As elections loom everywhere, and India just finished its elections, you kind of wonder what really a conservative means today. You know, you can say things like, they stick to rules, they want lesser government involvement, lower taxes, etc, etc.
But you look at what's happening, let's say in the US, the Conservative Party aka Republicans, is more about protecting what they have. And even there its a fourth of the party which supported Niki Haley. The rest are Trumpers who are more about anti-immigration, some kind of anti-something or protect-something kind of thing. And yes, control the Supreme court which is the final arbiter of justice? It's kind of weird what Conservative means today.
The UK conservatives have the Conservative party. It has cut down benefits but taxes have remained high. NHS has been affected and overall Brexit seems to have finally come home to roost. Covid has not helped the economy which is going nowhere and the election motto again is about reducing taxes. The principal opposition Labour (not Liberal party) is suggesting some taxes in a coy sort of way.
In Europe, right wing parties won significant seats in EU elections leading to a premature call for early elections in France (Hope it does not do to Macron what Brexit did to Cameroon). Right wing does not necessarily mean conservative, though they share a common anti immigration platform.
Conservatives identify with people who have worked hard to build the economy. They tend to castigate liberals as people who look at giving away everything free, encourage high taxes, encourage immigration, all at the honest middle class tax payers cost. There are never right or wrong answers to this. And famously they do not reside in the big cities.
Increasingly, conservatives are also getting a little less tolerant and often opt for having a stronger leader who will kind of take their mission forward versus a liberal party, where typically leadership tends to be more collective. Politicians in their own way tend to create these silos and push messaging because they know these votes help them get to power.
Every economic cycle has growth and recession. Similarly, the ebbs and flows of who's in power, who's out of it, what drives the population to vote in a particular way is linked to the economic scenario. There is no data to suggest that either Conservatives or Liberals tend to work well for the economy. But people tend to trust the Conservative more for creating rules and discipline and having a lean government. Liberals are more open, diverse and accepting in their outlook. Cities tend to be more liberal as well.
And in the midst of all this is the Independent. Finally, the independent voter tends to swing elections and governments. So why not be an independent and decide what's best for you?
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