'c(C)onservative' as a term of abuse

According to the BBC  'Conservatives'  have done very well in Iran's election. Turns out that by 'Conservative' they mean supporters of President AhMADinejad's regime and other supporters of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei who want Iran to take an ever harder line with the West over issues such as nuclear weapons power. So why describe them as 'Conservatives'?  Surely descriptions such as 'hardliners', 'reactionaries', revolutionaries', or 'Islamic fundamentalists' would better suit? Not for the BBC.

It often strikes me that the BBC use the word 'c(C)onservative' as an implied term of abuse.  When the Communists do well in Russian elections they are styled as 'conservatives', Castro's Marxist regime likewise, China's old guard are 'conservative forces.' I've even heard what the BBC calls 'the insurgency' (what most of us call terrorism) in Iraq being described as having a 'conservative leadership.' Very sloppy.  Very unfair.  And, probably, very deliberate.