The word 'conservative' is derived from the impulse to conserve that which is of value. Conservatives share a belief that collective experience provides the soundest foundation upon which to proceed, and that if any change is needed it should be made cautiously. Conservatism is sometimes loosely described as being ‘right-wing’, although that word is equally used to describe an individualist ideology (6.2.2).
The broad framework of conservatism accommodates several quite different motivations, as described in the following sub-sections:
· Burkean stewardship conserves and enhances what has been shown to work well (6.2.4.1). This traditionalist approach to government is named after Edmund Burke, who described it eloquently. It aims to provide stability and competence for everyone’s benefit.
· Conserving wealth and power, for the government and its associates, doesn’t benefit anyone else (6.2.4.2). A ruling elite might defend its own interests at the expense of the rest of the population.
· A ‘Laissez faire’ approach reduces the role of government, to let institutions and markets evolve naturally (6.2.4.3). Advocates of this approach distrust politicians who try to make changes, and they resent regulation.
· ‘Neoconservatism’ takes a system that appears to be successful and tries to impose it elsewhere (6.2.4.4). It is a missionary instinct. It is a foreign policy that aimed at increasing global stability, although its effects have been destabilising in practice.
· Reactionary conservatives reject recent change (6.2.4.5). Older people, or people who are uneasy about cultural changes, or those who have suffered economically, might want to ‘turn the clock back’.
· A retreat to identity, to a familiar cultural tradition, is a more extreme form of flight to the past which is sometimes described as the ‘alt-right’ (6.2.4.6). It is based on feeling more comfortable and safer with people like themselves, in opposition to other groups. It might be nationalist, or racist, or seek to impose a fundamentalist religion.
These conservative attitudes are not mutually exclusive: they are distinct strands of thought that can co-exist in any individual. The first two reflect satisfaction with the status quo, whereas the last two seek to reverse changes that are seen as unsatisfactory. ‘Laissez faire’ and ‘neoconservatism’ are ideologies that people might want to preach to others.
People with different combinations of these views often coexist within the same political party, despite their different interests. This creates tensions, as is the case in the American Republican Party. And the British Conservative Party has often been divided over important issues.
(This is an archive of a page intended to form part of Edition 4 of the Patterns of Power series of books. The latest versions are at book contents).