I'm pleased that people, looking for a definition of Old Whig,

often find their way here. My archives work so crappily, however, that I'm afraid they leave unsatisfied, and usually their search doesn't lead them to this post, so I'll repost the relevant part of it:

What is needed at this stage in Latin America is probably akin to what took place in 18th-century England when old Whig reformers decided to undo much of the statute book—and the agencies attached to those laws and norms legated by previous generations. By the third quarter of the 18th century, more than 18,000 norms had been repealed—some four fifths of the laws passed since Henry III. The process was dictated by the principle of individual liberty—most of the norms that undermined individual liberty and personal responsibility were done away with to the effect that the power of the state over the citizens was dramatically reduced. The result was a long period of prosperity that we now partly associate with the Industrial Revolution.

--Alvaro Vargas Llosa [emphasis added for the purpose of this post].

I think that explains very well what Old Whigs are about, and makes us all very proud.

Whiggarchy! Isonomy! Fraternity!