Thursday, April 29, 2010

Conservatism

Conservatism is about looking to history for clues: Clues as to what works and clues as to what doesn't. Conservatism is pragmatic; it doesn't have an all-encompassing theoretical framework from which it derives policy positions. What accidental framework there may be in conservative thought comes from the current (perhaps temporary) consensus about what works.

A key feature of conservatism is that there is no 'ego identification' with an idea or set of ideas. Reality is allowed to be the ultimate arbiter.

1 comment:

  1. A key feature of conservatism is that there is no 'ego identification' with an idea or set of ideas
    This was one factor that turned me off the Republic campaign back... whenever it was. Too many of the cheerleaders - Keating, Kenneally and Wendy McCarthy spring to mind - seemed to have a sizeable ego investment in a republic. They wanted their names in the history books as The Heroes Of The Change.
    They were also very hung up about John Howard opening the Sydney Olympics. I don't mind Parliament taking pause to listen to the Melbourne Cup, but rushing a fundamental change in our government to suit a two-week sporting event seemed a tad excessive.

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