As an American, EU politics is such a fascinating bizarro world. Imagine the right wingers being a bulwark against unhinged expansion of executive authority on grounds of national security! It would be like statehouse Republicans blocking the Patriot Act. Unthinkable.

Well, the same in the other direction: imagine the free marketeers by definition, installing an autocrat big on isolationist policies, the dismantling of judiciary separation, and on picking winners in the market... Absurd! And still, here we are. Humans are funny and inconsistent like that.

I think it demonstrates the extent to which left and right are artificial groupings that owe more to tribalism than anything rational.

In the UK it was the right wing Conservative party which introduced same sex marriage. I am pretty sure the Republicans are unlikely to do that.

Of course some things are clear. Privatisation is right wing, nationalisation is left wing, but you never really had the latter in the US!

By the way liberals in EU are center right to right :)