Bravo, Mr. Jeeves! :-) But the ultimate problem, in my view, lies with the term “conservatism” itself. Good people need to rally around a term and concept which clearly means freedom, liberty, individual rights, etc. “Conservatism” doesn’t cut it.
The term that fits best, Liberalism .... Classical Liberalism, is what conservatives were originally conserving. That form of Liberalism that was ruggedly individualistic, pro-natural rights, natural law etc.