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.

Canada

In Canada the terms Blue Tory and Red Tory have long been used to describe the two wings of the Conservative and previously the Progressive Conservative (PC) parties. Originally a Blue Tory was one associated with the urban business elite, while a Red Tory was a rural populist from the country's hinterland. Over time, however, the term Blue Tory has come to embody the more ideologically conservative elements in the party, while a Red Tory is a member of the more liberal wing of the party.

Related Topics:
Blue Tory - Red Tory - Conservative - Progressive Conservative

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The term is also used to designate the pre-Confederation British ruling classes of Upper Canada and Lower Canada.

Related Topics:
Upper Canada - Lower Canada

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After the merger of the PC's with the Canadian Alliance in 2003, there was some debate as to whether the "Tory" nickname should survive at the federal level. Although it was widely believed that some Alliance members would take offence to the term, it was officially accepted by the newly-merged party during the 2004 leadership convention. Stephen Harper, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, regularly refers to himself as a Tory and has suggested that the new party is a natural evolution of the conservative political movement in Canada. However many former Progressive Conservatives who opposed the merger take offence to the new party using the term, as do some members of the former Reform/Alliance wing who do not wish to be associated with the "Tory" governments of Canada's past, or the values of traditional Toryist thought.

Related Topics:
Canadian Alliance - 2003 - Federal - 2004 leadership convention - Stephen Harper

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~