Conservatives in United Kingdom

Conservatives Meaning in Politics

Description of Conservatives published by Mona Chalabi: Although it can trace its roots back to the 17th century (making it the oldest political party in Europe), the modern Conservative Party was founded in 1834 and is one of Britain’s two largest political parties. Led by the current prime minister, David Cameron, the party is right of center; lower taxation is a consistent strand of its policy. Traditionally, the party was associated with the aristocracy and landowners. But it managed to gain the support of the middle class and, more recently, supporters across British economic groups.

Unlike in the U.S., Brits associate the color blue with the political right and red with the political left. Historically, that can be explained by the rise of red being used by socialists in France, leaving the Conservatives to reconsider their red, blue and white color scheme (chosen because of the British flag). In recent years, the Conservatives have sought to soften their image by using a slightly paler shade of blue and incorporating green to underline their environmental policies. In 2006, the party replaced its logo of a hand holding a torch with a drawing of a tree. (This makeover was ill-received; the new design was described as something between “a bunch of broccoli” and “the coin scratch on a lottery card.”) You can read more about the Conservative Party’s current policies or about its history.