Conservatism is a broad church

A long time ago, I worked for CCHQ, David Cameron’s leadership campaign and them back in CCHQ again. We spent months trying to define what Conservatism really is. I don’t think we ever really got a pithy soundbite, because the root of its success is that it evolves to suit the times.

Perhaps the best description is that it is a pragmatic creed, wary of dogma, going with the grain of human nature, and focusing on effective policy that leads to real improvements. We have some fundamental values – a belief in individual freedom but also in social and personal responsibility, an understanding that power must be devolved as close to the people as possible, a knowledge that people do best when they have as much control as possible over their own lives, and a desire to enable everyone to achieve their true potential.

With each generation, the question is asked, “Who are today’s Conservatives?” There are two ways to answer this.