"Until a few years ago, conservatism was considered a residual intellectual and political movement. The acceleration of progress made progressive ideology seem almost inevitable and made anyone who dared to question it seem out of touch with the world, outdated. How could anyone think of asking for the preservation of something that the evolution of history was already making disappear, through science, technology and neo-Enlightenment philosophies? These arguments were put forward by progressives, and have dominated in the mind of the public. This so-called progress was not only social, or economic, but also political: at the same time, we experienced the overcoming of the classic right-left divide, despite the fact that the aforementioned progress would sweep away the old political points of reference.
And yet all these claims of the demise of the old order have proven wrong, because they did not take into account one essential element: the natural order of things. What progressives tried to ignore, was the reaction of society as a whole to the attempt to pursue progress for the sake of progress. The advent, or rather the return, of conservatism to the West is happening because it is being called for by people who want a return to wisdom and common sense, to ensure that every step towards the future is taken without forgetting the lessons of the past. Not as a leap into the unknown, but a confident stride forwards. It is therefore not a surprise that conservatism is on the rise, from America to Argentina, Italy to Sweden, Japan to New Zealand – conservative parties are on the ascendency. And now it is finding its home in Europe, in the changing dynamics within the halls of power in the European Union.
New Direction stands, as it always has, as the intellectual bastion for the family of European conservative parties. It has been working to provide the intellectual backing to the conservative movement in Europe by underlying the political choices made within the institutions. It has worked as a platform to export the ideas, values and motivations behind the actions and decisions of these political forces, in order to explain to others what conservatism is and what it stands for. Those who aspire to lead have a duty to engage with the wider world and even with their opponents: to convince others, but also to test the soundness of their own ideas and, where possible, to find common ground.
The revival of this magazine works to this end: to be a vehicle for the elaboration and dissemination of our thinking. A printed agora that gives voice to and compares all the reflections of the diverse conservative tradition and also compares them with those of people who are not part of this world view or are even distant from it, to remind everyone that we are first and foremost, and regardless of everything else, part of the same polis, Europe and the West, and that – as our tradition from Socrates onwards teaches us – debate remains the best method for arriving at the truth. If not the absolute truth, then at least the truth that concerns choices for the good of the public."
- Nicola Procaccini MEP
President of New Direction, Co-Chair of the ECR Group
