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Saturday, March 07, 2009
What Republicans Can Learn from British Conservatives
James Crabtree, the Deputy Editor of Prospect, has an article in American Prospect this month outlining what he thinks US Republicans can learn from David Cameron's leadership of the Conservative Party here. Read it HERE.
I am sick of Conservatism being presented in a negative light in the media. The word Tory has always had a pejorative ring but when BBC presenters utter the word the sneer in their voices is clearly discernible.The word Conservative is only ever used on the BBC in a negative context. To refer to someone or a viewpoint as Conservative is the ultimate condemnation, rendering that person or thing totally beyond the pale and outside any civilised discourse or discussion.
This attitude of intolerance and bigotry is all the more offensive when research has shown that to be Conservative is a sign of highly civilised and evolved state. Conservatives love their children and take better care of them than liberals,are far less liekly to get divorced,take drugs,commit crime and anti social behaviour or end up in jail.If a survey of prisoner's politcal views were taken it is almost certain that the majority would be of a left persuasion which is why the Liberal party wants to give them the vote.They would hardly be putting forward such an outrageous proposal if prisoners were Conservative in their beliefs!
Conservatives are often charged with lack of compassion but this is just another egregious misrepresentation and slur.The difference betweeen liberals and Conservatives is that liberals have compassion for evil people whereas Conservatives have compassion for good people. Quite a big difference when you think about it.
The only criticism of Conservatives I have is that they are too prone to take such misrepresentation lying down and that they are not robust enough in their defence of freedom which is under systematic attack from liberalism. Conservatism is about a small State and defence of individual rights which means minimal taxation and interference from the State in the affairs of the individual.Rather than standing on these core principles Conservatives are too apt to mimic Liberals in moral panic and promise salvation via the State which is a betrayal of everything Conservatism is supposed to stand for. People are crying out for a champion of freedom from the Bully State and a populist Conservative party would wipe the floor with the liberal alternatives if only the Conservatives would wake up to this fact and seize the day.
Hmmmm, quite what the republicans can learn from the 'new' social democrat euro type touchy feely blulabour Blairlite happy clappy party for really nice people who hug fluffy bunnies and smile alot, is beyond me! The Tories and Dave seemed to have jumped on the 'new social paradigm' just before it goes mouldy, its a dead parrot and died when Bliar went off to make a few million on the lecture circuit. By the time Dave wakes up to the fact that whats needed is a large dose of hard edged Thatcherism enforced by my second favourite polititian Norman tebbit(the first being the iron lady of course)and NOT a wishy washy psuedo Tory party, it will be too late. The Tory manifesto seems to consist of thinking nice thoughts and hoping for the best while whistling a happy tune, this is a very optimistic hope and it could well end in tears!
“After 1997, the party of "one nation" conservatism had been reduced to little more than a regional force”
I think the author is somewhat confused about what the term describing the now dead “one nation conservatism” actually means (or used to when it still existed). It is certainly long dead and buried.
“Each understood that his party needed to mend its right-wing reputation and move back to the political center [sic].”
Whereas most of the Tory posters here are already screaming “betrayal” - much as the Labour left used to.
“Cameron and his supporters, who soon became known as "Cameroons," decided that, when their time came, they wouldn't repeat the mistake. They would make the center ground of politics their home.”
And has he succeeded? I don’t think so. The Tories only owe their poll standing to the unpopularity of the Brown government and Brown personally. They hardly come across as having moved to the centre.
“Cameron managed to overcome this anti-intellectual culture...”
Oh yes? Tories seem as anti-intellectual as ever they were.
“...also talking about traditional Conservative moral issues (such as teen pregnancy or welfare reform) without coming across as "anti-poor."”
Well that didn’t work. Tories still - as ever - come across as “anti-poor”. And of course as the last 48 hours have demonstrated again; they are.
“...the task was to de-emphasize issues, which vexed activists far more than voters.”
Again we hear pre-emptive cries of “betrayal” here. Not least over the silly obsession with the EU.
“We had [members of parliament] walking into our office saying, 'When are you going to drop all this stuff about the environment?'”
Quite. Not so reformed really; just a PR front.
“Cameron's promise of a revived conservatism now hangs on whether he, or anyone else on the right, can find a plausible answer to the breakdown of their cherished free market and can find peace with the greater role for government that this implies”
8 comments:
I am sick of Conservatism being presented in a negative light in the media. The word Tory has always had a pejorative ring but when BBC presenters utter the word the sneer in their voices is clearly discernible.The word Conservative is only ever used on the BBC in a negative context. To refer to someone or a viewpoint as Conservative is the ultimate condemnation, rendering that person or thing totally beyond the pale and outside any civilised discourse or discussion.
