Tory

The term Tory applied to the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. To this day it is often used as a shortened alternative for Conservative. A similar usage for Tory exists in Canada to describe its Conservative Party. It was also used during the American Revolutionary War to refer to British Loyalists in the colonies. During the American Civil War, supporters of the Confederacy extended the term to Southern Unionists.

Related Topics:
Conservative Party - Conservative - Canada - Conservative Party - American Revolutionary War - Loyalists - American Civil War - Confederacy - Unionists

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Currently this term is considered to be derogatory by some British Conservatives since many UK voters associate it with uncomplimentary recollections of the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major. Others simply use it as a shorthand for Conservative Party - for instance the domain http://www.tories.org.uk points directly to the Conservative Party website (although it is not owned by the party). Others still do not regard the terms as synonymous and some, such as the late Enoch Powell, proudly regarded themselves as "Tories", precisely because of its supposed reactionary or die hard connotations. This is particularly true of Monarchists, who refer to its use as one in favour of personal execution of royal powers.

Related Topics:
Margaret Thatcher - John Major - Enoch Powell - Reactionary - Die hard

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Despite its archaic origins "Tory" is unlikely to fall from common usage, since newspapers find it too useful as an alternative for "Conservative" when space is limited. In Canada, the term is neutral and is a common shortening for the party name by supporters and opposition alike.

Related Topics:
Newspaper - Conservative

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