National Conservatives: New Wine or Nouveau Plonk?

[Stavros]

Yesterday in the thread on Israel, I posted a video by Melanie Phillips. At the National Conservative conference in Brussels last month, among other things she attacked what she called the Individualism which she believes is undermining the integrity of the family and the Nation. It was a curious remark similar to the remarks made to Tucker Carlson by the Russian he calls 'Putin's Brain', when Aleksandr Dugin argued that the decline of the 'Anglo-Saxon West' was caused in part by a wave of liberations, including the liberation of the individual from any set identity (the Carlson video is in the Russia thread).

The link below offers a manifesto of the National Conservatives. And while they claim to support Free Enterprise and Free Markets, note that they are not Libertarians. Far from advocating the dismantling of Government and the freedom of the individual from the State, the 'Nation' is now revived as the key structure that holds the state together: a Nation Strong and Independent, not subsumed into a 'trans-National' body, one that negotiates trade and alliances on the basis solely of its 'National Interest', and is opposed to social changes that undermine the family, and is insistent on the role played that must be played by Almighty God. This suggests to me the abolition of the UN and the EU, and that's just for starters.

Sounds to me not like a new wine in a new bottle, but the acidic plonk we had in the early 20th century, called Fascism. So why don't they just say so?

Judge for yourself. Here are some extracts-

"We support a system of free cooperation and competition among nation-states, working together through trade treaties, defensive alliances, and other common projects that respect the independence of their members. But we oppose transferring the authority of elected governments to transnational or supranational bodies—a trend that pretends to high moral legitimacy even as it weakens representative government, sows public alienation and distrust, and strengthens the influence of autocratic regimes."

"No nation can long endure without humility and gratitude before God and fear of his judgment that are found in authentic religious tradition."

"...the free market cannot be absolute. Economic policy must serve the general welfare of the nation. "

"The traditional family, built around a lifelong bond between a man and a woman, and on a lifelong bond between parents and children, is the foundation of all other achievements of our civilization. The disintegration of the family, including a marked decline in marriage and childbirth, gravely threatens the wellbeing and sustainability of democratic nations. Among the causes are an unconstrained individualism that regards children as a burden, while encouraging ever more radical forms of sexual license and experimentation as an alternative to the responsibilities of family and congregational life."

Lots more here:

National Conservatism: A Statement of Principles - National Conservatism

[Stavros]

Who are the National Conservatives? | Sebastian Milbank | The Critic Magazine