--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are two primary strains in the…" description: "\"“There are two primary strains in the Conservative Party: grocers, and grandees. … By ‘grandees’ and ‘grocers’, I am not referring to social class or a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/g-m-w-wemyss-29518_conservatism_there-are-two-primary-strains-in-the-con_1083538.jpg" --- # There are two primary strains in the Conservative Party… ![“There are two primary strains in the Conservative Party: grocers, and grandees. … By ‘grandees’ and ‘grocers’, I am not referring to social class or any of that; nor do I refer to the Worshipful Company of Grocers, all cloves and camels. I refer rather to two fundamental positions within the…” quote by G.M.W. Wemyss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/g-m-w-wemyss-29518_conservatism_there-are-two-primary-strains-in-the-con_1083538.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/g-m-w-wemyss-29518_conservatism_there-are-two-primary-strains-in-the-con_1083538.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/g-m-w-wemyss-29518_conservatism_there-are-two-primary-strains-in-the-con_1083538.jpg) > ““There are two primary strains in the Conservative Party: grocers, and grandees. … By ‘grandees’ and ‘grocers’, I am not referring to social class or any of that; nor do I refer to the Worshipful Company of Grocers, all cloves and camels. I refer rather to two fundamental positions within the Conservative Party, regardless of one’s antecedents. … A grandee Conservative sees the country as a village: a village of which he and his party, when in government, act the Squire. As the Squire, the grandee moves jovially amongst his tenants in their tied cottages, dispensing largesse and reproof…. There are two problems with this model. The first is that HMG is not the Squire and the subjects of the Crown are not the smocked tenantry of the government of the day. The second is that these principles – or instincts, as one can hardly call them principles – however different they may be to the fiercely held maxims of Labour old and new, lead in the end to the same statist solutions as those the Left proposes, and to accepting and ‘managing’ statism when a Conservative government succeeds a Labour one. It is the grocers who will always and rightly attempt to roll back the State and its reach in favour of liberty.”” [G.M.W. Wemyss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-w-wemyss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Conservative Party contains two archetypes: the grandee, who sees the nation as a village and acts as a benevolent squire, and the grocer, who pushes to limit state power. Both ultimately aim for liberty but may converge on similar statist solutions. **In simple terms:** Two Conservative types: grandee (paternal) and grocer (libertarian). Key Takeaway Balance paternal leadership with limited government. Themes politics leadership liberty statism Mood analytical critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy debates - party strategy - public discourse Key Concepts conservatism political archetypes state power Questions to Reflect On - How can Conservatives avoid statism while preserving liberty? - What role should tradition play in modern governance? 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I refer rather to two fundamental positions within the Conservative Party, regardless of one’s antecedents. … A grandee Conservative sees the country as a village: a village of which he and his party, when in government, act the Squire. As the Squire, the grandee moves jovially amongst his tenants in their tied cottages, dispensing largesse and reproof…. There are two problems with this model. The first is that HMG is not the Squire and the subjects of the Crown are not the smocked tenantry of the government of the day. The second is that these principles – or instincts, as one can hardly call them principles – however different they may be to the fiercely held maxims of Labour old and new, lead in the end to the same statist solutions as those the Left proposes, and to accepting and ‘managing’ statism when a Conservative government succeeds a Labour one. 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