Since the epoch-defining Pax Thatcher–Reagan, orthodox conservatism has entailed an absolute belief in the absolute virtue of the free market. The coiled rattlesnake of the libertarian Gadsden Flag can perhaps be said to have been refigured as a rattlesnake in the shape of a dollar sign; “Don’t Tread on Me” has metamorphosed into “Don’t Tread on the Free Market”. Whilst the Left often defines itself by principles and ideals (however vague), those on the Right have developed a propensity to define themselves by the technocratic ideals of bureaucratic efficiency and sound economic stewardship. To me as a conservative, this approach…