Sunday 30 June 2013

19 of 20 Mutual Benefit

19 of 20 Mutual Benefit

All business should be striving for situations of mutual benefit/profit and not be engaged in economic cannibalism.

This principle is in tune with the last 4, all are basically saying do not exploit. Don't exploit, your employer or employees, suppliers or customers. When you do business try and make your dealings be of mutual benefit, so that all those involved come out in front. That is not always possible, at times not even desirable, but such situations should be the exception and not the rule.




Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Friday 28 June 2013

18 of 20 Customers

18 of 20 Customers

Customers keep the business in business, they matter.

I am currently having difficulties with my internet connection, the company is Australian, the country I live in. But when I have a problem I must call them, they have both offices and shops but they will not/ cannot help. I must call the Philippines, the people I speak to are nice and they try their best to help but it is really a problem they cannot fix. The real problem is that the company doesn't see me or my problem as important. I see this over and over again, the procedures of the company or Government department is more important than dealing with me. I am a number not a person, I am an annoying problem to them instead of being the reason they exist.

This is not a the customer is always right tirade, as that is simply not true. But without my support and lets face it money, how does this company survive? Without customers businesses die. A Conservative company protects it's customers, as they are what will provide it with a future.



Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Tuesday 25 June 2013

17 of 20 Employers and Employees

17 of 20 Employers and Employees

Employees matter, wherever in the organisation they are.

Within any organisation the people who work there are what allow it to exist. If no one worked there then it would not, in fact could not exist. As they are so important, they should be treated as important. They should be shown respect, both in person and in procedure, they should receive a living wage enabling them to live decently, with dignity. It should apply to everyone within an organisation no matter how big or small the organisation is and it should apply at all levels. From the most senior personnel to the newest, from the leadership to those engaged in the most menial of tasks.




Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

16 of 20 Profit

16 of 20 Profit

Firms should be profitable, not for profits sake but so that they can remain ongoing concerns.

There is nothing wrong with profit, but there is something wrong with greed. The aim of profits should be to pay the bills of the firm and to provide for the future. There may be a time when a firm needs to maximise profits, but that should be an exception not standard operating procedure. A profit at all costs attitude is one that is an economic attack upon the community.

A profitable firm provides jobs, economic activity, taxes and maybe most importantly of all a future, a shared future.



Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Sunday 23 June 2013

15 of 20 Rational and Irrational

15 of 20 Rational and Irrational

Conservatives do not believe man to be perfectible if only his institutions can be reformed or destroyed; Conservatives hold that man by his very nature is a mixture of good and evil, of rationality and irrationality.

Anarchists believe that if Government and other institutions are destroyed than the innate goodness of man will appear. Libertarians say Government bad, but the marketplace is good, then the real nature of man will appear. Communists and Socialists believe that Government can run the world better than people can and that once free from thinking about these petty concerns people will be happier. Fascists believe much the same, as do Left-Liberals. Right-Liberals like Government abit, but business alot. They all believe that there is a way of making us better people, that the person we are is inadequate and needs improvement.

Conservatives reject all of that, we believe that while we are all imperfect, that will not change to any great degree. That we must work with the material at hand and while it may be possible to improve or change things they will most likely be small and may not be permanent changes. We further accept that while men and women can perform acts of great valour, selflessness and tenderness, they are also capable of great cruelty, dishonestly and greed. We are not only good or bad, we posses the ability to be both. That is the reality and that is the knowledge that we should go through life with.



Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Saturday 22 June 2013

14 of 20 Pattern in History

14 of 20 Pattern in History

Conservatism attempts to discern a "pattern in history" that will yield "clues" as to what is feasible or unfeasible.

When you have a reasonable amount of knowledge of history, you notice that the past is not past. That it created the present and that patterns repeat themselves. Nothing is exact, that is why you must look for patterns. War and peace for example, are two sides of the same coin, when someone promises us they can deliver world peace we know from our study of history that they do not have that power, no one does. When someone tells us they can make everyone rich, or poor or equal we know from our study of history that it never works. When someone promises that they can bring unending economic growth we know that they cannot. No matter how honest or good they are, it is more than all of mankind can achieve.

