Two writers David Frum and John O'Sullivan have recently written about the three major components of any successful conservative coalition: social, economic and patriotic conservatives.
This is what John O'Sullivan wrote for New Criterion:
"Making due allowance for national differences, conservatives win elections when they have the support of three groups—nationalists, moral traditionalists, and supporters of free enterprise. Naturally these groups debate within the coalition, sometimes passionately, but they generally reached compromises that enabled them to present a common policy in public. But a party that deliberately alienates one of these factions, let alone two, is preparing to lose the next election."
In an article for the New York Times - Turning The Triple Play - David Frum reviewed the tensions between the three main components of America's conservative coalition. He argues for all to evolve.
The following issues tend to characterise the three legs of 'the conservative stool':
- Economic conservatives worry about free trade, taxation, regulation, education of the workforce...
- Social conservatives worry about marriage, abortion, euthanasia, religious education, poverty...
- Patriotic or security conservatives worry about immigration, the armed forces, immigration, law and order, national sovereighty...
The shields that crown conservativehome also attempt to represent the broad nature of the conservative coalition. Click here for an explanation of them.
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