This attitude of intolerance and bigotry is all the more offensive when research has shown that to be Conservative is a sign of highly civilised and evolved state. Conservatives love their children and take better care of them than liberals,are far less liekly to get divorced,take drugs,commit crime and anti social behaviour or end up in jail.If a survey of prisoner's politcal views were taken it is almost certain that the majority would be of a left persuasion which is why the Liberal party wants to give them the vote.They would hardly be putting forward such an outrageous proposal if prisoners were Conservative in their beliefs!
Conservatives are often charged with lack of compassion but this is just another egregious misrepresentation and slur.The difference betweeen liberals and Conservatives is that liberals have compassion for evil people whereas Conservatives have compassion for good people. Quite a big difference when you think about it.
The only criticism of Conservatives I have is that they are too prone to take such misrepresentation lying down and that they are not robust enough in their defence of freedom which is under systematic attack from liberalism. Conservatism is about a small State and defence of individual rights which means minimal taxation and interference from the State in the affairs of the individual.Rather than standing on these core principles Conservatives are too apt to mimic Liberals in moral panic and promise salvation via the State which is a betrayal of everything Conservatism is supposed to stand for. People are crying out for a champion of freedom from the Bully State and a populist Conservative party would wipe the floor with the liberal alternatives if only the Conservatives would wake up to this fact and seize the day.
"Conservatives...are far less liekly to...commit crime...or end up in jail."
You had me up till then. Good one.
Lessons. Don't be as geographically challenged as Gordon Brown.
Hmmmm, quite what the republicans can learn from the 'new' social democrat euro type touchy feely blulabour Blairlite happy clappy party for really nice people who hug fluffy bunnies and smile alot, is beyond me!
The Tories and Dave seemed to have jumped on the 'new social paradigm' just before it goes mouldy, its a dead parrot and died when Bliar went off to make a few million on the lecture circuit.
By the time Dave wakes up to the fact that whats needed is a large dose of hard edged Thatcherism enforced by my second favourite polititian Norman tebbit(the first being the iron lady of course)and NOT a wishy washy psuedo Tory party, it will be too late.
The Tory manifesto seems to consist of thinking nice thoughts and hoping for the best while whistling a happy tune, this is a very optimistic hope and it could well end in tears!
“After 1997, the party of "one nation" conservatism had been reduced to little more than a regional force”
I think the author is somewhat confused about what the term describing the now dead “one nation conservatism” actually means (or used to when it still existed). It is certainly long dead and buried.
“Each understood that his party needed to mend its right-wing reputation and move back to the political center [sic].”
Whereas most of the Tory posters here are already screaming “betrayal” - much as the Labour left used to.
“Cameron and his supporters, who soon became known as "Cameroons," decided that, when their time came, they wouldn't repeat the mistake. They would make the center ground of politics their home.”
And has he succeeded? I don’t think so. The Tories only owe their poll standing to the unpopularity of the Brown government and Brown personally. They hardly come across as having moved to the centre.
“Cameron managed to overcome this anti-intellectual culture...”
Oh yes? Tories seem as anti-intellectual as ever they were.
“...also talking about traditional Conservative moral issues (such as teen pregnancy or welfare reform) without coming across as "anti-poor."”
Well that didn’t work. Tories still - as ever - come across as “anti-poor”. And of course as the last 48 hours have demonstrated again; they are.
“...the task was to de-emphasize issues, which vexed activists far more than voters.”
Again we hear pre-emptive cries of “betrayal” here. Not least over the silly obsession with the EU.
“We had [members of parliament] walking into our office saying, 'When are you going to drop all this stuff about the environment?'”
Quite. Not so reformed really; just a PR front.
“Cameron's promise of a revived conservatism now hangs on whether he, or anyone else on the right, can find a plausible answer to the breakdown of their cherished free market and can find peace with the greater role for government that this implies”
Does the pope shit in the woods?
AFAIK the conservatives (David Davis) was the only party to condemn the compilation of a black list of workers for their beliefs etc.
here
niconoclast said... "I am sick of Conservatism being presented in a negative light in the media." 1:42
I am sick of not being offered a real choice.
That is, until the 1997 election saw their deeply unpopular right-wing leader ejected from office....
If John Major can be described as "right wng" then it tells you a great deal about the perpective and world view of the author of this tripe.
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