The world is obsessed with the US presidential poll, but the congressional elections matter more

The Telegraph
By Daniel Hannan

British Toryism can be surprisingly unpolitical. It's an instinct rather than an ideology. Or, rather, an amalgam of instincts: patriotism, distrust of officialdom, respect for property and so on.

American conservatism is a far more doctrinal affair. Its exponents become as passionate when debating the virtues of Rothbardian versus Randian libertarianism as when weighing the merits of, say, Gingrich versus Santorum. In Britain, we see factionalism of this sort as the province of student Lefties, and a bar to electoral success. The American experience suggests that we might be wrong – that idealism stimulates enthusiasm.

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