Saturday 4 November 2006

Is the Telegraph conservative?

Quite a few of my fellow bloggers have been mentioning the Dutch town that's abolished traffic lights. I couldn't help noticing this rather strange observation in the Telegraph's editorial:
...of course, no one is opposed to the regulation of traffic in principle; even the most swivel-eyed libertarian would not wish to see the Drachten experiment extended to, say, air traffic control
Whenever I read that sort of thing I can't help thinking that the writer really does believe that libertarians, swivel-eyed or otherwise, actually do want to do things like abolishing air traffic control. One would have thought that a conservative paper like the Telegraph would understand that casting doubt on the desirability of the state performing some function or another doesn't mean that the thing in question shouldn't be done at all. The state is not society. And perhaps the Telegraph isn't a conservative paper.

1 comment:

David Farrer said...

Comments made on previous template:

Neil Craig
A very interesting phenomenon. 
 
"I am used to it now," said Helena Spaanstra, 24. "You drive more slowly and carefully, but somehow you seem to get around town quicker." 
 
I would be interested to know if it is quicker or, as I suspect, it really is slower its just that not getting bored Ms Spanstraa just thinks its faster. 
 
I can think of considerably worse insults than swivvle-eyed - it just means you are paying attention to everything.

7 November 2006, 15:38:46 GMT
– Like – Reply





Andrew Duffin
"Not giving the rail companies the tracks on which they run on is daft." 
 
Correct, but we had to do it that way because we were compelled to by an EU directive - which has the force of law in the UK even though nobody debated it, and nobody voted for the people who created it.

6 November 2006, 12:32:50 GMT
– Like – Reply





Andrew Ian Dodge
British Rail privitasation is an unmitigated disaster? 
 
Um you never rode a British Rail train I guess then. Because I have and compared to the new Virgin trains its a bit like going from a horse & wagon to a modern car.  
 
The problem with train privitisation is that it was partial and not complete. Not giving the rail companies the tracks on which they run on is daft.

6 November 2006, 09:43:03 GMT
– Like – Reply





james higham
Yes but when it comes to privatisation, e.g. British rail, it's an unmitigated disaster. Sometimes the vilified state is the one to run a major facility.

5 November 2006, 14:26:55 GMT
– Like – Reply





Mr Eugenides
I noticed the exact same phrase and had the exact same reaction.  
 
What a curious thing for the Telegraph editorial team to write.

5 November 2006, 12:38:52 GMT
– Like – Reply





Trackback
Trackback message 
Title: Is The Telegraph Actually Conservative? 
Excerpt: Asks David Farrar. I think the answer is yes it is, the problem is that it isn't liberal (Classically so of course). 
Blog name: Tim Worstall

5 November 2006, 07:14:49 GMT
– Like – Reply





Martin
David, 
 
No, it's not a conservative paper. That's why i spent months calling it 'The Daily Treasongraph'.

4 November 2006, 12:52:09 GMT