Discuss the Strengths and the Weaknesses of conservative Criticisms of Liberal Democracy.

This essay will attempt to highlight both the strengths and weaknesses of the conservative criticisms of liberal democracy. The main focus will be on ‘The New Right’ although will include some history of both liberal democracy, and conservatism. The idea behind a ‘Liberal Democratic State’ is one to ‘combine individual freedom with the idea of popular sovereignty’ (Axford and Rosamond, 1997, p118,). It is considered that Edmund Burke is ‘father of modern conservatism’ he believed in the importance of tradition and in the well known and accepted political norms. Burke was one of the first to reject the principals and ideologies of the liberals and to criticise them. The concepts and beliefs that surround ‘conservatism’ are to keep them close with traditions. This is also without any sudden or radical changes. The concept looks towards strong family values and an ordered society. Both the idea behind liberalism and liberal democracy is to pay attention to the individual self, but also to be sure that equal rights for all are being exercised.

Within this topic there are many strengths and weaknesses, however as briefly mentioned there are some clear differences between two ideologies. In the late eighteenth century, and very similar to more recent times, conservatism looked towards keeping things the same with very slow and gradual change. If there were any hints of a reform or change, then it would have to go along with traditions and continuum. The liberal approach both favours and tends to support radical change, within their ideological principals. Here it can be considered that the conservative view is more of a direct strength, in that within society there needs to be a continual flow of policies and not so much radical change, the ideology also supports the maintenance of order, and the term that is often used and referred to is that “if it ain’t broke, then don’t try to fix it”. If radical change was strongly supported and enforced then this may lead to the public’s lack of confidence within the government being that they keep on changing their ideas and policies.

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Another difference between them is that the liberal ideologists, as mentioned, believe in individual rights and equality for all. This was seen to be a criticism in view of those whose values lied with the conservative ideologies. They believed that if you were entitled to rights then you would receive them, and not other wise. An example of this is a member of a particular state is entitled to rights such as that to hold a passport and the right to vote within that state. Other values within the conservative belief are that there is un-equality amongst the people within society. That there is hierarchy based system in place, especially when linked also with the class system. The upper class, who earns most the most money and/or those who have inherited their wealth, and are able to afford a lifestyle that, places them in the upper class segment. Then down to the middle class and lower to the working and lower classes. What can also be considered here is an issue which can still be agued contuse today, is power and rights based on gender. It is fair to say that men were given more rights than women. In comparison to this the liberalists believe in again the equal rights for all. This can be classed as one of the few weaknesses on the conservative's behalf, due to the strength of the idea behind equality for all. On the other hand, whereas this may be the case in this time, back in the late eighteenth century the class system was very much in power over equal rights and so for the time may have worked out better and so would be considered to be a strength within their society.

‘The New Right’ and the ideologies that support it have been around and constantly developing since 1944. F.A.von Hayek, an Austrian Social Theorist, was in full support of the old liberal views and the idea behind the free market. The main principal behind the free market was to find the greatest efficiency within the market to allow society to both make more and spend more of their money. He made these views reappear in a time where conservatism was a high point within society. The idea behind the free market would allow then, for a stronger state. With a stronger state in power changes would be made to then maintain the order of the state. More police were put on duty to control social deviance, an increase in both spending on defence and protecting British rights and interests abroad. This was proven to be a strength of liberal democracy, as state powers were increasingly inviting radical change and opening to the free market. During the fifties, two others who were also able to set the trends in the direction of The New Right were Milton Friedman, and Enoch Powell.

Friedman believed in the weakening of the conservatism state powers and the strengthening of both rights and equal rights for all. Powell looked very much into the economic side of The New Right. He wanted to decrease the levels of post war spending and therefore increase what the pubic had left to spend on them.

In the years that Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, she very much adopted the radical change view, which can be argued, was disliked by many members of both the Conservative Party, and those who believed in the conservative values. Although this may be the case, she wanted to keep and return to some of the more traditional ideologies of conservatism; ideologies such as strong family values. Thatcher was able, in her eleven years as Prime Minister, to combine both traditional conservative views and ideologies and neo-liberalism. Neo-liberalism argues for a more limited state power and free markets. Effectively giving society more freedom to do what it is that they want. The more traditional views also included the Anti-feminist and youth culture groups; and to return more towards the Victorian values. An outcome of this combination was to have a new self reliant state. This self reliant state would come about from a reduction of the welfare state. This in relation to liberalism, would be found to be a strength. In that liberalism originally found self reliance and individual liberty to be one f their main values and policies. Conservatism on the other hand opposed this, however during the eighties this became one of Thatcher’s main ideas. The combination of neo-liberalism and conservatism was later called ‘Thatcherism’.

Thatcherism allowed space for many new voters. Especially those whom would normally be found to be voting for the Labour candidate and party, because of their manifesto. Voters such as the working class, who were in full support for workers rights and Trade Unions; Thatcher was very much opposed to this idea. This was due to people having more of their own money to spend, many were able to sell off their council homes and become home owners; Thatcher was also able to capture this group with her ideologies and policies.

Many of the main ideologies behind The New Right and neo-liberalism sought to be of a weakness in the views of those who were in favour of conservatism. Primarily because these ideas worked in opposition to their own. Margaret Thatcher was in support of strengthening to economy, although this would only help and benefit some, and not all. Even though she was in favour of encouraging a self reliant state by making it easier to become a home owner, it became much harder for those who were not able to do this and was renting accommodation. And again, in what the conservatives may have felt to be a strength was the weakening of workers rights and Trade Unions powers. This was one of the original liberal ideas that Thatcher was able to remove. What would also be considered to be a weakness with the New Right is the notion to limit and reduce state powers and spending. Traditional conservatism is more in favour of spending public earnings on defence both within the country and out, and law enforcements. For the conservative to want to spend like this, would also strengthen the limitations on the individual which The New Right does not support.

One of the main strengths within The New Right that the conservatives also believed in, was the return of the more traditional Victorian values. Although this was the case, some of these values infringed on what other ideologies were being practiced. Some of which being the encouragements of individual freedom, traditional Victorian values are set against the freedom of sexual revolutions, feminist groups and youth cultures. So again it is noted that these rights were only made to suit some and not all.

To conclude, there are some critical strengths that are found within the liberal democratic system, although due to their differences in beliefs and ideologies many more weaknesses were found. Many of these new principals were rejected by other loyal members of the Conservative Party. It was the idea behind the liberal thinking of radical change, and the break up of traditional values and ideologies. The conservatives as mentioned were much more a custom to the concept of gradual change.