Small-c conservative

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A small-c conservative is anyone who believes in the philosophy of conservatism but does not necessarily identify with an official Conservative Party.

Canadian context

The term was especially popular in Canada during the 1990s when the Progressive Conservative Party was centre-right with the Reform Party (later, the Canadian Alliance) further to the right. Members and supporters of the Reform Party/Canadian Alliance would thus describe themselves as small-c conservatives. Another term for small-c conservatives in Canada is Blue Tory.

UK context

This term is also used in the United Kingdom to describe those who are conservative in the sense of resisting radical change rather than being members of supporters of the official Conservative Party. For example, the House of Lords as a body, tends to resist social change and executive power and so, regardless of the numbers of lords who take the Conservative party whip, it is described as "small-c conservative".

See also

• small-l liberal
• small-l libertarianism
• Blue Tory
• Red Tory