Conservatism

Mark Garnett

Description

The nature of conservative ideology is and will continue to be warmly contested. In this short history, Mark Garnett contends that the disagreements have been particularly strong in the instance of British conservatism because the ideological label continues to be used by a prominent political party. Whether hostile or friendly in intent, commentators on conservatism have found it difficult to avoid the assumption that British "conservatism" must, at all times, be reflected at least to some degree in the policy platforms of the Conservative Party.

This book presents an account of British conservatism which avoids the usual confusion between the ideology and the stated principles of a party which prides itself on an ability to change its views according to circumstances. It shows, since the Tory Party adopted the name "Conservative" in the 1830s it has become increasingly difficult to associate its varying positions with a coherent "conservative" position, so that it is more profitable to discuss its ideological history from the perspective of liberalism and nationalism. This argument is presented by tracing the histories of the party and the ideology in separate chapters, whose themes and cast of characters rarely coincide.

Introduction

1. The contestable conservative tradition: Burke to Southey

2. The Conservative Party from Peel to Salisbury

3. "Converging streams": British conservative thought from Southey to Cecil

4. The Conservative Party, 1902–45

5. "We must have an ideology": conservatism since the First World War

6. The Conservative Party since 1945

Conclusion: is conservatism dead?

A chronology of conservatism and the Conservative Party

Sujets

• Political Parties
• Political Process
• Political Ideologies
• Political Science
• Liberalism
• Conservative Party
• General officer
• Ideology
• Tory
• Political party
• Politics
• General
• History
• Robert Southey
• Tories
• Parti conservateur
• Edmund Burke
• Margaret Thatcher

Informations

• Publié par: Agenda Publishing
• Date de parution: 30 mars 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781788215053
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

Short Histories

Agenda Sor Hîsorîes are încîsîve and provocaîve înroducîons o opîcs, îdeas and evens or sudens wanîng o know more abou ow we go were we are oday.

Published

Conservaîsm Mark Garne

hacerîsm Peer Dorey

Conservatism

Mark Garnett

© Mark Garne 2023

hîs book îs copyrîg under e Berne Convenîon. No reproducîon wîou permîssîon. A rîgs reserved.

Fîrs pubîsed în 2023 by Agenda Pubîsîng

Agenda Pubîsîng îmîed he Core Ba ane Newcase Heîx Newcase upon Tyne NE4 5TF www.agendapub.com

ïSBN 978-1-78821-503-9 (ardcover) ïSBN 978-1-78821-504-6 (paperback)

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Contents

1 2 3 4 5 6

Preace he conesabe conservaîve radîîon: Burke o Souey he Conservaîve Pary rom Pee o Saîsbury

“Convergîng sreams”: Brîîs conservaîve oug rom Souey o Cecî

he Conservaîve Pary, 1902–45

“We mus ave an îdeoogy”: conservaîsm sînce e Fîrs Word War

he Conservaîve Pary sînce 1945 Concusîons: “ïs conservaîsm dead?” Cronoogy o conservaîsm and e Conservaîve Pary Furer readîng Bîbîograpy Index

vîî 1 29

67 83

101 125 163 177 183 185 191

v

Preface

ïn December 2019, î ooked as î e Brîîs Conservaîve Pary ad perormed a ea o eecora escapoogy o mac anyîng în îs ong îsory. he pary ad been în oIce sînce 2010, bu never wî a secure parîamenary majorîy. ïs împemenaîon o dramaîc cus în pubîc spendîng – “auserîy” – ad încurred consîderabe pubîc osîîy dur- îng îs coaîîon wî e îbera Democras (2010–15), and aoug e pary won a narrow overa majorîy în May 2015 e ensuîng mons were domînaed by a bîer înerna debae over an împend- îng reerendum on Brîaîn’s membersîp o e European Unîon (EU). Wen îs ook pace în June 2016 a sma majorîy o ose wo voed rejeced e advîce o e prîme mînîser, Davîd Cameron, and oped or wîdrawa. heresa May, cosen as Cameron’s successor în preerence o more coouru candîdaes, was unabe o recreae a sembance o unîy among er own pary, e aone e pubîc; a “snap” eecîon caed în 2017 în order o boser er parîamenary posîîon ad e opposîe efec. From e ensuîng consîuîona meee over e împemenaîon o “Brexî”, none o e brances o Brîîs governmen emerged wî enanced pubîc eseem; bauked by parîamen and e cours, May ad exaused er persona auorîy ong beore sandîng down în Juy 2019. To îs crîîcs – and, îndeed, o many senîor igures în îs own ranks – îs was a mess amos enîrey o e Conservaîve Pary’s own mak- îng. he erswîe “pary o Europe”, and îs aîes în e maînsream medîa, ad deveoped an obsessîon wî e EU, ensurîng a îs poen source o dîvîsîon was a consan presence în e newspaper eadînes wîc conroned a argey uncompreendîng eecorae. Spooked ater 2012 by a surge în medîa and pubîc suppor or e Unîed Kîngdom ïndependence Pary (UKïP), wîc made eîr own

