Not intending to be witty at all.
Just a question that occurred to me based upon your posting.
Let me assure you of one thing. I actually hope you are a UK Conservative (meaning using the term in the same sense as a U.S. Conservative).
If you are, then we gain input/insight from a Conservative from another part of the world, and an country known (at least until recently) as a firm ally of America.
If an American had posted the same general info as you did, I would have had the same questions.
It pains me to read about the transition of the UK over the years from a Churchill inspired, strong, independent nation, into a gun grabbing/smashing, subsidiary of the European Union.
The other night I watched a great show about the Battle of Britain, and about the brave people of England who fought off the Nazi war machine, with their chin up, a defiant nation.
I just can't believe that those were a people who would allow a nanny state government, working as a subsidiary of a bunch of Brussels bums, to take away their rights, and their means of personal defense.
I truly hope your country can stop that downhill slide, and head, full steam, in the other direction.
I wish you well, but am not confident that I will see it happen.
Col Freeper,
The term “Conservative” in the UK implies a member of the Conservative Party, which I’m not. David Cameron’s made some strong, positive moves away from the Big Government Politically Correct era of Labour but I just don’t think it’s enough. The Conservative Party is not really conservative.
Westminster these days is stuffed full of professional politicians who follow the opinion polls and jump ship if they think it’s expedient to do so.
Tony Blair had more in common with the Tories than he ever had with Labour (pro-religion, pro-America for example) but because his wife was a HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER and she earned more than he did sparing illegal immigrants from having to get the boat back home, he joined the Labour Party.
Gordon Brown was a tool of the highest order but at least he actually believed in the party he was a member of. Blair DESPISED the party he ruled. That’s why Brown couldn’t stand Blair.
That tells you everything you need to know about politics in Britain: ever since Thatcher was forced out, conviction politicians have been sidelined and they’ve been replaced by empty suits - spin doctors and opinion poll analysts and lobbyists.
The Tories and Labour both choose to be centrist because that’s where their professional instincts tell them they can pull in enough votes to win seats at the general election.
I don’t think there is a political party over here that accurately reflects my views. My local MP is a Tory and a decent enough chap but he’s still a time-serving career politician.
I did dabble in the New Party for a while, many years back when it looked like it’d be small state, economically liberal but also socially conservative, anti-Europe, pro-God and pro-defense. On one of the early party meetings took place at a country fayre with field sports and Monster Truck racing, and I actually thought it might have legs.
But the whole thing descended into farce when Robert Kilroy-Silk defected from UKIP, attempted to sieze control of the New Party, and we had a fracture with people defecting to an even smaller outfit called Veritas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Party_(UK)
I’m sympathetic to UKIP, who want us out of the EU but again they don’t really have a wide mandate in Westminster - people here vote tactically. If there’s a 10% chance of getting a UKIP guy elected and a 50% chance of the Tory candidate winning, they’ll vote Tory.
What we really need is something like the Tea Party Movement to unite the warring factions, and get rid of all these little fringe parties that’ll never win power in the First Past The Post electoral system.
I haven’t quite worked out where we’d draw the lines though - some of the people in Jury Team are very clearly conservative and that’s a grass roots movement of sorts, but it’s also got its fair share of sandal-wearing hippies that we could really do without.
Only that will see the resurgence of true conservatism in the United Kingdom.