Economic liberalism needs social conservatism
What’s Tim Montgomerie been smoking?
Please, can anyone parse that for me? Other than as a trite platitude from an economic liberal and social conservative?
You what?
January 2nd, 2009 · 9 Comments
Tags: Politics
9 responses so far ↓
1 Mark Wadsworth // Jan 2, 2009 at 4:10 pm
I think we’ll have to file that under “special pleading”. For some reason, there is little correlation between economic and social liberalism in most people’s attitudes. Which is why I end up agreeing with The Green Party on social issues and UKIP on economic ones.
2 Deogolwulf // Jan 2, 2009 at 4:37 pm
See Burke, Mises, Hayek, Rothbard, Hoppe, et alii, for details.
3 dearieme // Jan 2, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Dear, dear, I’m sad to see you using “parse” in that silly American way. I think you mean “construe”.
4 Tristan // Jan 2, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Many seem to think so, despite the historic connection between economic liberalism and other anti-conservative movements.
It seems to be only since the Old Right took over the mantle of economic liberalism from the classical left that social conservatives supported economic liberalism and the two were perceived as linked.
5 Rory Meakin // Jan 2, 2009 at 6:16 pm
At the restaurant of modern politics, you are allowed freedom for your main course or dessert, but not both.
It’s sad, but true.
6 The Remittance Man // Jan 2, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Erm, sounds to me like the government wouldn’t take most of your money and wouldn’t tell you what to do with it. Your only problem would be they’d have banned all the fun stuff on moral grounds.
7 bgc // Jan 2, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Well…
Social conservatives are fertile but tend to be anti-growth while economic liberals are pro-growth but sterile – so that some combination of the two would be best.
Also, in an electoral sense, unless economic liberals combine with social conservatives in a voting bloc, then they will not be able to defeat protectionist leftists.
SO there at least 2 ways in which TM might be judged correct.
8 Martin // Jan 3, 2009 at 7:28 am
Tim,
At first glance, that sentence reads like nonsense – this will no doubt bore John Band, but I once wrote an article making precisely the opposite case, using US definitions –
http://martinkellytwdarchive.blogspot.com/2006/03/conservative-dilemma.html
Without actually bothering to read the link – I don’t ever read Montgomerie unless he posts elsewhere, and feel no tearing need to start now – it looks as if he might be suggesting not conservatism as you and I might understand it, but Alcide de Gaspari style Christian Democracy instead. That’s the only philosophy I can immediately think of that might fit his criteria. He recently posted an appalling article on CiF arguing that American exceptionalism is not dead, real 2002 era dog whistle stuff.
9 paul ilc // Jan 3, 2009 at 10:17 am
Liberty, Authority, Property!
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