What Does "Conservative" Mean?

[English assassin]

As a paid up member of the Conservative party, I've always understood it to mean the view that on the whole things shouldn't be changed without good reason, that people probably knew what they were doing in the old days, etc, together with a certain misty eyed attachment to the Queen and suchlike (or whatever your local equivalent may be).

Those aren't my views at all but that's because being "conservative" and being "right of centre" are in no way the same thing. In the 70's in the UK most of the trade union movement was far more conservative than the Conservative party, for instance.

Can you even define conservatism? Surely its a largely negative mind set, reacting to whatever changes it is that someone else is proposing? Do conservatives oppose gay marriage? Not until someone else proposes it.

[Pannonian]

As a paid up member of the Conservative party, I've always understood it to mean the view that on the whole things shouldn't be changed without good reason, that people probably knew what they were doing in the old days, etc, together with a certain misty eyed attachment to the Queen and suchlike (or whatever your local equivalent may be).

Those aren't my views at all but that's because being "conservative" and being "right of centre" are in no way the same thing. In the 70's in the UK most of the trade union movement was far more conservative than the Conservative party, for instance.

Can you even define conservatism? Surely its a largely negative mind set, reacting to whatever changes it is that someone else is proposing? Do conservatives oppose gay marriage? Not until someone else proposes it.

Your first paragraph describes Toryism, which I'm actually quite sympathetic towards, despite being a self-described liberal. Something about the American brand of conservatism that puzzles me though, is what I'd call conservative activism - actively promoting "conservative" values. Maybe it's just me, but isn't this an oxymoron?

[ICantSpellDawg]

Something about the American brand of conservatism that puzzles me though, is what I'd call conservative activism - actively promoting "conservative" values. Maybe it's just me, but isn't this an oxymoron?

Take vague pot-shots at conservatism why don'tcha. Any in particular that you don't understand?

It's completely pointless to try to describe someone as any of the three by your definitions anyway--I challenge you to find anyone who fits that description for every political issue.

Exactly.