Political Circle
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"Choice and competition usually beat bureaucracy — keep rules light"
At 3 o'clock, you sit squarely in pro-market territory. You think private provision, innovation and consumer choice deliver better results than state control in almost every domain. The state should be a backstop and referee, not the main player. Light-touch regulation keeps the game fair without getting in the way.
You're an unabashed free-market thinker who wants low barriers, minimal red tape and strong property rights so enterprise can flourish. You're optimistic about what people and businesses can achieve when left to get on with things. Government's job is to protect freedom, enforce contracts and fix clear market failures — then step aside.
Your position at 3 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 work best — but acknowledge some failures"
Close to centre, you're enthusiastic about markets but pragmatic about limitations. You want free enterprise, low taxes and minimal regulation—but you'll accept targeted interventions when markets clearly fail. You believe in capitalism but think it sometimes needs guardrails. Your default is freedom, but you're not dogmatic.
Historical example: Moderate economic liberals who champion markets whilst accepting environmental regulation and safety standards.
"Markets deliver—government usually hinders"
At medium distance, you have strong convictions about market superiority. You want sweeping deregulation, tax cuts and privatisation. You believe government intervention usually makes things worse, not better. Markets aren't perfect, but they're vastly superior to state control. Economic freedom drives prosperity; government mostly gets in the way.
Historical example: Reagan/Thatcher economics—cut taxes, deregulate, privatise, trust markets to deliver growth.
"Markets solve everything—state should barely exist"
Far from centre, you're uncompromising about markets. You want minimal government doing almost nothing beyond courts, police and defence. Privatise everything possible. Eliminate most regulations. Slash taxes to bare minimum. You believe markets work for virtually all goods and services. Government is the problem, not the solution. Economic freedom is paramount.
Historical example: Radical free-market thinkers advocating minimal state and maximum economic liberty.
Scottish economist and moral philosopher
Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" laid out the case for free markets, division of labour and the "invisible hand" that guides self-interest towards social benefit. He argued that prosperity comes from trade, specialisation and minimal government interference — the foundation of 3 o'clock thinking.
40th US President
Reagan's optimistic conservatism combined tax cuts, deregulation and free markets with the belief that "government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." His economic liberalisation and faith in American enterprise define the modern 3 o'clock position in mainstream politics.
Nobel Prize-winning economist
Friedman championed free markets, school choice and limited government. He argued that economic freedom is essential for political freedom and that most regulation does more harm than good. His work on monetary policy and his popular advocacy made the 3 o'clock case to millions.
Entrepreneur and innovator
Musk embodies the 3 o'clock entrepreneurial spirit: disrupting industries, challenging regulators and pushing for rapid innovation. His impatience with bureaucracy, belief in private enterprise and ambition to solve problems through technology capture the pro-market pragmatist worldview.
Entrepreneur and venture capitalist
Thiel champions technological progress, market competition and minimal state interference. His view that innovation comes from bold individuals and startups, not government programmes, and his critiques of regulatory stagnation, embody 3 o'clock thinking in Silicon Valley.
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.