Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Red Toryism

Subtitled Liberalism and the Loss of Liberty, Michael Merrick's essay on Red Toryism is the best short piece I have read so far on Philip Blond's political philosophy.

Interesting quotes abound in this well written piece, as well as direct and indirect links to issues of localism and distributism, which I have commented on elsewhere in this blog.

I am particularly interested in Merrick's central thesis, that although Blond has been welcomed into British Tory circles, the true nature of his critique of liberalism has probably not been understood by the right.

In my own very limited experience, I have found than whenever I tentatively put forward ideas around localism, I am often perceived to be expressing views to the right of centre.

I don't think I am. My starting point is a critique of developed capitalism and its destructive effect on individuals, families and communities, especially the poorest, and its related contribution to the destruction of the physical environment. These have tended to be seen in recent years as issues of concern to those on the left.

Anyway, who cares about these labels?




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