Iain Duncan Smith & Rick Santorum: Let's Deploy the 'Little Platoons' (Conservative Social Justice)

Wall Street Journal ^ | September 23, 2005 | Iain Duncan Smith & Rick Santorum

[RWR8189]

For all the differences between the United States and Europe, we share a common challenge: how to improve the social well-being of our citizens without a massive growth in the size and intrusiveness of government. We're convinced that conservatism--properly understood--offers the surest road to social justice.

In many conservative circles, "social justice" is synonymous with socialism or radical individualism. No wonder: For decades, the political left has used it as a Trojan horse for its big-state agenda. Yet the wreckage of their policies is obvious. Compared to the U.S., most European economies are struggling with inflation, unemployment, low growth and a declining tax base; nearly all European societies are burdened with increased crime and family breakdown; and there is a draining away of hope and opportunity.

Conservatives on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond are charting a new vision of social justice. It recognizes that the problems caused or aggravated by the growth in government cannot be corrected by a crude reduction in its size. Policy must also deliberately foster the growth of what Edmund Burke called "the little platoons" of civil society: families, neighborhood associations, private enterprises, charities and churches. These are the real source of economic growth and social vitality.

[English Nationalist]

Mr. Smith, a British MP, is a former leader of the Conservative Party

Mr. Duncan Smith, a British MP, is the worst Conservative leader of the century.

[montag813]

Mr. Duncan Smith, a British MP, is the worst Conservative leader of the century.

Are you sure? Since Thatcher the competition for that title has pretty fierce.

[English Nationalist]

I'd say so. I'd rank them as:
Hague
Howard
Major
IDS

It's a tie between Major and IDS for the bottom place, but Major was the marginally more charismatic and decisive leader. Hague gets top place for his common sense approach and excellent speaking skills. I should point out here that I'm an English Democrat supporter tho, rather than a Tory, so I've got no clue about how the party membership and activists feel.

[lmc12]

What do you think of Liam Fox? I think he might have what it takes.

[English Nationalist]

His support among the MPs seems rather low at the moment. He has, IMO, definitely got the presence to both be a future PM and unite the Tory party, and while he's a complete public nonentity at the the moment, so was Blair in 93.

On a personal level, given that he's a Scot and a devoted Unionist, I'd want to see his ideas on the Barnett formula before voting for his government.

[George W. Bush]

Conservatives on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond are charting a new vision of social justice. It recognizes that the problems caused or aggravated by the growth in government cannot be corrected by a crude reduction in its size.

It's not a new vision at all.

It's the old vision of the Democrats and it's called liberalism regardless of who spouts it.

[steve-b]

Conservatives on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond are charting a new vision of social justice batch of excuses for failing to get the government off our backs. It recognizes that the problems caused or aggravated by the growth in government cannot be corrected by a crude reduction in us, because we don't have the balls to reduce its size.

Fixed it for them.