New Right conservatism - a two-dimensional doctrine Flashcards
New Right conservatism…
New Right conservatism is best described as a merger between two distinct ideologies: neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism.
Neo-liberalism is principally associated with Friedrich von Hayek. Hayek’s views were subsequently reinforced by American economist Milton Friedman and, in the UK, by think-tanks such as the Adam Smith Institute and the Institute of Economic Affairs. It also chimes with the libertarian philosophy of Robert Nozick and Ayn Rand.
Neo-liberalism’s aims…
Neo-liberalism’s aims can be distilled into the following objective: to extend individual freedom by ‘rolling back the frontiers of the state’ in order to create a free market economy.
According to thinkers like Nozick and Rand, such measures would not just promote freedom, they would also lead to the return of economic growth and a vibrant, prosperous society.
Neo-liberals wished to see…
> A drastic reduction in taxation
> A much tighter control of government spending (along the monetarist lines prescribed by Friedman)
> An end to the dependency culture arising from expensive welfare states
> The deregulation and privatisation of services carried out by government
> The neutering of ‘obstructive’ bodies wedded to ‘statist’ ideas (such as trade unions and many local councils)
Neo-conservatism…
Neo-conservatism, meanwhile, is associated with American scholars like Irving Kristol and British philosophers like Roger Scruton. Whereas neo-liberalism’s concern was the salvation of individual liberty, neo-conservatism’s main objective was the restoration of authority, national identity and a society informed by Judaeo-Christian morality.
Neo-conservatives wished to see…
> A tougher approach to law and order, involving more powers for the police and stiffer sentences for offenders
> A more robust approach to national defence, including a less conciliatory approach to the nation’s potential enemies (in the context of the 1970s, the Soviet Union)
> A less tolerant approach to immigration (due to its challenge to national identity)
> Anti-permissive social policies (in respect of issues like abortion and homosexuality) and the promotion of ‘traditional’ family structures via the state’s tax and benefits system