vii

CONSERVATISM

brand o “Euroscepîcîsm” seem epîd, e Conservaîves ad responded by gîvîng e voers a cance o canne eîr varîed resenmens îno a one-of, sînge-îssue decîsîon. Cameron ad been so coniden o a vîcory or “Remaîn” a no serîous preparaîons ad been made în case e verdîc wen e oer way. Waever e merîs o e rîva argumens over e EU, e epîsode us exposed e Conservaîves as masers o mîsmanagemen. Ye în e eecîon o December 2019 e pary was rewarded raer an punîsed, wî an overa majorîy o 80. Under a new eader, Borîs Jonson, î ad presened îse as a pary wîc ad been woy commîed o Brexî a aong, wîe îs oppo- nens, wo amened e reerendum resu o varyîng degrees, coud be porrayed as bad osers or opponens o “e wî o e peope”. For rîba Conservaîves îs seemed amos oo good o be rue, and e jubîaîon was reLeced aîuy în e pages o eDaîy Teegrap– a newspaper wîc coud caîm wî jusîce o represen e conscîence o e pary. Jonson e voe-wînnîng premîer was a ong-sandîng Teegrap coumnîs, wose baîîng o e Brusses bureaucracy ad orged îs repuaîon în Euroscepîc cîrces. he paper ad covered e 2019 cones o succeed heresa May îke a coronaîon or îs avourîe son, adornîng amos every ron page wî eadînes wîc încuded e magîca name “Borîs”. Ye eTeegrap’s suppor was no uncondîîona; î anyîng, îs connecîon wî Jonson made îs coumnîss more wacu ater e ad become pary eader and secured îs “mandae” rom e voers în December 2019. ïn e same mon a new vîrus, Covîd-19, ad been deeced în Cîna. he irs conirmed deas în e UK were recorded în Marc, and Jonson announced srîngen îmîaîons on reedom o movemen and assocîaîon – a naîona “ockdown”. heTeegrap vîewed ese deveopmens wî a dîsmay wîc deepened as resrîc- îons were eased, en reîmposed în response o a “second wave” o e vîrus în auumn 2020. By e summer o 2021 e newspaper’s coumnîss ad concuded a e pandemîc ad exposed e super- icîaîy o Jonson’s prîncîpes. ïndeed, accordîng o Aîser Hea, under Jonson e counry ad urced o e et, so a “Decaden Brîaîn” was now “seepwakîng îno a vorex o permanen decîne” (Hea 2021a). A ew weeks aer anoerTeegrapcoumnîs conrîb- ued pîeces wîc successîvey announced a “he Torîes ave os ouc wî Conservaîsm” and a e announcemen o a new evy o

