Difference between revisions of "Conservative"
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# A deep suspicion of the power of the state. | # A deep suspicion of the power of the state. | ||
| − | # A | + | # A dislike of policies that infringe on the economic abilities of the wealthy. |
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# A belief in established institutions and hierarchies. | # A belief in established institutions and hierarchies. | ||
# Skepticism about the idea of progress. | # Skepticism about the idea of progress. | ||
# Elitism. | # Elitism. | ||
| − | Points 2, 4, 5 | + | Points 2, 3, 4, and 5 run obviously counter to the idea that things can ever be perfectly harmonious. Acceptance of established institutions and hierarchies is obviously anathema to those seeking an organic balance where everyone fulfills their destiny equally and happily. Ditto acceptance of elitism, which is simply the belief that at the end of the day there are some people who are going to be better at a given thing than other people, and education, welfare, and other “interventions” by the state won’t change that; this combined with the belief that the children of the wealthy deserve more money than the children of the poor. |
| − | + | Conservatives often purport patriotism, claiming to have more than those with whom they disagree. As such, conservative candidates in the United States often emphasize their military service, stressing their time at war and any medals or awards recieved for their service. | |
[http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZWMxNWNiNDJkY2JmNTExY2E1MzdkYWU3MWU1MTBiOGU=] | [http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZWMxNWNiNDJkY2JmNTExY2E1MzdkYWU3MWU1MTBiOGU=] | ||
Revision as of 01:21, March 22, 2007
A conservative is one who adheres to principles of limited government, personal responsibility and moral virtue. He or she may agree with the statement in George Washington's Farewell Address that "religion and morality are indispensable supports" to political prosperity.[1] Conservatism arose in the 19th century as a response to liberalism, particularly as manifested in the French Revolution.
What is a Conservative?
Jonah Goldberg wrote a excellent piece on this in National Review Which is quoted, in part, below...
"In the United States, conservatives are generally characterized by the following beliefs:
- A deep suspicion of the power of the state.
- A dislike of policies that infringe on the economic abilities of the wealthy.
- A belief in established institutions and hierarchies.
- Skepticism about the idea of progress.
- Elitism.
Points 2, 3, 4, and 5 run obviously counter to the idea that things can ever be perfectly harmonious. Acceptance of established institutions and hierarchies is obviously anathema to those seeking an organic balance where everyone fulfills their destiny equally and happily. Ditto acceptance of elitism, which is simply the belief that at the end of the day there are some people who are going to be better at a given thing than other people, and education, welfare, and other “interventions” by the state won’t change that; this combined with the belief that the children of the wealthy deserve more money than the children of the poor.
Conservatives often purport patriotism, claiming to have more than those with whom they disagree. As such, conservative candidates in the United States often emphasize their military service, stressing their time at war and any medals or awards recieved for their service.
In the United Kingdom the present parliamentary opposition party is called the Conservative party [2]and as it's name suggests hold traditional conservative views. Its current leader is David Cameron. In politcal policy the UK Conservatives are more closely aligned to the US Democrats, despite them being the most right of the main 3 parties.
References
Conservative party UK <http://www.conservatives.com/>