Is it true conservatives are winning the battle but liberals the war?
To me, (put as simplistically as I could) conservatism was always a "minor" ism next to the behemoth known as liberalism in terms of influence. While it's true most people can claim to be "conservative" than "liberal" no one can doubt that the West is built largely on a foundation of liberal principles. And by liberal I don't mean the "big government" kind we see today but the classic stuff: Rule of law, freedom of speech, right to sovereign power etc.
Although the Founding Fathers and some Enlightenment thnkers exhibited strong conservative (and even religious) values (at the time), modern conservatism found new life starting in the 1950s (under Kirk, Buckley etc.) and lives seemingly near the classical liberal and libertarian (thanks to Rothbard, Friedman and the rediscovery of the Austrian school) equator these days. It further splits, of course, into religious-social and even economic conservatism but such factions (though not necessarily religious) exist among all ideologies.
Meanwhile, liberalism moved away from its classical side and lives comfortably closer to collectivism (once a conservative value - probably still is in some cases) and socialist ideals.
Should we even bother to play such games?
I look to some words of wisdom to amend this thought.
These days, the lines are totally blurred on this matter. Politicians switch parties and ideologies at warp speed. Harper is a reformist in conservative disguise, Cannon is a Liberal turned small c conservative, Jean Charest was a progressive conservative before becoming our liberal(?) prime minister and Bachand was a sovereignist before turning liberal finace minister.
ReplyDeleteThe national compass has lost true north.
I think we can say this for many politicians.
ReplyDeleteStill no idea what that compass is/was.