Conservative compromises, compromised conservatives | OC Comment
The term conservative is found in almost all political arenas. It is typically associated with right-wing values and denotes an attachment to those things we have inherited; as well as a commitment to safeguarding their existence and preserving them from unnecessary change. Thus, the logical opposite to a conservative is a progressive: somebody who aims to dissolve existing hierarchies and reform institutions because of their conceived failings or inherent faults. However, these terms are irreconcilably wrong in the modern Western World.
If conservatism means to conserve, how conservative is the Conservative Party? What does it mean to be a conservative and where do we find it? In examining any political establishment in the West, we find a few peculiar characteristics. First; the so-called “elites”, such as establishment politicians, business leaders, media pundits, celebrities, academics and so on all support typically progressive parties and politics (see case study example). Secondly, movements associated with conservative values all emerge in opposition to the sociocultural narrative, running as outsider candidates and guerilla culture movements. This status quo upsets the conservative/progressive dichotomy in a very simple way: it changes the reference point for the entire political framework.
As referenced above, “conservative” and “progressive” are completely relative terms. Indeed, they both refer to the degree of change from the sociocultural status quo (or lack of it). The key assumption that the current political conception is built on consists of the stereotyped traditional “oppressive” society; patriarchal, culturally chauvinistic, economically unequal, such as Victorian England.
Yet in the year 2020, no part of this conception remains. The landmark achievements of women’s rights, civil rights, multiculturalism and social welfare state have upended the traditional status quo. One would have hoped that, having reached a compromise point, both conservative and progressives could have settled at this newfound optimum. Such hopes, however, have been revealed to be false, with progressives, not content with modifying the erroneous implementation of foundation Western ideals, have now taken an axe to the foundational values themselves.
Not wanting to be excessively abstract, we can see in the idea of “Equality before God”, or human rights as it is more colloquially known is a fundamental part of the Western political tradition. It assumes that all humans have inherent value due to them being “made in the image of God.” Unfortunately, for many generations, minorities such as women and citizens of differing racial heritages were denied this recognition. Through political reform, Western society rectified their flawed implementation of this right, and extended this freedom to all. Having reached the ultimate resolution, progressives, unable to find anything else to criticize, resorted to criticizing the very idea itself.
Wedded with neo-Marxist thought and postmodern criticism, they now argue that humans have differing values based on their history of oppression. “Straight white males” benefit from privilege, and therefore are less valuable than historically oppressed groups. Men, who according to progressives are historical “oppressors” of women, should not express their views on abortion. Indeed, not only should Western cultures apologise for colonialism and proffer material recompensation (a task completed to excess), but Westerners should also demolish their own culture due to its history of oppression. We are to respect all cultures except our own, preserve all cultures except our own, defend all cultures except our own.
Such doublethink has also influenced conservative politicians too. Through exposure to the dominant progressive cultural narrative, the political discourse has been inexorably pulled to the left as progressives move towards more and more extreme views. This shift in the proverbial “Overton Window” can be observed in almost any political issue. The issue of gay rights, once split between pro and anti marriage groups, is now so far “progressed” that anyone not emphatically support of homosexual civil unions is decried as a “fascist” or “religious fundamentalist”. The Democrat position on abortion has progressed from “safe, legal and rare” to, incredibly, “post-birth abortions” proposed by Virginia governor Ralph Northam. Conservatives have dutifully followed, with abortions legal in almost every single Western countries (and state-funded to boot).
We have seen that so-called “Conservative” parties have done a poor job indeed of actually conserving anything. It has gotten to the point where thinking of a single political issue, especially in the social arena, where the Conservative platform nowadays isn’t a carbon-copy of the progressive platform 20 years ago is rather difficult. If an accurate campaign slogan were necessary, I’d say “Progressive, but Late” is a much more apt description for any mainstream conservative party in the West.
Such a peculiar and unfortunate situation leads us to ask ourselves what we should so. The Overton Window has shifted and so has the sociocultural status quo. This change in the poles necessitates a fundamentally different conservative strategy: conservative must become progressive. We do not mean ideologically– but strategically. Conservatives must shift their perspective to one essentially opposed to the status quo. While it is a radical change, these truly are radical times. Examining the status quo, we see Western culture and history is under threat to the point of where its very existence is being denied, the institution of the family being dissolved, fundamental rights being trampled on. We cannot and must not conserve a status quo that is an antithesis to the conservative society we strive for.
We must aim for progress. Not the haphazard, change-for-its-own-sake progress espoused by progressives, but the logical, measured change intended to return us to the well-trodden path of conservatism. In this arena, conservatives actually have an advantage, as we know where we want to go and how to return there. We can point to past societies, past institutions and past cultural landmarks are reference points for our journey. Unlike progressives, who can only spout vague visions of utopias far away, we can point to our immediate past as vindication of our strategy.
Conservatives that have embraced this viewpoint are all at the forefront of right-wing politics today. President Trump – who is omnipresent in political discourse – has distilled this strategy to the core in his slogan “Make America Great Again”. It is simple yet ingenious. The slogan contains all of the elements of this new conservative perspective; that the present moment is worse than what we had before, and that this party or politician will return the nation to its previous success. Other conservative politicians that have successfully run on deliberately anti-status quo include Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage with Brexit, or Matteo Salvini in Italy. They are proof that this strategy can work and it is up to us to reward other politicians who successfully bring true conservatism back into the mainstream.
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