We should be looking to achieve small goals, ones that can be measured and stopped if they are wrong-headed. We should remember that "there is nothing new under the sun", it has probably been tried before and the reason we don't remember it is because it failed. Not all of our efforts will fail, but a proper understanding of history will help us to work out what has worked and what has not worked. What is worth our efforts and what we should not bother ourselves with.

This principle is one of 5 that Francis Graham Wilson proposed, for more on this important Conservative thinker:



Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Friday 21 June 2013

13 of 20 Patriotism

13 of 20 Patriotism

Patriotism is right and proper.

To love your country is to love something greater than oneself, it is a love of the community that makes up your country. Both a love of the landscape and it's people. It is not a love of the individual, it is not narcissistic, it is not selfish. Without our own country we are homeless, it gives us comfort simply by existing. It gives us sustenance and a place of belonging. 

We know our country cannot love us back, which makes our love more precious, more pure. Patriotism is love.



Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Thursday 20 June 2013

12 of 20 The Principle of Respect

12 of 20 The Principle of Respect

Conservatives believe that Traditional authority should be respected, not absolute obedience but respect.

When I served in the army I was told that you do not salute the man you salute his rank. We should respect rank, in the military, in courts, in politics as well as in other areas. But it doesn't mean we need to blindly follow whatever we are told. We need to use our own judgement to decide if we agree or not with something. But we should still show respect, because our current issues are not with institutions, nor with authority, our problem is with an ideology. 

We should not lose sight of that fact, as we still need and want those institutions, we still need and want that authority. 




Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Wednesday 19 June 2013

11 of 20 The Principle of Defence

11 of 20 The Principle of Defence

The Defence of the Nation and it's interests is a permanent mandate of Government, it has no higher duty.

If the Government cannot protect the state then how can it protect you? If it cannot, or will not protect you what right does it have to ask you to serve it, to obey it's laws or pay tax? We give up freedoms collectively in return for the protection of the Government. It is a trade off, but the Government must at all times uphold it's part for this to work. We expect not that we are totally safe at all times but that the Government and the institutions of government are committed to doing their duty towards us to the best of their ability. That we can expect a reasonable measure of safety and security.

Winston Churchill said this to the British House of Commons on the 12th of November, 1936:

"I have heard it said that the Government had no mandate for rearmament until the General Election. Such a doctrine is wholly inadmissible. The responsibility of Ministers for the public safety is absolute and requires no mandate. It is in fact the prime object for which Governments come into existence."

Absolutely!




Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Tuesday 18 June 2013

10 of 20 The Principle of Mutual Obligation

10 of 20 The Principle of Mutual Obligation

The poor and the weak should be protected from the rich and the strong, but it is better to encourage those able to look after themselves to do so and to concentrate on those truly in need of our aid and protection.

It is civilized to protect those unable to protect themselves, it is right to aid the poor, to protect them from pain, suffering and indignity. Just as it is right and proper for those who need assistance to be honest and to not exploit or game the system.

We are not Libertarians who believe in a dog eat dog world, we are not Right-Liberals who believe in economic man and in no other, we are not Left-Liberals who believe everyone should be supported by Government. As Conservatives we believe in a middle ground, a moderate place where those who need aid are provided for and those who do not are able to provide for themselves. We sometimes hear the argument that the poor have only themselves to blame, is it their fault that jobs are scarce? Is it their fault that they are old or sick? If we are serious about ending welfare dependency then we need to provide jobs that pay a living wage, only by providing an economic alternative can it end.




Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Monday 17 June 2013

9 of 20 The Male and Female Pillars

9 of 20 The Male and Female Pillars

The Conservative knows that there is no war between the sexes because men and women are the twin pillars of the human race. They are mutually supporting, bringing the opposite of what the other has, they fit together and are expressly made to fit together.

