There was a post on !mildlyinfuriating@lemmy.world called "Lemmy is losing the war against reddit. How do we change things?" Looks like it was removed but there were a couple good discussions there. In a discussion with (I think it was) @hendrik@palaver.p3x.de we came up with this.
Leftism is strange because most people aren't left-leaning in every topic, just ask them about veganism e.g. Suddenly, a lot of people sound just like your average right-winger. Unfortunately, these people suck at acknowledging their own biases - just like pretty much every other human. They only support necessary social change up to the point they too would have to change.
The really strange thing is, call them out, and they may even turn right entirely, just for calling them out. I remember reading lots of people saying this after the election, despite the right having as much infighting as they have inbreeding. But it works for them.
The point is, I think a lot of people like to think about themselves as being on the left. They acknowledge it to be the correct way and want to think of themselves as being a good person - but they really aren't, and it often shows.
And I repeat, that's okay. We all suck at this. But we should still strife for better.
I would say there is no definitive "Left" or "Right". It depends on which countries policies we are basing this on. If I compare German politics to US politics you would not even consider the Democrats as the left
It shifts with each country.
I think while the political compass doesn't show every aspects it shows that there are more attributes to consider when talking about political direction.
While I for example might consider myself socially progressive and more on the left side on the spectrum I'd also consider myself more conservative when it comes to fiscal policy for example. That's why I also argue there is no single correct political orientation if you want to be a good person.
Politically speaking, there is a clear-cut answer for what a good person is, I think. Someone who wants to improve the life of as many people as possible - even at the risk of decreasing their own circumstances. And that is usually what the left should aspire to be.
Socially speaking, this usually means to grant the same rights to everyone. Giving up privileges, overcoming the bias one might have against certain groups and stopping to exploit them.
Fiscally, this usually means supporting the poor. Conservative fiscal policies are mostly based on greed - 'conserving' the wealth of those who already have it at the cost of the poor. Going to your example, Germany, conservatives are all about taking money from the poor (Bürgergeld, Bafög, etc.) while denying any policies against the rich (just listen to the conservatives speeches during the vote of confidence: 'These so called super-rich people don't exist! We can't take from those! They are all family-owned businesses! Their wealth creates jobs!' [loosely translated summary of both Merz and Lindner] Which is just emotionally charged trickle down nonsense that has been disproven multiple times over.). The myth of 'fiscal responsibility' is also easily disproved if you look at Merz' policies he is campaigning on - they have been proven as nonsense within days if not hours.
It's easy to see which is morally the better choice, both if you're poor and if you're rich. Robin Hood isn't recognized as a heroic figure for nothing.
I think Germany already has quite a good social-safety net. I just also think that if you work hard the taxes shouldn't be unbearably high and that a business friendly culture and good economy allows for a better social-safety net long term than if you cripple your own economy with too much regulation and taxes.
I said I'm socially progressive which is why I think its important to have a social-safety net where everyone has a decent standard of living and can recover to employment. I think when it comes to regulation we need to focus more on using economic mechanisms to steer companies the right way than just forbid or invent a new bureaucratic point. In international comparison the income tax is really high which mainly harm people from the middle class and a bit from the upper class although they can afford proper consultation and minimize taxes. Thats why I think instead of raising taxes international loopholes should be closed, there needs to be a harder stance on tax evasion and financial crimes.
I read up on some cases calculated by the IFO, Handelsblatt and from the "Sachverständigenrat für Wirtschaft und Transferleistungen" respectively. In there I found scenarios in which you could go from earning 2500€ to 4500€ before taxes and in the end end up with like 400€ more which I personally think is unacceptable. Social benefits should not be discouraging work in such a way. Those aspects personally place me in the party Volt which I also like for their european stance
There's always a bit of "no-true-leftist" dynamic within left-leaning circles. Vegans have gotten upset at each other for stuff like feeding their pets a diet with or without meat, boiling over into Fediverse drama (not trying to open that discussion here but just highlighting that it has been hotly debated). If we let small differences get in the way of big progress, of course conservatives will win and take us backwards because they will use any opportunity they get, and are somehow better at setting aside differences on unrelated issues than leftists. I don't have much of a solution besides putting my focus and attention on issues that are more important to me, such as the class war over culture war stuff.
Call me a lib, but I occasionally agree with things conservatives say even if a lot more times I disagree. That doesn't make me a conservative but there are some that act as if I was.