Recent research from Ipec (formerly Ibope) reveals that only 18% of Brazilian voters consider themselves left-wing.
So you can already get an idea of the difficulties encountered by the Lula governmentwhich calls itself left-wing, to put into practice a left-wing platform, for a Brazil that is mostly center-right.
But the central question is knowing what a economic policy that would serve this 18% minority of the electorate. To try to answer this question, it is first necessary to know what the Brazilian left thinks and what their main political demands would be. There, we face an intricate mess.
The old left with a socialist soul almost no longer exists. Nor the remnants of the old Communist Party of Brazil They insist on measuring everything by the class struggle and by trying to build the dictatorship of the proletariat, with everything that follows.
But there are still among those who consider themselves left-wing those who defend nationalist guidelines that sometimes manifest themselves as the defense of industry in the country – even if commanded by multinational capital – and, in this sense, adopt positions from the times of import substitution, who gave what they had to give. Others recommend incentives for so-called national champions of the future.
There are also protectionist policies characterized by market reservation, distribution of tax benefits and local content requirements. And the uncompromising defense of state-owned companies, although it almost always camouflages the corporate interests of employees.
Movements whose main objective is the defense of unions can be added to these left-wing movements. The president Lulaformer leader of the metalworkers, tends to favor this segment, even when he claims the need to guarantee workers’ rights.
Although still influential, these trends must today be understood as a minority among the left, which, in turn, are already a minority. In this field, the fight for the emancipation of women and reproductive rights, for LGBT+ rights, for the black population and for indigenous peoples prevails.
There is no minimum union between these identity groups. They fight against each other and try to impose their own priorities. Racially affirmed communities care little, for example, about demarcating land or establishing quotas for women.
Among the countries that achieved the most eradicate poverty and include entire populations in the labor and consumer markets are China, South Korea and other Asian tigers. But it cannot be said that this result was obtained with the implementation of left-wing economic policies.
