Canada’s most recent Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper offered his working definition of conservatism on an episode of the .think atlantic podcast.
“Conservatism is a set of practices and beliefs, derived from history and experience and things that work. Conservatism is inductive. We observe what works and we derive lessons from that. Conservatism is not a set of abstract rules that apply against reality,” said Harper, adding that it’s a practise grounded in specific experience and place.
Hosted by IRI’s Thibault Muzergues, the pair discuss Harper’s 2018 book Right Here, Right Now: Politics and Leadership in the Age of Disruption, and delve into how conservatism properly understood can be a tool for mitigating risk and uncertainty, not just in government but in business and life as well.
A wide-ranging discussion that draws on Harper’s experience as prime minister and on guiding Canada through the global financial crisis, the interview also touches on timely issues relevant to the challenges facing western democracies across the world. Issues such as:
- What exactly is populism and how can it be properly harnessed for positive ends?
- How must conservative politics change so as to better address our current climate, specifically the needs of the working and middle classes?
- The differences between a positive patriotism that’s a force for good in society and more negative manifestations of ethnic nationalism.
- The threat of a rising China.
- His biggest accomplishments and regrets from his time as prime minister.
