I have no problem with the analysis. It is the subtext that intrigues me. If I am correct it would seem that the author is maintaining that members of the Liberal Party see themselves as the heirs to the 19th century Liberal tradition.
I fail to see any coherent political tradition within the Liberal Party. It certainly cannot claim to be a radically conservative party say in the vein of an Edmund Burke, nor is it remotely liberal either by Mills standards or John Rawls.
There certainly is a strong trend towards the same irrational philosophies as espoused by the American Tea Party movement those few Liberals who attempt, Canute like, to anchor Liberal policies into some sort of coherent political philosophy are invariably sidelined by the so called hard headed pragmatists. Who, I would add, have not fully grasped Hayek's economic theories either.

Hayek was a pinko.

This essay is really just an exercise in sophistry.

The on the ground reality produced by Hayek's disciples is much more simple and brutalistic.

Hayek provided the ideological framework and justifications for all of the right-wing so called libertarian and/or "conservative" STINK-tanks that have set the ideological framework for what has happened in the world altogether in the last 30 years or so. He also provided the framework for the Chicago BOYZ school of applied economics.

The brutalistic applied politics of which are/were described in The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein.

The way they captured the cultural, political and economic agenda, and thus FRAMED the (no turning back) agendas has been comprehensively described by Sharon Beder, especially in these two books.

Global Spin http://www.herinst.org/sbeder/Books/global.html

Suiting Themselves http://www.herinst.org/sbeder/Books/suiting.html

These "conservative" "freedom" loving think tanks were also highly supportive of the activities of the TOXIC outfit described and criticized at this site.

http://www.soaw.org

I think she's pretty liberal. If you watched her in From Dusk 'til Dawn she shows a fair bit of flesh.

Whereas true freedom is the freedom to obey the government, right, HoHum?

On reflection the contemporary Liberal Party possible draws more on the views of Ayn Rand - for there seems to be almost a total rejection of any notion that we ought to pursue some policies for altruistic reasons - the stance on the boat people is a good example of Rand's political philosophy.