By nature, education, and political persuasion, I have always been a big “C” Conservative (Con). Wikipedia tells us that Conservatives carry an historic commonality. They “believe that government has a role in encouraging or enforcing what they consider traditional values or behaviours.”
That designation suits me just fine. It is one of the reasons I write this column. I sincerely believe that the nation runs best, and its people are served best, when character and principles dominate leadership’s decision making over polls and pundits. Legislation happens, but what makes legislation good is not good intentions but strong, moral foundations.
Recently there has been a lot of talk about the future of Conservatism in Canada. According to Queen’s University political-science scholar James Farney, social conservatives (so-cons) “have become a spent political force in Canadian national politics” – that is, they have become irrelevant, indistinguishable, positioned on the outside looking in, and sidelined by a past morality. Link Byfield, a so-con himself, stated, “We’re now just seen as eccentric.”
There is truth to this. Conservative positions are not stamped in cement. They are much more fluid than they used to be. What used to exist, a broad and widely accepted traditional and Biblically based morality, is no more. I am constantly surprised by the scope of beliefs and values that so-called Conservatism embraces these days.We saw that paradox in the last election when Conservatives won with a landslide. Christians voted in droves to re-elect the Harper government. Yet, the Prime Minister forbade a debate on abortion, and then, to rub salt in the wounds, restored funding to Planned Parenthood. It tells us as much about the state of 21st Century Christianity as it does the present “Conservative” movement.
Statistics Canada stated in the last long-form census (2001) that 84% of Canadians self-identified a personal religious affiliation, with 77% self-identifying as Christian and 12% as Evangelical. It appears that many Canadians believe that they have a moral compass, but it also appears that they have divorced their sense of morality from the function of politics.
Maybe we need a return to old-fashioned Conservatism, a movement of retro-Conservatives (re-Cons). There are many Conservatives who believe that modern-day Conservatism has lost its way, and that it needs to find its voice again, its qualitative difference. Many believe that Conservatism is adrift morally and is demonstrating more concern for the preservation of power than the preservation of life.
Some of us may be considered theo-cons, a word coined by Don Hutchinson, VP of EFC. Our voice is found in a Biblical theology of life, love and liberty. Theo-cons believe that God is the Source of all authority, and that godly principles should guide every act of government. They will not go quietly into that dark night. They will not give up their voice because they understand a political reckoning will occur one day.
I know that names don’t make or break a person, and I realize that this generation in particular hates to be pigeon-holed into a position. This culture wants the freedom to experiment, to find itself in the political spectrum of diverse values and opinions, divorced from the feeling that they will ultimately be held accountable for their views.
However, political perspectives matter. What we align ourselves to matters. The people we elect to office matters. Holding people accountable for the way they conduct themselves and influence Canadian society matters.
It matters because our ceiling will become the floor the next generation builds upon. Let’s hold the standards high!
The Conservative Party supports abortion. Do you belong to a political party that refuses to stop the killing of babies?
The Harper Opposition wanted to go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Do you believe in the power of forgiveness or do bad people need killing?
Mr. Harper only just got his majority so we should give him a chance. He still has a heck of a mess to clean up form the libs now. We have our tough on crime bill, the end of the long gun registry so it’s happening. Slow I admit but still going in the right direction.
We all know now that Mr. Harper does not endorse the killing of babies now come on! After all we were in Afghanistan promoting democracy, saving and ensuring the Taliban doesn’t violate human rights and the rights of children especially little girls.
BTW Afghanistan is free and democratic now. Women and girls are now equal and don’t have to be second class citizens thanks to Mr. Harper.
“Link Byfield, a so-con himself, stated, “We’re now just seen as eccentric.”
Yes, so-cons are seen as “eccentric” by their friends,but they’re loathed by the Left, seen as dangerous fascists. So-cons are the “scary” part of the conservative agenda,in the minds of the Left,and they used that scariness to win one election after another,while we conservatives gnashed our teeth in frustration.
So-cons are seen by many of us “fiscal-cons”,for want of a better term, as too focused on a narrow agenda that most of the voters have no interest in,abortion and gay marriage.
Most of us were brought up in Christian homes,and still hold those values and morals dear, but the world is evolving/changing,and many DON’T share those values. Harper was absolutely right in refusing to debate those items,refusing to be baited into the areas that would guarantee the Left their ISSUE,which they were desperately searching for. Harper was smart enough to NOT give it to them.
So, we have to compromise,or sit forever in Opposition,as we did in the 90′s and early 2000′s watching while a group of amoral opportunists robbed the treasury,stole our hard-won freedoms and crushed dissent.
It isn’t easy,and it won’t sit well with many of us,but the ALTERNATIVE,and you DO know WHAT that alternative is, is far worse.
As my Mother used to say when I complained, “count your blessings”.