Thread by @greg_scott84

What Does It Mean To Be A Conservative?

1) Let's look at the word "conservative" with some fresh perspective. Terms like this one can be used very haphazardly, or incorrectly, which creates more confusion and limits our ability to share ideas. This is how I see the facts.

2) Google's definition is limiting in its scope. Is it really that black & white? Can someone who holds traditional values not embrace change and innovation? Which ideas and values define a conservative? Let's explore what it actually means to be a true 'small-c' conservative.

3) A conservative is simply someone who wants to conserve something. When it comes to political Conservatism, we're generally talking about the conservation of ideas. Those who identify as being conservative generally promote a certain set of ideas, most of which are traditional.

4) Some of the ideas and values that conservatively minded people promote include:
- Freedom of religion
- Freedom of speech
- The right to protest
- Free assembly
- Personal responsibility
- Private ownership
- Small government
- Free market capitalism
- Self determination

5) Those same conservatively minded people would generally oppose restrictive ideas, such as:
- Political correctness
- Censorship
- Central planning
- Government distribution
- Taxation
- Forced participation
- Favoritism of special interest groups

6) People who are more conservatively minded are generally more self-sufficient and usually demand less from their government. When it comes to Canadian politics, though, there is a disconnect between small-c conservatives and large-c Conservatives.

7) The spectrum of political Conservatism has a fairly wide range. There isn't one single stance or belief that one can have that would define him/her as being "Conservative", which makes it a tricky term to work with. Technically, one may strive to conserve more liberal values.

8) One could embrace the preservation of the values listed above and still be open to more progressive ideas because there isn't one single value that determines whether or not someone embraces political Conservatism. See how convoluted the terminology can get?

9) Conservativism generally embodies everyone from 'centrist' on the moderate end of the right side of the spectrum, to 'libertarian' in the middle and all the way to 'anarchist' on the far-right side. Individual freedom & personal responsibility increase as you go farther right.

10) Based on the discussions I've had with Canadians, 'Centrist' is how most traditionally conservatively minded people identify. "Socially liberal and fiscally conservative" seems to be the Centrist mantra. That is about as far left as one can get as a conservative voter.

11) 'Anarchy' usually gives people the idea of sheer pandemonium and complete disorder; even lawlessness. But all anarchy means is simply not having a formal governing structure whereby there is complete individual freedom. Anarchy can just as easily be civil and productive.

12) It certainly appears that there are a lot of moving, interchangeable parts to the term, doesn't it? Even though most Canadians who define themselves as conservatively minded may be centrist, there does seem to be a general attitude among conservatives.

13) Most conservatives just want to be left alone and not told what to do, think or say. In turn, they also have little to no desire to tell others what to do, think or say. Expanding upon this simple concept is going to allow us to see where the division lies.

14) Starting at the centre of the spectrum and moving to the right, we see more of those who want smaller government and less governmental control over their lives. This continues until we get to anarchy, where there is essentially no government other than self-governance.

15) Going back to the centre and moving to the left, we see those who want more governmental control and intervention. Totalitarianism is on the far-left end of the left side of the spectrum. This is where we see Corporatism, Communism, Fascism, and general authoritarianism.

16) Socialism is the main tenant of the left side of the spectrum. The United Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the German National Socialists (NAZIS) were both socialist regimes. There were several key differences, but the main idea behind both was the same. Collectivism.

17) Bigger government, restrictions on freedoms, higher taxes, censorship of speech, centralized control of resources and distribution, and the melding of business and government sectors become more prevalent as one moves further along the left-hand side of the spectrum.

18) When it comes to the Conservative Party of Canada, both Stephen Harper and Andrew Scheer have proclaimed themselves to be centrists. Fair enough, they have every right to self-identity that way. They have both run the CPC as a Centrist party. This is very significant.

19) What we have seen with the different versions of Canada's "Conservative" party over the last 30-40 years is a slow, yet steady shift in their position on the spectrum. It has never been so far left and it's continuing to slide farther. How do we know this?

20) Simply look at what they do and say. The @CPC_HQ openly promotes things like:
- UN Agendas 21 and 2030
- The Paris Accord (CO2 Taxes)
- Foreign Central Banks
- Trudeau's immigration numbers
- Islamism
- Gender transitions for children
- Political correctness & censorship

21) Those are only some of the examples of the policies and values which the Conservative Party have that are similar, or even identical to the Liberal, NDP, and Green Parties. In an attempt to pander to special interest groups, the CPC has driven themselves farther to the left.

22) Just looking at the support for the UN's Agenda 2030 should tell Canadians everything they need to know about how conservative the "Conservative Party" is. Agenda 2030 is the framework for global socialist government and the Conservative Party signed us onto it in 2015.

23) That statement is irrefutable and entirely factual. The Conservative Party openly promotes the framework for a global, socialist world-government in Canada. That is about as far removed from the definition of 'conservative' as we can get. What does this mean?

24) The CPC cannot claim to promote conservative values and also support Agenda 2030 because Socialism is the opposite of what true conservative values represent. Because they openly promote Socialism, they cannot be truly conservative. It is merely a brand name for the party.

25) If you support true conservative values and you reject Socialism, world government, censorship, wealth redistribution, CO2 taxes, open borders, massive government surveillance, etc, will your conscience let you vote for the @CPC_HQ again? What do you think?