David Cameron And The New Socially Responsible Conservatives
It can be true today but it would not be possible fifteen years ago. The new course of the UK Conservative leader David Cameron can make some conservative groups to feel unfonfortable with the new course of their party when he talks about Social Responsibility.
The Social Responsibility as a term however has always been a part of the theory of the conservatism and a part of the way the conservative thinker see the national state and the society. So Mr. Cameron does not play agains the rules. He just brings out a political philosophy, traditional for the right.
Another idea of the young leader of the UK Tory is to redefine what does the word poverty mean in the modern society. Mr. Cameron claimed that the new conservatism can produce a policy that makes society richer as a whole, in contrast with the idea that the free market is the best tool to fight poorness.
According to the leader of the Conservative party, there is a “relative poverty” which means there are people that lack things which others in society take for granted.
“I believe that poverty is an economic waste, a moral disgrace,” Mr Cameron said to the Telegraph newspaper last week. “We used to think of poverty in absolute terms – meaning material deprivation. We need to think of poverty in relative terms – the fact that some people lack those things which others in society take for granted. I want this message to go out loud and clear: the Conservative Party recognises, will measure and will act on relative poverty.”
I don’t know if some people might accuse Mr. Cameron of reshaping the conservatism, but the thing that can not be put on doubt is that the world changed a lot since the early 90s. Internet, new technologies and the economic and international situation set new different challanges and poverty is really one of them. So I believe Mr. Cameron’s words will touch not just the UK voters but will echo worldwide.
