Conservatism was always like that.

They see the average voter like a child, which is too dumb to understand the world, and as such needs to be lied to about things.Their main goal, since the fall of kings, is to conserve power. It's just so conveniently also coincides with a lot of tradition, which they often cover behind.

I am a former conservative, and one of theirs tried to hold me back with their version of the "birds and the bees" talk, even promising me "private freedom" (doing either the harmless stuff they're against, or the really fucked up ones, as long as no one finds out) and wealth if I manage to reach the "inner echelons" of their operations.