A Traditional Conservative society believes in men and women having their rightful place, we do not believe in one sex exploiting the other but in mutual respect and support for the unique role that each plays. That each sex is better at some things than at others and while they may be able to do what the other sex does it will rarely be as good. That both sexes have a special place within society and that that place should be protected and honoured.

We reject the idea of men and women being rivals just as we reject the idea that they are interchangeable and the differences that make them unique do not exist or should be ignored. There are two pillars that hold up the human race and they are men and women, one pillar will not do, nor will two pillars pushing in opposite directions. Only with the mutual support of each, can both be strong.



Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Sunday 16 June 2013

8 of 20 Permanence and Progression

8 of 20 Permanence and Progression

The Conservative knows that any healthy society is influenced by two forces, which Samuel Taylor Coleridge called it's permanence and it's progression, in short the Conservative favours reasoned and temperate progress. He is opposed to the cult of progress, which believes that everything new is superior to everything old.

While the Conservative believes in an enduring moral order, the world in which he lives is not static. It is constantly changing, somethings slowly and at other times change is quick. Not simply in our own age but in all ages. People are constantly being born while others die, the seasons change and with it the weather, even the landscape, which seems unchanging in fact does change.

The Conservative needs to both understand this as well as accept it. The most common problem is that because something is one day going to change someone wants to do it today just because they can. But we know that while death is a natural part of life that doesn't mean that murder is also fine. The argument that after all that person was always destined to die isn't good enough. But it is an argument we hear, for nothing can stand in the way of progress, not even wisdom. We must provide and support that wisdom.



Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Friday 14 June 2013

7 of 20 Constitutional Restrictions

7 of 20 Constitutional Restrictions

The Conservative does not put his trust in mere benevolence. Constitutional restrictions, checks and balances, adequate enforcement of the law and the old intricate web of restraint upon will and appetite, these the Conservative approves as instruments of freedom and order. A just Government maintains a healthy tension between the claims of authority and the claims of liberty. 

We are asked constantly by Government as well as by business to trust, that we need to trust them with our security, our life, our privacy, that they have our best interest at heart. Well maybe they do, but we can only trust so far without being naive. How do we know how much trust we should show? Well a good indicator is the law. Is what they are doing lawful, is it necessary, is it harmful, all of these questions need answers, not necessarily exact answers but answers that still give us a guide to decide if we should trust.

Last week it was revealed that the United States Government has been intercepting all phone and internet traffic within the United States, so that it could use this "meta" data to stop terrorist attacks. Is this lawful? Is it necessary? Is it harmful? I don't know if it is legal or not, I'm sure this is being debated right now. Is it necessary, it seems it is necessary, terrorism exists and much of it is directed at the United States. Is it harmful, again that can only be decided with more information, but it appears at the moment as if it is not harmful.

The main problem is that it is self-regulated, where are the checks and balance's? Where is the web of restraint? Benevolence, mere benevolence seems to be the only restraint, for such a program to get our approval it must first be necessary, secondly it must have checks and balances and thirdly it must be lawful. Not so that it can tick a box and be approved of, but so that adequate oversight can be given, so that then we can know that there is a web of restraint upon will and appetite.


Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Thursday 13 June 2013

6 of 20 Freedom and Private Property

6 of 20 Freedom and Private Property

That freedom and private property is such a close link that to take away one is to take away the other

This was originally directed at Communism and Fascism, but it can equally be directed at Left and Right Liberalism. When Left Liberalism is strong it wants to devalue private property as it gives strength which can be used against Government. 

Right Liberalism isn't much better, because while it seems at first that they would be in favour of private property their record shows things aren't quite that simple. It isn't that they don't believe in private property it's that they tend to pick sides and they have a big tendency to side with who ever is the biggest. In a fight between a big company and a small company, they tend to side with the big company. In a fight between a private citizen and a company they often side with the company. They believe in money, not in the common good, it's something we should always keep in mind when thinking or dealing with them.


Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Wednesday 12 June 2013

5 of 20 The Principle of Hierarchy

5 of 20 The Principle of Hierarchy 

The Principle of Hierarchy: Hierarchy preserves and protects the whole community simultaneously, instead of protecting one part at the expense of the others.

One of the great lies of our age is that we live in a classless society, that anyone can be rich and powerful. That it is only your efforts that hold you back from everything you want. But it is manifestly untrue at every level. There have always been rich and poor and that continues as it will into the future. Further it encourages the idea that your social class is temporary, but for the vast majority of us it will not be temporary, it will be the same at our birth as it is at our death. As Liberalism is want to do it sees the exceptions and proclaims them as the the standard.

It also discourages each social class from protecting itself and in turn the other social classes. Our social obligations are ignored because our situation is regarded as only temporary. Society is suffering because the care that is need by each social class is not being provided. Each social class is in turn plundered when required to hold up the other social classes, it is a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Paid parental leave is an example, parents are paid to stay home with their new born child at the tax payers expense. The people most likely to use such a scheme are the middle class. So working class people get to pay for the middle class. It works in reverse as well, the middle class get to pay for welfare that is mainly working class such as single mothers and unemployment benefits. Neither social class is responsible for this state of affairs it is the Liberal system that has created this dysfunction and only when it is brought to heel will it stop.




Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Tuesday 11 June 2013

4 of 20 The Principle of Variety

4 of 20 The Principle of Variety

The Principle of Variety: We should respect the variety within the human race, which includes class, sex, race and ability amongst others.

Every man and women has their own distinct looks, abilities and personality. They will at the same time have features and attributes in common with other people, not only one person is attractive or mean for example. They are features shared by many others but not by all people. It is that mix that makes us distinct individuals. That means that there is a wide variety of people and it is that variety that makes up the human race.

It may sound like I have just described diversity, well there is nothing wrong with either the word or the meaning, the problem with modern "diversity" is that it is imposed instead of simply experienced. Variety is about accepting the reality of the world as it already exists, not in imposing variety upon people. It is about allowing for the differences that occur. We do not want a world were everyone looks the same or thinks the same, we know we need variety. We need to accept those less fortunate than us and also those more fortunate than us. As well as those who are simply different. That does not mean that we must accept everything and everyone, we do not have a limitless ability to be tolerant, there are limits. But in the main we need to view variety as a necessary part of life because the truth is that each one of us is part of that variety.


Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Monday 10 June 2013

3 of 20 The Principle of Prudence

3 of 20 The Principle of Prudence

The Principle of Prudence: think before you leap

What are the consequences of choosing a particular action? We often hear from Liberals that a particular action will have either no consequences or good consequences, well they are not the same thing are they! What they are really telling us is that they hope, maybe believe is a better word, that what they propose will turn out well. Here we can clearly see they have not shown any prudence, they have not thought before they took their leap. They have based their proposal upon faith not upon thought, faith not in God but in themselves and their ideals.

For Conservatives that is not enough we need to know that a proposal, no matter who proposes it, has merit, that it will produce a better outcome than before. Prudence does not prevent mistakes, either in thought or implementation, but it does provide a further barrier. Without prudence there is no safety barrier between us and the speeding cars on the highway of ideas.



Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Sunday 9 June 2013

2 of 20 Customs, Conventions and Permanence

2 of 20 Customs, Conventions and Permanence

Conservatives believe in traditions, customs, conventions and permanence. When those who seek to destroy the old ways succeed they start to create the exact same things that they claimed they didn't need or want, customs, conventions and permanence.

People cannot live in a vacuum and that includes a vacuum of ideas or thought. A world in which there are no  traditions or conventions is a world of constant change. It would be like never sleeping in the same house more than once, or working in the same place more than once or constantly making new friends because you will probably never meet your old friends again. It may be possible to live like that but what a horrible, miserable life it would be, a life, few, if anyone, would choose.



Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Saturday 8 June 2013

1 of 20 A Stable World of Enduring Values

1 of 20 A Stable World of Enduring Values

Conservatives believe that there exists an enduring moral order, human nature is constant and moral truths are permanent. They understand that men and women are best content when they can feel that they live in a stable world of enduring values.

When you look around you at the world and even at your own life do you believe that you live in a stable world of enduring values? I would hazard to guess the answer would be no, I know that I do not feel that way. We are under continuous siege, with the aim of undermining our defences. Our own thoughts are not allowed, we often feel we cannot speak our mind. That the values that we believe and cherish are secret, that they must not be spoken about in public.

Conveniently for me the post for today at OzConservative was on this very topic, a right up to the minute announcement that we do not live in a world of enduring moral values.

Peillon's conceit

http://ozconservative.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/peillons-conceit.html



Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Friday 7 June 2013

Conservative Principles

Conservative Principles

Over the next 20 posts I will be putting up 20 Conservative principles that I believe encapsulate what Conservatism stands for. I have already put up a post on Traditional Conservatism, this here should provide more food for thought and help define even further the underpinnings of Conservatism.

Some will be quite short and others will be longer, it is an attempt to give you the chance to comment upon what has been put up. If you disagree, say so, if you  agree why not say so and if you can, explain why.

You can be certain that I agree with each of these. Some are the work of Russell Kirk, some are mine, all are conservative. Mr. Kirk has at least two lists of conservative principles, but I do not believe they are extensive enough. For example he has nothing in either about Patriotism or the roles between the sexes, nor anything on economics. But you will notice his thoughts quite easily as they are very well thought out and written. It is amazing that so little work of this nature has been done and I for one am glad I found his thoughts.

Each Conservative Principle will be numbered 1 of 20 for example, that is not because 1 is better than 2 but to make sure each is given it's proper credit and to allow proper time to think on the principle concerned. I should also point out that 20 is a round number, Mr. Kirk had 10, I have 20, each is arbitrary but we do need some kind of limit while still explaining our ideas.

I hope you find these of value.

For anyone interested in checking out more on Russell Kirk I suggest you look here:

http://www.kirkcenter.org/




Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future


Wednesday 5 June 2013

What do Traditional Conservatives Believe?

What do Traditional Conservatives believe?

Traditional Conservatives believe in the Traditional structure of society, with different social classes and different sex roles. We do not believe in everything that happened in the past. We believe that the family is the basic structure of human society, not the individual nor the Government.

We reject the idea that the home is less important than paid work. We contend that the value to society, the individual, the Government and the economy of work within the home and in support of society is a value that cannot be counted. A value that makes life better and worth living. Without the support of the home, society and the economy collapse. Without the family the individual is alone with the Government as both their only support and their boss.

We reject the transfer of authority, wealth and influence from the family to Government. We contend that the transfer should end and indeed reverse.

We believe in full male employment and not in chronic unemployment, that either immigration or unemployment can exist but not both at the same time.

We believe in marriage not in divorce, we believe in community and not in isolation or individualism.

We believe in financial solvency and not in long term debt, we believe in each segment of society and the economy having their rightful place and influence but non dominating for long.

We believe in freedom of religion instead of being anti-religious.

We believe in social, political and economic stability.

We do not believe in change for change sake.

We believe in the Traditional family of one Husband/Father, one Wife/Mother and children. We are against any action or policy which attacks or weakens the Traditional family.

We believe that each segment of society should enjoy respect commensurate with their support for stability. We believe that extremes are only rarely of value and that moderation is normally the best policy.

We believe that the Government should be loyal to the people and that the people should return that loyalty.

We believe that employers and employees are on the same side, not competing against one another. We reject class warfare.

We believe that men and women need each other, both on a personal and societal level. We reject both the claim that men and women are rivals or that the differences between them don't matter. The differences are why men and women need each other.