viii

PREFACE

und ea and socîa care “sounded e dea kne or Conservaîsm” (Tomîney 2021a, 2021b). Sory beore Jonson’s enorced deparure rom e pary eadersîp în Juy 2022, aTeegrapasked edîorîa paînîvey, “Wa appened o Conservaîsm?” (Daîy Teegrap2022). ïs preerred successor o Jonson, wo regarded îmse as a reborn Wînson Curcî, was îz Truss, wose împersonaîon o Margare hacer was even more baan and (a eas) equay unpersuasîve. Durîng Truss’s swîty-ermînaed premîersîp, severaTeegrap co- umnîss expressed enusîasm or a “pîosopîca” approac o poîîcs wîc înspîred er o promîse ower axaîon and a smaer sae. he proper prîncîpes o e Conservaîve Pary ave been a persîs- en preoccupaîon or eTeegrapgroup. ïn Juy 2017, newspaper ater heresa May’s eecîon gambe ad backired, anoer o e paper’s conrîbuors ad suggesed a “Conservaîsm” soud be aug în scoos, and Aîser Hea aer suppîed a îs (“Burke, ocke, Hayek, Frîedman and Oakeso”) o supposedy reevan înkers wose eg- acy e pary was busîy berayîng (Hea 2021b). Wîe î woud be a mîsake o assume a eTeegrap’s îdeoogîca preoccupaîons are unîversay sared among members o e Conservaîve Pary, e newspaper knows îs audîence and, judgîng rom îs correspondence coumns, peny o îs readers reay are engrossed by suc debaes. On îs evîdence, aoug e naure o “Conservaîsm” mîg no be conesed as urgeny as î was durîng e hacer years, î îs sî a opîc wory o very serîous consîderaîon. A second concusîon arîsîng rom eTeegrap’scommenary durîng e pandemîc îs a Conservaîsm, as a se o prîncîpes, canno sîmpy be equaed wî e saed vîews and poîcy proposas o Conservaîve Pary poîîcîans a any gîven îme. ï eTeegrapcoumnîss are o be beîeved, î îs even possîbe or senîor members o e pary o be commîîng “reason” agaîns îs rue prîncîpes. hîs, o course, îs a recurren reraîn wenever supporers o a pary ee a eîr vîews are no beîng respeced by eîr eaders. However, e caîm coîncîdes wî a vîew ed by some (aoug by no means a) academîc commenaors, wo ave aemped o caracer- îze an îdeoogy wîc may, or may no, be reLeced în e Conservaîve Pary’s approac o poîîca quesîons. he maîn objecîve o e presen sudy îs o expore ese îssues în greaer dep, by presenîng parae îneecua îsorîes – o e Brîîs Conservaîve Pary, and o e îdeoogy wî wîc î îs commony

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CONSERVATISM

assocîaed. Suc a wîn-rack approac conrons an awkward ermî- noogîca dîIcuy. Academîcs amos învarîaby use an upper-case “C” wen reerrîng o îneecua deveopmens wîîn e Conservaîve Pary, and a ower-case “c” în reaîon o îdeas wîc, oug obvîousy assocîaed wî e pary în some way, are anayîcay dîsînc rom îs saed prîncîpes a any gîven îme. However, journaîss and poîîcîans ee no obîgaîon o dîscrîmînae în îs way. he promîscuous use o e upper- and ower-case erms îs cîeLy caracerîsîc o observers and parîcîpans wo asser a ere can be no dîference beween “Conservaîsm” and “conservaîsm” – în sor, a “C/conservaîsm” îs waever e pary o a name cooses î o be. However, some auors – îke eTeegrapcoumnîss quoed above – desîgnae îdeas wî e upper-case “C”, even wen arguîng a e Conservaîve Pary as desered Conservaîsm.. here îs no azard-ree pa roug îs meodoogîca mîne- ied: î woud, or exampe, be wrong o împose unîormîy on orîgî- na sources, amendîng “Conservaîsm” o “conservaîsm” în quoaîons wîc are ceary reerrîng o îdeas. Hopeuy îs wî no gîve rîse o undue conusîon în e oowîng pages. My own approac îs o use e (upper-case) word “Conservaîsm” as sparîngy as possîbe. ï îs re- aîvey sraîg-orward o examîne e deveopmen o îdeas wîîn e ConservaîveParyrom îs orîgîns în e eary 1830s, ocusîng on poîîcîans and îneecuas wo cose o be assocîaed wî e organ- îzaîon and ave soug o înLuence îs poîcy dîrecîon. However, rom e ouse ese îndîvîduas dîsagreed on undamena maers o prîn- cîpe – parîcuary concernîng reîgîous oeraîon, voîng rîgs and ree rade (see Caper 2). Academîc observers are we aware a e Conservaîve Pary does no “înk” coecîvey; ey ave îe coîce bu o ake e vîews o îs eadîng igures (as expressed în speeces, eecîon îeraure, ec) as auorîaîve saemens o (upper-case “C”) “Conservaîsm”, wîe akîng noe o sîgnîican dîssenîng voîces. hîs îs e approac ï ave rîed o oow în îs book. Sînce e ae nîneeen cenury sîmîar observaîons coud appy o “conservaîsm” as a body o îdeas. “Represenaîves” o îs ower-case specîes o conservaîsm coud be oIce-oders wîîn e pary ookîng o address pîosopîca quesîons raer an specîic îssues, or îndeed mîg be wrîers wî no pary aIîaîon wo sîmpy see emseves as “conservaîve” în ouook. ïn comparîson o îberas and socîaîss,

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