"From its beginnings the Conservative Party has been characterized by a relatively firm and enterprising fiscal policy, being responsible, not only for constant restrictions on free trade, but also for the introduction of regular income tax, and for legislation which governed the sale and conditions of labour. In the light of history, its post-war conversion to Keynesian economic theory might be seen as a natural intellectual development, a further move away from the view...that economic affairs are self-regulating...towards the more plausible view that the posture of the state is all-important, and that, without the state's surveillance, destitution and unemployment could result at any time. And it is perhaps no accident that, when the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher abandoned this conception of the state's economic role, and took up the banner of liberal economics, it was, in time, deserted by the electorate, so that the old alliance of interests which it had for a century represented suddenly fell apart. The odd thing, however, is that the policy which caused the Conservative Party's collapse – free market economics, under the aegis of global corporations – is the policy most fervently adopted by the New Labour Party of Tony Blair, and will no doubt be the downfall of that Party too."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Roger Scruton, The Meaning of Conservatism: Third Edition (2001), p. 106
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Conservative_Party_(UK)
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Conservative Party (UK)
47 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Conservative Party (UK) →
Related Quotes
"If there is any party in the State which, by its traditions and its history, is entitled to put in the forefront of i…"
"I want to see the spirit of service to the whole nation the birthright of every member of the Unionist Party—Unionist…"
"Toryism, as we know it, was illuminated, expounded, and made a gospel for a large portion of this country by the geni…"
"Tories and others set about the task of dealing with the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution by calling …"
"The term "planning" is a new word for coherent and positive policy. The conception of strong Government policy in eco…"
"Conservatives were planning before the word entered the vocabulary of political jargon."
"Truly Conservative policies [are] freeing markets, freeing the economy, giving the economy buoyancy, moving to libert…"
"Conservatives have always been ready to use the power of the State."
"I had derived from Bolingbroke an assurance that the majesty of the State might be used in the interests of the many,…"
"We are not afraid on this side of the House of social reform. Members of our party were fighting for the working clas…"