Can liberal conservatism survive the remaking of the right? We’ll soon find out

The Guardian ^ | Sun 29 Sep 2024 02.30 EDT | Kenan Malik

[TBP]

Conservatism, the late philosopher Roger Scruton wrote, emerged into the modern world as “a kind of ‘yes but…’” response to liberalism. Conservatives, he observed, believe, like liberals, in the importance of the free market, of private property and of individual choice. They believe also in the overriding significance of community and tradition as setting limits to the reach of individualism. Liberalism, for Scruton, made sense “only in the social context that conservatism defends”.

The relationship between these two philosophical wellsprings of conservatism has never been comfortable. The tension between the individualism of the market and private property and the communality of custom and tradition, between promethean capitalist development and the fetters of history and culture, has always gnawed away at the heart of conservatism.

It is a tension that can be seen in a surprising ambivalence towards Margaret Thatcher. Certainly, she is an unalloyed Tory heroine, the Iron Lady who transformed both Britain and the Conservative party. Yet, many conservatives also regret the destruction Thatcherism wrought on Britain’s social fabric and its customs and traditions. Scruton himself admired Thatcher but in his memoirs, Gentle Regrets, described his 1980 book The Meaning of Conservatism as “a somewhat Hegelian defence of Tory values in the face of their betrayal by the free marketeers”.

[TBP]

Published in a leftist publication and with the usual sneering, dishonest leftist bias (and the belief that they know what conservatism is better than conservatives do), this is still an interesting discussion of the threads of conservatism and how they conflict (and align.)

[G Larry]

“Liberal Conservatism” = Luke Warm.....”I vomit thee out”...

[z3n]

This sort of argument is designed to take your eye off the ball. It's a deception. The overton window has moved far to the left, at least in the cultural influence as driven by leftist dominance of the media.

The real divide is between the conservative liberals and the unapologetic marxists.

Remember years ago when Musk posted this diagram and lefties threw a fit?

[JSM_Liberty]

This is a UK paper and they are using liberal in the European sense with a meaning closer to libertarian than to socialist.

[elpadre]

“...Conservatives, he observed, believe, like liberals, in the importance of the free market, of private property and of individual choice....”

Maybe in the past, but modern liberalism is close to communism and does NOT believe in free market, private property and individual choice. They believe in oppressive government control of all life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

[Steely Tom]

Can liberal conservatism survive the remaking of the right? We’ll soon find out

No. One. Cares.

[FlipWilson]

Can Quisling survive the remaking of the Nazi party are Nuremberg?

Liberal Conservative? What in the actual _______ is that?

[lee martell]

That’s a very good graphic way to show how the average Lib has changed over the last two decades.
Some Dems continue to believe they belong to the same Democrat Party they joined back in 1970.
They continue to ‘sleep’ and cannot be awakened to the changes!

I have several family members like that.
Blissfully Ignorant that they now belong to what is essentially a Socialist Party, which among other things, advocates Open Borders, DEI, Trans (Chop-Shop) Surgery, even for for 5 year old children.

[Rlsau1]

The emotionally weak and insecure always find it difficult to face the reality of significant negative change, so they just ignore or delude themselves.

[SaxxonWoods]

Conservative needs no modifier. Now, if they want to do some conservative liberalism, we can talk.

[x]

This is a UK paper and they are using liberal in the European sense with a meaning closer to libertarian than to socialist.

Yes, he doesn't mean "liberal" in the American sense. I don't think he's quite clear about the other uses of the word: free markets, free trade, individual liberty, modern secularism. Free societies are, or were, quite diverse. We believed that we were free decades ago when we had a very different society. I don't see a threat to free society in Trump or a British equivalent to Trump.

[MeanWestTexan]

“Liberal Conservatism”

I believe he is using a European definition of “liberal”.

“Liberal” used to mean a believer in individual rights, free markets, a representative republic, etc.

Leftists (now “progressives”) are authoritarian Marxists who reject all of that, but used to call themselves “liberals” and destroyed the meaning of the word.

[libertylover]

Conservatives, he observed, believe, like liberals, in the importance of the free market, of private property and of individual choice.

I hadn't heard that liberals had changed their positions.

[TBP]

He’s using liberal in the classical European sense.