Political Circle
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"Private provision with sensible rules — choice matters, chaos doesn't"
At 2 o'clock, you lean firmly towards markets and private enterprise, but you're no anarchist. You see competitive markets as the default best solution for most problems, but you want simple, clear rules to keep things fair and prevent harm. Government should set standards and step in when there's a clear problem — but otherwise stay out of the way.
You're confident that businesses, entrepreneurs and consumers can figure things out better than bureaucrats, but you're not naive about market failures. You'll support regulation when it prevents genuine harm, but you're suspicious of interference that stifles innovation or protects inefficient incumbents.
Your position at 2 o'clock tells us your direction, but how far you are from the centre tells us the strength of your convictions. The Political Circle recognises three levels:
"Markets usually work, but pragmatism matters"
Close to centre, you favour markets and private provision but you're willing to compromise. You support competition and choice, but you'll accept some regulation and public services when justified. You believe markets are generally better than state control, but you're not dogmatic about it. Pragmatic solutions matter more than ideological purity.
Historical example: Tony Blair's "Third Way" — combined market mechanisms with public investment and regulation where needed.
"Markets work — keep rules light and focused"
At medium distance, you have clear convictions that markets deliver better outcomes than state control in most domains. You want light-touch regulation focused only on genuine problems: fraud, safety, clear market failures. You're suspicious of heavy-handed intervention and believe in letting competition drive improvement. Markets aren't perfect, but they're far better than the alternatives.
Historical example: Emmanuel Macron — champions business, innovation and labour flexibility whilst maintaining smart oversight.
"Markets solve almost everything — government mostly gets in the way"
Far from centre, you're uncompromising about market solutions. You want sweeping deregulation, privatization wherever possible, and minimal state interference. You believe government rarely improves on market outcomes and usually makes things worse. Free enterprise, competition and consumer choice should be the default for everything except core state functions. The less government, the better.
Historical example: Approaches economic policy with strong market-first convictions, viewing regulation as burden rather than benefit.
UK Prime Minister (1997–2007)
Blair's "Third Way" combined market mechanisms with public investment. He embraced private provision in public services, welcomed business and entrepreneurship, but maintained standards through regulation and inspection. His pragmatic, pro-enterprise centre-left approach defines modern 2 o'clock politics.
Businessman and New York City Mayor
Bloomberg combined business acumen with technocratic governance. He favoured markets, entrepreneurship and data-driven decision-making, but wasn't afraid to regulate (famously banning large sugary drinks). His approach — let markets work, but fix clear problems — typifies 2 o'clock thinking.
President of France
Macron champions business, innovation and labour market flexibility whilst maintaining social protections. He cut corporate taxes, reformed employment law and embraced globalisation, but within a framework of state oversight. His "neither left nor right" market liberalism with guardrails is classic 2 o'clock.
42nd US President
Clinton's "New Democrat" philosophy balanced fiscal responsibility, free trade and welfare reform with targeted social investment. His declaration that "the era of big government is over" alongside support for education and healthcare captures the 2 o'clock synthesis of market solutions with sensible oversight.
UK Prime Minister (2010–2016)
Cameron's "modern compassionate conservatism" combined economic liberalism with social modernisation. He supported free schools, NHS reform through competition and business-friendly policies, whilst backing same-sex marriage and environmental standards. His centrist, pragmatic approach embodies 2 o'clock values.
The new book, 'Beyond Left and Right: Understanding the Political Circle' is now available on Amazon.
Containing a wealth of information, the book explores all of the 12 philosophical positions with detailed analysis on each of the three levels.