LEFT AND CULTURE
I think that its more accurate to say "a large proportion of those in the Arts tend to be on the left side of politics" for reasons I'm not really sure of. Perhaps it is a result of the rise of secularism in education, translating into a lust for 'something' more tangable than the Judao Christian heritage they have left behind. Perhaps also there is an impatience with social structures that are perceived as 'unjust'. I observe that once politics and approaches to social reform/or re-shaping depart from enduring values, it degenerates quickly into a 'them and us' (right and left) kind of morass. Such a predicament only underlines the great need that in my opinion we all have, for new hearts rather than new structures. But, in the face of the belief in 'nothing to believe in' which has been our post 60s intellectual inheritance, we have just lurched and swayed in the direction of the loudest voices.

LEAP OUT OF THE LOOP
I find the Left of politics and also the Right to be morally bankrupt usually. The left embraces a dogmatic fantasyland, and the right a rigid economic rationalism which will ultimately destroy us all. Needless to say I see value in some aspects of both and am rather centralist. I totally reject the 'them/us' political & social understanding. But now for something REALLY radical .. I also believe passionately in selective immigration ! I really hope someone (most likely on the left) will JUMP on me with the accusation of "racist", because I can show the falacial nature of such an accusation with one trip to the dictionary. In my opinion, we need to jump OUT of the loop or square and do some original thinking about various issues. My current 3 favorites are 'Assylum seekers' and 'immigration/population policy'... and REAL reconciliation with indigenous Australians, like 'when did we last invite an indigenous family to our home to show friendship and actually try to get in touch with where they are at?....any takers ? for and against are welcome. I am also rather 'fired up' about using our democracy to re-shape our society according to the interests of the majority, even if that means a perceived marginalization of some, (when their culture conflicts with the majority or with our law and they have to bend) I find that our fetish-like attempts to 'respect' every ism and culture to be the most self-defeating approach to nation building I've come across.

I would much prefer to see immigrants taught what our culture is, and know before they choose to come here, what to expect. If they dont like it.. well dont expect our emergency services to have Phd's in comparative culture and how to respect them.. they just dont have time.

Why would cultural studies inherently be "left-wing"? Studying culture is doing just that. I don't think the "right-wing" is incapable of studying culture at all. The problem seems to be that "right-wing" commentators/academics of culture are commonly associated with nutballs such as Andrew Bolt, whom in my opinion are fairly ridiculed. This give the false impression that other views, which are more in line with reality, at least compared to Andrew Bolt, are ashamedly "left-wing".

The use of labels to argue a point is inherently problematic. Many conservatives (read "right-wing" conservatives, although conservatives can be "left-wing" too) deride the popular consumption-orientated culture of modernity (just ask my Labor-hating grandma), so to say such criticisms are "left-wing" is only half-correct, if that. Statism does not "belong" to the Left, either. Take Malcolm Fraser and even John Howard ($6 billion bionic vote-buying machine) to a lesser extent as examples.

Sorry, but the labels are junk. The answer to your questions is a big, fat "no".

Just a quick one.... Paulx82
Next to God Himself.. Andrew bolte RULES :)
Will follow up later