9th February, 2011
I’m genuinely interested in what motivates Conservatives. I know some staunch supporters, including one substantial Tory donor, and they are not bad guys. So I do wonder what it is that separates us. Is it just an argument about how you get to a fairer, happier, more prosperous, more decent society?
Or is it an antecedent difference? Are there different moral underpinnings? I see Conservatism as the credo of the selfish – the antithesis of morality – but it has to be more complex than that. I am pleased, therefore, to see that Tim Montgomerie is going to be writing a series on Conservative Home about the “moral truths of Conservatism”. I’ll be following this with interest.
Tim Montgomerie’s opening salvo is linked below. It has provoked my knee-jerk response. But perhaps I’ll learn something as the instalments come in.
Tim says:
Conservative values are about personal responsibility; rewarding effort; standing by people who save for the future; honouring veterans and those who put something back into the community, rather than always taking from it; protecting the most disadvantaged.
To which I say:
“Conservative values are about personal responsibility;”
i.e. not helping others, but, rather, insisting they help themselves. Not hugely kind. Not hugely moral.
“rewarding effort;”
one would hope that effort rewards itself both personally and financially and doesn’t much require government intervention. Unless “rewarding effort” is code for cutting taxes, which of course fits with not helping others (see above) because it reduces the scope for government to redistribute.
“standing by people who save for the future;”
what does standing by savers mean? Increasing interest rates? Surely not. Or punishing those who cannot save? Or targetting those who will not save? Keeping inflation down? (As if anybody believes in promoting inflation.) I just don’t know what ”standing by” savers means.
“honouring veterans and those who put something back into the community, rather than always taking from it;”
hard to argue with that. But is it the unique territory of Conservatism? Don’t we all honour those who give, those who give back?
“protecting the most disadvantaged.”
Hurrah! Shame the disadvantaged are last on the list!