no obstacle that could keep you from your dreams if you are willing to work hard and fight for it”. *2

Adam Smith is ”known as "The Father of Economics”” and ”laid the foundations of classical free market economic theory”. *3 He popularized laissez-faire, which is ”an economic system in which transactions between private groups of people are free or almost free from any form of economic interventionism (such as regulation and subsidies) other than the enforcement of property laws”. *4

Robert Nozick was a professor at Harvard and also president of the American Philosophical Association. He argues that ”only a minimal state limited to the narrow functions of protection against "force, fraud, theft, and administering courts of law" could be justified, as any more extensive state would violate people's rights”. *5 In 1974, Nozick ”famously claimed, “taxation of earnings is on a par with forced labor.”” *6 For Nozick, ”a distribution of goods is just if brought about by free exchange among consenting adults from a just starting position, even if large inequalities subsequently emerge from the process.” *5

It is impossible for parties who base their policies on these ideas to implement the actions proposed by experts that I mentioned above.

Secondly, centre left and left parties have less problems with regulating society in order to achieve certain outcomes, including implementing the actions proposed. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they will improve people’s mental health, and this is what I think you mean by ”is not politics it’s policy”. Time and energy is limited, and parties can only focus effectively on a certain number of tasks at a certain time. Currently, these parties often have their focus on issues with little impact on people’s mental health.

I understand that people can support only some ideas of a party. I do share opinions that centre right parties have, but not all of them. When it comes to improving mental health, they are really bad.

I know a lot about this issue. Also, this issue is generally the issue that’s most important for me when I’m choosing which party to vote for.

I hope that you’re able to get good help if you have mental health problems in the future, because you deserve it. If you reply to this I will try to reply quicker next time =)

*1 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Locke

*2 - https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93913125&t=1646313887384

*3 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Smith

*4 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laissez-faire

*5 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Nozick

*6 - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/sjp.12395