Community, transnationalism, and the left-right metaphor

The imagery of left and right has been a common way to conceive democratic politics in modern Europe, and commentators have suggested it be extended to the European Union. This article examines the normative implications and plausibility of European politics being cast in these terms. It focuses on the challenges of rendering political division recognizable and acceptable at a transnational level, of evoking its continuities of structure, and of symbolizing the ties of political community. The article probes the left-right dichotomy's potential in these regards, together with the conjunctural factors likely to raise or diminish its appeal.