Nailing Toryism

The incomparable Andrew Sullivan blogged an except from his most recent book, The Conservative Soul, which provides a succinct and very workable definition of toryism — not to mention a rationale for why I created this blog.

Tories revere tradition above all things. But they understand that tradition, like everything else associated with the human condition, must bend with the times. Benjamin Disraeli, one of the principal inspirations of red toryism, understood this essential truth better than any public figure of his century. He perceived the social and cultural upheavals taking place around him and the dangers posed to Britain and toryism alike if a  way were not found to come to terms with these changes.

Disraeli grasped the essense of conservatism: that it is first and foremost about realism, understanding both the permance and impermanence associated with the human condition and adapting our actions accordingly.