Loony left is a pejorative term usually applied to people or organizations of the political far-left, particularly by the right-wing press and tabloid newspapers of the United Kingdom. A word or phrase is pejorative if it implies contempt or disapproval. ... The term far left refers to the relative position a person or group occupies within the left-right political spectrum. ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... Newspaper sizes in August 2005. ...

The term became popular in Britain in the 1980s when it was used to refer to the policies of some Labour controlled inner-city councils by the popular press. Peter Jenkins, a columnist for The Guardian and The Independent, recorded policies which were dubbed "loony left" by the media. For instance, Haringey council allowed only Nicaraguan coffee to be sold and introduced courses on homosexuality into its nursery and primary schools. Hackney council ended its twinning arrangements with France, West Germany and Israel and made new twinnings with the Soviet Union, East Germany and Nicaragua. A spokesperson for the council explained: "This will enable us to concentrate on our new friends".^[1] When Sinn Féin representatives were invited to speak to Hackney council a revolver was fired by a Liberal and there was a fight in the council chamber. Lambeth council banned the word "family" from council literature because this was discriminatory and police were banned from using council facilities. Lambeth council's leader, Linda Bellos, claimed: "I think the police are bent on war".^[2] Ealing council removed all books it considered to be "racist" and "sexist" from its local libraries. An ILEA teaching pack titled Auschwitz: Yesterday's Racism drew comparisons between the trade union legislation of Hitler and Margaret Thatcher. Another ILEA school in Kennington discouraged competitive games and making pupils write protest letters was made part of the school time-table. The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in the United Kingdom. ... There is no single system of local government in the United Kingdom. ... Peter Jenkins (11 May, 1934 - 27 May, 1992) was a British journalist. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... The Independent is a British compact newspaper published by Tony OReillys Independent News & Media. ... The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough in North London, England, and forms part of Outer London. ... Hackney Town Hall was built in the 1930s for the old Metropolitan Borough. ... For the 1997 film, see Twin Town Sign denoting twin towns of Neckarsulm, Germany Town twinning is a concept whereby towns or cities in geographically and politically distinct areas are paired with the goal of fostering human contact and cultural links. ... Sinn Féin (pronounced in English, in Irish) is a name used by a series of Irish political movements of the 20th century, each of which claimed sole descent from the original party established by Arthur Griffith in 1905. ... This article is about the historic Liberal Party. ... The London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Inner London. ... Linda Bellos (b. ... The London Borough of Ealing is a London borough in the west of the city. ... The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was the education authority for the 12 inner London boroughs, from 1965 until its abolition in 1990. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC (born October 13, 1925), former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in office from 1979 to 1990. ... Kennington is an area of south London, situated within the London Borough of Lambeth. ...

The term was also used by right-wing American pundits to describe the Democratic Party and its left-leaning elements in the 2004 Presidential election. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ...

Notes

1. ^ Peter Jenkins, Mrs Thatcher's Revolution: The Ending of the Socialist Era (Pan, 1989), p. 245.
2. ^ Ibid.

External links

• The Adventures of the Loony Left Through Three Decades