One nation

By Anthony O'Hear, Professor of Philosophy at Buckingham University, and editor of Philosophy journal.

Following Ed Miliband’s evocation of ‘one nation’ at his party conference, various Conservative big-wigs immediately began lamenting this theft of their clothes.  But few seemed to have reflected on what might be involved in ‘one nation’, particularly in Miliband’s understanding of the phrase, which is very un-conservative indeed, the very last thing we should fighting to own.

We can leave aside the extent to which Disraeli was a conservative, perceptive as he was in identifying the intrinsic conservatism of the English working class. We should focus rather on ‘Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer’, or its variants, that perennial siren call of tyrants and demagogues. And we should ask whether in the Miliband vision, Fuhrers aside, ein Reich will require more than ein Partei.

Certainly it involves far more than a sense of equal rights under a shared constitution. For one of Miliband’s stripe, one nationhood means one education system, one system of health and child care, one trajectory for each citizen from cradle to grave. There will be one ‘level playing field’, ironing out differences of investment between different parts of the nation, and centralised regulation of pretty well everything that moves, from railways to power utilities to the press and the media. Miliband’s nation is also one all-inclusive nation, supposedly embracing all differences in a superficially soft relativism, but enforced by ever more petty systems of thought and speech control.

Then if, as sociologists tell us, nations need scapegoats, ‘One Nation’ Labour is obsessive in its pursuit of the Murdoch empire and the financiers. (Financiers as scapegoats? We’ve  heard that before somewhere). And as for our one nation totem pole, it isn’t just the Olympic Games that have canonised the NHS; Andy Burnham is already speaking of the NHS as ‘the ultimate symbol’ of One Nation Britain, ‘our most valued institution’.

Well, not by me, it isn’t, nor one imagines by anyone who is honest about some of the experiences they and their loved ones will undoubtedly have had with that creaking Stalinist Behemoth (and similar things can be said about the state education Old, New and One Nation Labour are all so wedded to). And this is where real conservatives should begin the fight against the Milibandian nation from which even now I feel myself in internal exile (for in large part it already exists). That nation is an intolerant dirigisme, exploiting corrupt notions of fairness and equality to stifle not just personal  freedom and responsibility, but also genuine diversity of opinion and association and locality, all the little platoons of autonomous initiative which made the nation we once were admired throughout the civilised world.

Comments

[Philosopher's Philosopher]

Is there a conclusion?

P.S. why has the date been shown in US format (i.e. month, day, year)....or is this article from September?

[belbylafarge]

This is not very scholarly. The author's proneness to hyperbole in describing the Labour approach makes him look foolish.

[Sally Roberts]

‘Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer’

A perversion of what 'One Nation' means and I would hope that Ed Miliband with his family background would shy away in horror from such a meaning.

'One Nation' to me means what Disraeli intended it to mean - that Rich and Poor are not separate 'Nations' and care must be extended to the least advantaged in our Society.

Actually let's not just have 'One Nation' Let's have 'One World'...

[Donald Burling]

Let's model our One Nation thinking on the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury, who from a position of extreme privilege devoted himself to the interests of the poor. He may not have been a typical Conservative politician, but a survey of grass-roots Tories just before the conference suggests that the majority are not so far from his viewpoint.

[Crosscop]

It was hard enough to see the UK as "One Nation" when it was made up of English, Scots, Welsh and Irish. Now, with the addition of Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Somalis, Jamaicans, Afghans, etc etc etc - there is no chance whatsoever. What we are facing is Balkanisation.

[lestPrearce]

One can find absolutely loads of details like that to take into consideration. That is an awesome point to bring up. I offer you the thoughts above as general inspiration but clearly you'll find questions like the one you bring up where by far the most significant thing are going to be working in honest very good faith. I don?t know if ideal practices have emerged about issues like that, but I'm certain that your job is clearly identified as a fair game. Both boys and girls really feel the impact of just a moment's pleasure, for the rest of their lives.

christian louboutin shoes

[toms shoes]

http://conectandoatitlan.org/foro/6-gestion-de-riesgo/90942-generally-obtained-by-those#90942

[replica louis vuitton]

http://meide100.com/content/%E5%A4%A7%E5%9C%B0%E8%BE%B9%E7%BC%98?page=19#comment-45865

[Chanel Bags Outlet]

Soire poker Pour russir rcolter la somme de ten 000 $, diffrentes activits ont t organises l'interne. Cependant, l'activit la furthermore importante sera la soire Poker Texas Holdem, organise le samedi seven juin 19 h, au Club de golfing de CapRouge. Le cot d'entre est de 35 $ et donne droit l'quivalent de one 400 $ en jetons. Il est noter que le nombre de individuals est restrict two hundred. Rservez vite votre place!

[ルイヴィトン 新作 バッグ 2012]

Far more from Avoidance: six Ways to Fake A superb Hairstyle

[ポールスミス 長財布]

The French sports activities newspaper L says Thursday that Monaco, an bold French seconddivision club, has ended talks with Beckham, though his advisers have refused to comment.

[ルイヴィトン エピ バッグ]

We proceed to observe beaver exercise to ascertain the extent of impacts on special drainage methods.

[MCM リュック]

We are going to not publish comments which can be profane, libelous, racist, or have interaction in own attacks.

[ルイヴィトン 2013]

The additional beaver populations move clear of their unique habitat and establish new ponds throughout the watershed or construct new wetlands (flooded places) adjacent for the watershed.The greater elements we clear away through the dam, the greater trees the beavers cut down, which devastates the surrounding setting and landscapes.