On Tuesday, watching Real Madrid versus Bayern Munich, I was struck by the stark contrast between the conduct of the match’s two superstars, Harry Kane and Vinicius Junior. In that moment, I realised something: Harry Kane and country music are the future of liberal conservatism.

This is not to say that Harry Kane necessarily likes country music, nor that many country musicians have heard of Harry Kane. It is certainly not to say that Harry would call himself a liberal conservative. And, above all, please know I don’t think that he should become a country musician.

What it is to say is that liberal conservatism persuades through examples and stories. Yes, it is an idea, but it is also more about being seen and felt. Country music tells that story, and Harry Kane is the example.

To define liberalism liberally, one might simply call it freedom. A more conservative definition might affirm specific liberal traditions: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, free markets, property rights and perhaps even free trade or freedom of movement.

Conservatism, as Oakeshott famously said, is more a disposition than an ideology. A reverence for that which has stood the test of time. I prefer to go to its purest form which is opposition to the French Revolution à la Burke. Either way, a deep appreciation for the beauty of tradition, norms and place. With — certainly in the West — a tremendous Christian influence.

The two together build a centre-right viewpoint. Wanting the government out of everyone’s business with minimal taxes and regulation, conditional on the assumption that people, left to their own devices, will think and behave like me. If not, then wanting the government to fiercely protect that which I hold dear from those who don’t think and behave like me. Not necessarily airtight under scrutiny, but roughly how the centre-right tends to think in practice.

But the question is then how to tell that story tangibly, and here we need Harry Kane and country music.

Let’s start with Kane. He is a man idolised by a fair share of the country and one of the world’s finest footballers.

And his conduct is gloriously conservative. Let’s start with what he hasn’t done. England’s greatest ever striker chose not to date a string of famous models, as he was too busy marrying his childhood sweetheart; he chose not to have chats with Cosmo or Hello! magazine. Indeed, he chose not to let us know anything about his private life other than the admirable essentials: his devotion to his wonderful wife and kids, his love for labradors, his fierce loyalty for club and country, his commendable work ethic, his respect for officials, his extraordinary instinct for the bottom corner.

Yes, he left his boyhood club Tottenham for Bayern Munich. But it was the most gentlemanly move football has seen. He asked the owner, Levy, if he could leave. Levy said yes, so Harry told Gary Neville over a round of golf he would be moving on. Levy changed his mind. Harry could have kicked up a stink. Instead, like a gentlemen, he announced that the coming year would be “no different” with an aim “to win silverware at Tottenham.” Pure class.

Cue a couple more outstanding years of commitment and footballing prowess. And then, when Levy changed his mind again, he left graciously and with a huge bag of cash for Spurs, thanking the fans for the journey of a lifetime.

He has since done the second most English thing a man can do: beat the Germans, this time in the Bundesliga. He has yet to invade France.

The England captain embodies humility, hard work, family values, a British stiff upper-lip and exceptional ability.

This was the example. And now the story. Because Kane may be a great example, but he struggles with the spoken word and is no great storyteller.

Country music is charming in its simplicity. You can settle in and listen as you are enthusiastically told how God, beer, large trucks, kind women, whisky, the right to a firearm, home ownership, eating meat and fatherhood are, frankly, excellent. It is a liberal conservative agenda. They want to be free to do what they love. And what they love is their traditions, norms and place.

It is all one big star-studded celebration of red-dirt freedom. But that freedom is channelled through covenant — with family, place, responsibility and ultimately God.

Of course, many of the most famous country musicians live lives very different indeed to how they sing. The tabloid stories of infidelity and substance abuse demonstrate the rough, unconservative edges to their liberal pleasures. Infrequent but at times undeniable shades of prejudice in some lyrics remind you of the dark shadow that will always live over the Deep South. This is all why, although country musicians tell the story, the example should be Harry Kane.

Indeed, rough edges are part of the point of liberal conservatism. Country music captures this better than any other genre. A clear understanding of virtue and a similarly clear acknowledgement that we fall below this standard. A reverence for the best of the past, but an acknowledgement of its worst.

It is why the government cannot and should not control everything well and must allow people to be free to govern their own lives. It is why learning what has worked in the past and conserving it is such a helpful instinct. It is also why liberal conservatism is best told through an example, and through stories.

Come on Harry Kane. And cue country roads.

Original photo by Werner100359.