In the United States political correctness has gone further. It is not just the ideas of the old liberals, but the liberals themselves that are used to promote greater regulation of society. Quite a few people were surprised by just how right-wing Bill Clinton's state of the union address sounded in January. But this is exactly the point. Political correctness is the outlook of liberals who have come around to the idea that people cannot be trusted to organise their own lives without the authorities telling them how to do it.
Repentant liberals Think about it.
Nobody believes traditional right wingers have our best interests at heart when they start talking about law and order and moral values. Few were persuaded by the Republican Party when it demanded a cultural war against family breakdown in the 1992 elections. Nobody believed in the Tories' 'Back to basics' campaign at the end of last year. They are conservatives. That is what they are supposed to say.