There’s a lot of debate here at the moment about the meaning (and desirability) of so called “common good conservatism.” At the risk of bringing down the tone — and, perhaps, of sounding rather simple — I’d like to suggest that we ought to be a lot less interested in the terminological question (i.e. what does the “common good” mean?), and a lot more interested in the practical aims of those who are advancing it as a political option (i.e. the matter of what those who use it actually want to do with the government).

If you spend any time listening to the people most fond of invoking the common........

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