, ▁just ▁as ▁I ▁was ▁an ▁intellectual ▁Pow ellite , ▁and ▁I ▁think ▁it ▁is ▁important ▁that ▁the ▁Conserv ative ▁party ▁should ▁be ▁in ▁good ▁hands ▁and ▁that ▁it ▁should ▁win ▁elections ... I ▁am ▁a ▁warm ▁supp orter ▁[ of ▁the ▁Th atch er ▁government ] ". ▁In ▁Cow ling ' s ▁view ▁" L iber al ism ▁is ▁essentially ▁the ▁belief ▁that ▁there ▁can ▁be ▁a ▁recon c ili ation ▁of ▁all ▁difficulties ▁and ▁differences , ▁and ▁since ▁there ▁can ' t , ▁it ▁is ▁a ▁mis leading ▁way ▁to ▁approach ▁politics ". ▁He ▁regarded ▁Sal man ▁R ush die ' s ▁The ▁Sat an ic ▁Vers es ▁as ▁" a ▁nast y , ▁s ne ering , ▁free - th inking ▁book ▁... ▁I ▁can ▁understand ▁why ▁the ▁book ▁is ▁off ensive ▁and ▁it ▁didn ' t ▁seem ▁to ▁me ▁to ▁be ▁anything ▁but ▁off ensive ▁when ▁I ▁read ▁it . ▁Some ▁thinking ▁Mos le ms ▁take ▁a ▁view ▁of ▁the ▁nature ▁of ▁religion , ▁and ▁the ▁in compat ibility ▁between ▁Islam ▁and ▁liberal ism , ▁which ▁runs ▁parallel ▁to ▁what ▁I ' m ▁saying ▁in ▁Mill ▁and ▁Liberal ism ". ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 2 ▁Philip ▁William son ▁published ▁his ▁book ▁on ▁British ▁politics ▁from ▁ 1 9 2 6 ▁to ▁ 1 9 3 2 ▁and ▁said ▁Cow ling ▁" prov ided ▁the ▁original ▁insp iration " ▁for ▁it . ▁ ▁Later ▁life ▁and ▁death ▁ ▁Cow ling ▁retired ▁from ▁the ▁History ▁Fac ulty ▁of ▁Cambridge