I think that, in the end, there is something that unites all conservatives, which is that they are pursuing something they love. My view is that the Left is united by hatred, but we are united by love: love of our country, love of institutions, love of the law, love of family, and so on. And what makes us conservatives is the desire to protect those things, and we’re up against people who want to destroy them, and it’s very simple.We love those things because they work for us, and we wish to "conserve" them. Liberals hate those same things because they do not work for them.
Scruton's definition is nice, and largely true. However, he overlooks how easy it is to reflexively despise those who hate what you love, viewing them as vandals.