We do not believe that man is lower than animals nor do we believe that mankind is better than angels. We believe in mans fallibility and imperfection. We further believe that extends to our works and institutions. We believe we need to strive to do our best as our imperfections stalk us.

We believe in our Heroes, great and small who gave so much to us and our heritage. We believe in the future of our people and Nation. We believe in the love of our country, in its honour and in its well being.

We believe in war and peace being opposite sides of the same coin and to prepare for both. We do not believe in mankind ending history, nor do we believe in the perfection of man nor of his institutions.

We believe that there will always be rich and poor and that the poor and weak need and deserve our protection. We do not believe in a dog eat dog world. But we do believe in healthy competition within society and the economy.

We believe in good policy and not in feel good politics.

We believe that the victims of crime deserve justice and that serious crime deserves serious punishment.

We believe in Traditional authority and its rightful place. We believe in respect for the Government and in respect for the rule of law and the institutions of Law. We believe in respect for our Armed Forces, Law Enforcement and Emergency Services. We further believe that that respect must be returned or respect can turn to contempt.

We believe in respect for our Glorious dead and for our veterans, for those who serve and those who have served.

We believe in equality of all before the Law, but reject the idea that equality means equal in ability or of outcome.

We believe that society should serve and protect the average person instead of the exceptions.

We believe that there is a time when necessity is more important than the ideal.

We believe that the Nation and its institutions exist to help and protect the citizen of the Nation first and foremost.

Finally we believe in human nature and that we have answers, but we know we do not have all the answers, for that you must seek a higher authority than man.



Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future

Monday 3 June 2013

Why isn't Conservatism advancing?

Why isn't Conservatism  advancing?

Presented here are the problems that we must overcome if we are to have an effect on the future.


- Lack of a coherent message

- Little opportunity to hear a Conservative message

- People thinking that Libertarianism or Right-Liberalism is Conservative, they are only conservative compared to those ideas further to the left. We need to always make ourselves distinct.

- Lack of funds

- Lack of a network of Conservatives

- Lack of action

- Lack of concrete things to do against Liberalism

- Lack of Institutional support


We do not need to solve them all at once, but bit by bit we do need to or we will not advance our cause.





Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future


Saturday 1 June 2013

A Conservative Future

A Conservative Future

While it is quite clear that Conservatives know what they are against, the importance of which cannot be stressed enough, it is also clear to me that Conservatives are not as sure of what they are in favour of. It is not enough simply to be against something, for us to achieve anything we must know what we are in favour of. It is easy to attack Liberalism, Feminism, Socialism, Communism, Fascism, Crony Capitalism but it only shows what we are against and it doesn't lead us anywhere. For us to have any effect on the future we need to not only know what we oppose but to know what we support.

We also need to stop aligning ourselves with people who support some of what we believe but who are really our enemies. Libertarians and Right-Liberals are the two biggest threats to us, they often say things we support and then so often we end up following them and they lead us further into Liberalism. They can never lead us anywhere else, because they support Liberalism. If we are to achieve anything we need our own movement, our own organisations, our own networks.

Ironically to fight Liberalism we need to take the things that work for them and use them against them. We need to develop small hardcore groups ready to develop doctrine and be ready to carry them out. We also need a much larger but mostly passive group of sympathizers. Neither of these things are out of our reach. We already have the beginnings of them on the internet, we need to form them in the real world. We need to build up networks and work together to achieve our aims. We need to launch campaigns against what we oppose. We need to let people know we exist and that opposition to Liberalism exists. We need to support our own candidates at each level of Government, we need to support our own candidates in every area of life that we can. And we need for them to know our support is not free.

If we are to have a Conservative future we need to build it ourselves, no one else is going to do it for us. There are many people waiting to be lead out of this Liberal nightmare, but until we are prepared to lead we will not advance, Liberalism will. Our choice is clear, a Liberal future or a Conservative Future!


Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future