The Union is running out of role models

Last weekend, anyone who wanted to know what it means to be conservative in these times could either look to London or to Dallas.

In the British capital, the seemingly technocratic Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, who is ideologically right-wing, are currently fighting for the head of the Conservative Party and thus for the leadership of Great Britain.

In Texas, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) brought together Trump supporters, conspiracy theorists, the religious right and the maverick among Europe’s conservatives, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

For the German Christian Democrats, who are looking for a conservative identity themselves after the bitter defeat in the federal elections, looking beyond the borders is unlikely to have been an inspiration. The American conservatives have mutated into a political combat force whose anti-immigrant and undemocratic goals are incompatible with the capital “C” of the German Union.

More interesting at first glance is the object lesson currently being offered by the British Tories: Truss relies on the economically liberal mix of less government and lower taxes. Sunak insists on solid finances in the fight against inflation.

The fact that arch-conservative values ​​are in competition with one another reveals the dilemma for all those who position themselves on the right of the political center.

At the same time, the differences between the two conservative icons Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher become clear here. While tax cuts were always the panacea for the American Gipper, sound money always took precedence for the Iron Lady. However, the old recipes are of little help to the errant conservatives in Germany.

More: Race at 10 Downing Street: This is how Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak perform in the political endurance test