The conservatives must safeguard its liberal heritage

When Ulf Kristersson on Monday unveiled the group that will take forward the Conservatives new performace institution, he took a starting point in the 1970s. Then was the M a new party: liberal-conservative, with the emphasis on the first stage. Värderingsmässigt the emphasis was on freedom and individualism, openness and internationalisation – all framed by a solid condence.

very many words about what the Liberals – the Moderates was called until the name change in 1969 – was for something it was not, however.

be worth recalling, for it is easy to forget. It did, in fact, the people that developed the M's last performace institution, when they are stressed how the party's historical end acted as a driving force in the fight for voting rights and equality.

It was an embarrassing defacement, probably based on what the liberal-minded conservatives desired that the party had been.

In fact, were right, either for voting rights or for equality. Before the 1970s the transformation was not the emphasis on freedom and individualism, without tradition and nation. Where there was a sense of protectionism and distrust of both the present and the future.

exaggerate the importance of the liberal conversion Gösta Bohman took off. Not just that ideas impact has made Sweden a much better country to live in, but to M:s change was necessary for their implementation. As long as american policy högerflank was dominated by an inward-looking and backward-looking party, it was impossible to unite the bourgeoisie in the fight against the social democrats on both the power of ideas.

A libertarian, outward-looking and framtidsoptimistiskt M has been decisive for the bourgeoisie to be able to gather and win.

But Gösta Bohman's liberal impulse, it is unlikely that the moderate party, the liberal Party and the Centre party ensured that Thorbjörn Fälldin in 1976 could break's subscription to statsministerposten. But Carl Bildt's the deepening of the project had hardly the bourgeois gained power in 1991 and embarked on the liberalisation of the Swedish economy. And had Fredrik Reinfeldt have not completed the movement against the liberal middle, the Alliance hardly come to, much less succeeded in implementing its reforms of taxes and social security systems. A libertarian, outward-looking and framtidsoptimistiskt M has been decisive for the bourgeoisie to be able to gather and win.

obvious that important parts of the Conservatives right now nostalgically look back – in terms of both Sweden and the own party. They see both the present and the future in dark colors. The emphasis moved – more or less gently – back, from the individual and freedom, nation and tradition.

the Shift embodied by the M-representative, like the Christian Sonesson in Staffanstorp, not just turning a blind eye to the risks involved in making themselves dependent on, The sweden democrats, but look for opportunities to work with a party with which they find points of contact in the analysis of society and values.

It would be devastating if the elements of M who want to take the party backward in time to determine its direction. In such a case, reduce the chances drastically for the bourgeoisie to come together again.

the form they are hardly the majority of the Moderates. It is not a coincidence that the party led by a person who is more liberal than conservative. Or to the group to take forward the new program consists of clearly libertarian-minded people, as EU parliamentarian Christofer Fjellner and the former biståndsministern Gunilla Carlsson.

They should safeguard the liberal idéarv who has earned the Conservatives, the bourgeoisie and Sweden as well.