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REAL CONSERVATIVES Volume 64 I 2 REAL CONSERVATIVES R R REAL CONSERVATIVES Volume 64 I 2 REAL CONSERVATIVES R forgive Peel for causing the Tories change policy, the party must change Work and Pensions Secretary and he to split over the issue. Tory and then leaders. As Bonar Law said in 1922, had written a letter of resignation to Conservative splits are a constant in the context of the debate about then PM, Gordon Brown. Real conservatives theme of the book. Indeed it’s when whether the Conservatives should ‘In order to assert his nobility he writes about the numerous splits remain in coalition with Lloyd of intention, not least in the eyes of John Roskam reviews the authoritative on the conservative side of politics, George’s Liberals, ‘The Party elects a Labour Party supporters, Mr Purnell history of the British Conservative Party. for example, Catholic emancipation, Leader, and that Leader chooses the -with what degree of sincerity the Corn Laws, parliamentary policy, and if the Party does not like it is difficult to gauge-echoed a reform, appeasement, Suez and it, they have to get another Leader.’ sentiment often heard on the left: The Conservatives: Europe, that Harris is at his best. That sounds not all that different ‘Dear Gordon A History by Robyn Harris Law, and Margaret Thatcher as JOHN ROSKAM Conservatism gives leaders of the from what happens in the Liberal We both love the Labour Party. By Robyn Harris Conservative leaders who can in any Executive Director of the Conservative Party a suite of policy Party in Australia. The policy of the I have worked for it for twenty Bantam Press, 2011, 640 pages way be regarded as good leaders of Institute of Public Affairs. options to choose from. As Harris is federal Liberal Party on first the years and you far longer. We know their Party. (That Churchill qualified not afraid of saying, the Conservatives emissions trading scheme and then we owe it everything and it owes for greatness is not disputed. of the modern era have been happy to the carbon tax was never formally us nothing…’ But Churchill was leader of the any leader of the Conservatives hold nearly any ideological position voted on by MPs. The only way rank- No Conservative politician at any his is a marvellous book. Conservatives in name only. He did therefore has enormous scope to so long as it wasn’t outright socialist. and-file MPs got to have a say was stage in the party’s history would have It has many things to nothing to advance the interests of impose their own vision on the While the Conservative Party of through their vote for leader. The written such a letter. No one has ever recommend it. A list of the the Conservative Party, hence the party. The Conservative Party is course never advocated socialism, in way the Liberals changed their policy pretended to ‘love’ the Conservative book’s many merits would result of the 1945 general election.) hostage to its leader. In that regard government it usually did nothing on the emissions trading scheme was Party…Any serious Tory figure Tgo something like this (in order The Conservatives: A History is it’s very similar to the Liberal Party to reverse the economic decisions by removing Malcolm Turnbull, their adopting such a pose would incur of importance): it’s interesting; it’s about people first and policy second. in Australia. Harris cites Michael of the Labour Party. So for example leader who supported the scheme. immediate ridicule. The Conservative opinionated; it’s extremely readable; That’s not an accident. In fact it’s Oakeshott for the statement that Atlee’s program of nationalisation in The authority the Liberal Party in Party exists, has always existed it explains why John Major and the demonstration of the thesis of conservatism is not a political the 1940s was not reversed until the Australia gives to its leader was first and can only exist to acquire and Edward Heath were failures; it the book. Because the Conservative program. ‘The link between the 1980s under Thatcher. And of course noted by David Kemp writing about exercise power, albeit on a particular predicts David Cameron will be a Party encompasses an array of conservative mind and Conservative no Conservative leader has been brave Malcolm Fraser. What Kemp said set of terms. It does not exist to be failure; and it nominates only Lord ideologies and philosophies that politics is indirect, and it stems from enough to touch the National Health about the Liberals also applies to loved, hated or even respected. It is Salisbury, Benjamin Disraeli, Bonar is almost alarming in its range, the conservative person’s attitude Service. This is partly because any the Conservatives. no better or worse than the people to change-namely that he or she attempt to undo the NHS is perceived It’s because of the power who combine to make it up. It is an is suspicious of it.’ As Oakeshott as political doom, and partly it is Conservative leaders have that institution with a purpose, not an famously said, conservatism is because the Conservatives are not Harris is so concerned about David organism with a soul.’ a ‘disposition’. uncomfortable with a nationalised Cameron. Harris’ disdain drips from That indeed sums up one of Harris begins the story of the health system. From the end of the the page. Under Cameron ‘Green the key differences between the Conservatives with Edmund Burke Second World War to Thatcher, issues took centre stage. A tree Conservatives and their opponents. and the Tories and the Whigs, but it’s the Conservatives were signed-up replaced the torch of freedom as For Conservatives (and Liberals) with Robert Peel that the modern- Keynesians. In fact they were probably party symbol…The Tory image was an organisation is the sum of its day party starts to take shape. Harris more Keynesian than the Labour Party too negative, too pessimistic, too constituent parts. Which is what is sympathetic to Peel’s effort towards because up until the mid-1960s, the unappreciative of modernity, too Thatcher was expressing when she Catholic emancipation, but can’t Labour Party was more socialist than hostile to diversity. David Cameron said ‘there’s no such thing as society’. Keynesian. Prime Minister Harold cultivated his own image as the Of course she went on to say-‘there Macmillan received economic advice opposite. “Let sunshine win the day!” are individual men and women, and from his friend, the ‘hyper-Keynesian’ he exhorted the party conference- there are families’. The left on the (Harris’ terminology) Roy Harrod, and, whatever that meant, his other hand are quite happy to impute who was Keynes’ biographer. As prime audience seemed happy to go along.’ a soul into the collective. minister, Edward Heath embraced The philosophical ambiguity of Harris is an unabashed government control over wages and the Conservatives translates into supporter of free market liberalism, prices. ambivalence about the Conservative and he’s written a biography of The Conservatives’ approach Party itself, at least as compared to Thatcher which will be published to political philosophy gives their the Labour Party. Harris captures the after her death. It’s a relief The leaders a great deal of power: leaders difference effectively when he quotes a Conservatives is as a good as it is. make the policy. The consequence of June 2009 letter from James Purnell to Expectations of Harris were high this, as Harris makes clear, is that to Gordon Brown. Purnell was the UK and he’s exceeded them. R 58 IPA Review | ipa.org.au JUNE 2012 | IPA Review 59.
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