"I have to say that I find this liberal and conservative thing a very American construct"

Non-Americans may find the 1992 documentary "Bob Roberts" informative on the subject of Hollywood, conservative politics and folk music in particular. A (stereotyped) Catholic is conservative on birth control and liberal on capital punishment. AME Baptists are pro-civil rights if that doesn't include the LGBT community, etc. So to paraphrase Butterworth, "The measure of a man's liberalism is by how much we agree."

Arlo Guthrie is a card-carrying Republican. So there is that:

"I haven't shifted my thinking at all. I've shifted my membership to where it might make a difference. Anyone who knows me knows what my political opinions are. They've been basically the same for over 50 years. A stance on an issue cannot, and ought not, be made simply by identifying with others who may have other opinions. People who bad mouth me because I'm a 'this' or a 'that' should remember what the McCarthy era was all about -- guilt by association. It's not right, and it's not American. And I don't mind making a point of that from time to time. In fact, I enjoy it."