A friend and I tried to work out what was the starting point for left-wing thinking and immediately were forced to reject the idea that it is 'to improve the lot of the working man'. What was perhaps possible to think many decades ago has been so discredited over recent years - such a starting point would be laughable.
(Indeed, middle class guilt looked a better bet.)
'The politics of envy' was obviously extremely important but is, nonetheless, peripheral.
What we eventually concluded was that the 'modern leftie' starts from a 'state-based thinking' of wishing to eradicate all individual responsibility from society.
Why? - Who knows?
Pursuit of power might well be the most likely target.
