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Curzon
Author

Curzon

Date

March 31st, 2006

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Party of Freedom Democracy?

The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan is neither liberal, nor democratic, nor a party. It’s a ruling oligarchy.
Robert D. Kaplan.

Which makes this interesting news:

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party may change its English name as the word “Liberal” does not match its policies, party officials said Friday.

At a meeting of a panel on party reform, Seiichi Ota, a House of Representatives member, proposed revising the name to “Party of Freedom Democracy.”

The move reflects growing sentiment within the party that “liberal” is associated with an image of opposition parties, which are against revising the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution or favor aggressive government involvement in economic activities in the private sector, the officials said.

An interesting point, and probably a more accurate translation in a wordl where “liberalism” has an image of leftism. The Liberal Democrat Party was formed with Lockian classical liberalism in mind.

If they really are going to change, I hope they hire a marketing director to come up with somethign better than “Party of Freedom Democracy.” Helpful suggestions, anyone?

Comments to this entry

davesgonechina
March 31, 2006
5:37 am
Sorry, can't help with the party name. Unrelated observation: I noticed you've got Dr. Sanity listed along side TPM as a "global thinker"... seriously? It's your blogroll, but she's pretty out there with her mass diagnoses of all Arabs and Muslims. I'll put it this way: what do you guys think of this word "dhimmitude"? She definitely digs it.
Joe
March 31, 2006
5:44 am
Oh, Jesus. If they want a name that really reflects what the party is about, they'd have to call it the Build, Aggravate and Profit Party.

This would admittedly offer an attractice alternative to the Whining Party and the Buddhist Nutcase Party.
Matt
March 31, 2006
6:49 am
Freedom Democratic Party
speaking of
March 31, 2006
7:34 am
You guys catch "the last Kaplan article?":http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/prem/200604/coming-normalcy
Was interesting and do not think i saw it on here
Curzon
March 31, 2006
7:43 am
"Covered.":http://www.cominganarchy.com/2006/03/07/the-coming-normalcy/
Mi-Hwa
March 31, 2006
12:18 pm
It's unusual that a single party has ruled Japan for 60 years. I wonder if many Japanese are pressured to vote for the Liberal Democratic Party by their employers or local leaders, who have connections to the LDP.
Tom
March 31, 2006
5:24 pm
What Joe said. Else, just use the Japanese short name and call it the Jimin Party. Sure, it'd be pronounced "Jim-in" instead of "Ji-min," but who cares? It wouldn't be the first political party to be known in English largely by its foreign language name; think Bloc Quebecois or, even better, Tai Rak Tai.
Alec
March 31, 2006
6:38 pm
OK, maybe this is a good thread to start this with, but does anyone get increasingly aggrivated by trying to apply American Political Spectrum To The Rest Of The World? Because I for sure do.

This especially concerns my background in economics. Because I think as someone who is 'economically liberal' as someone who believes in the strict market system. But in my mind I associate liberal with some interference / involvement of the government in the economic system? Basically, I hate Western concepts revoling around labelling everything. I'm going back to my Time magazine now.
monocrat
March 31, 2006
8:53 pm
Free Democrats, anyone? Sure, it'd plagerize the synonymous German party, but it has a good ring to it.
Mutantfrog
April 1, 2006
5:29 am
How about changing the name of the party to Liberal Conservative Party, in both languages.
Joe
April 1, 2006
7:55 am
Jiminto could be translated as Selfish People's Party. That would rock, too.
moorethanthis
April 1, 2006
2:32 pm
"Party of Freedom Democracy"Â?? Presumably these are the guys the Bush administration _really_ wanted to come to power in Iraq.
Kim
April 1, 2006
4:39 pm
bq. "OK, maybe this is a good thread to start this with, but does anyone get increasingly aggrivated by trying to apply American Political Spectrum To The Rest Of The World? Because I for sure do."
I have to agree that about the use of the application U.S. political terms to the rest of the world. I would take it even further, however. As a leftist, I really dislike the word "liberal" being linked to the left. My background is in political theory, so that term refers to beliefs that I find repugnant. I don't know why the term is used in such a sloppy manner, but I wish it would end--even here in the U.S.