When idealists give way to ideology

When this happens, idealists in the population will often project their visions of a better future onto ideologues, whose intransigence on issues is often mistaken for a sign of prescience.

Further down the road, these idealists, particularly the younger variety, often find that their faith has been misplaced. Their aspirations for a fundamentally better society remain unfulfilled.

Why is this? Because ideologues are usually terrible pragmatists and politics is, in large part, about pragmatism.

Yes, politics should be undergirded by principles - and often it is not.

However, principles are not the same as inflexible ideologies, which remain unbending even when all the available historical and contemporary evidence suggest that they are misguided.

Jeremy Corbyn is a socialist ideologue. His long political record proves it.

He is outspoken about his hard-left beliefs and it is this consistency and frankness that many Labour members have found refreshing in an age of obfuscation and spin.

However, it's worth remembering that ideas and reality often conflict.

On the day Mr Corbyn was elected Labour leader, I was speaking at an event for young community leaders in Kiev, a nation that has seen its fair share of socialist idealogues.

I'd like to see Mr Corbyn sell socialism as a way forward to the good people of Kiev.

For them, it represents only an oppressive and traumatic past, which they're working hard and with passion to leave behind. They have seen the damage socialist ideology can do when it is carried into real-world, day-to-day practice.

At 2020Plus, we do not wish Mr Corbyn or his party ill. In fact, for Britain's sake, we hope to see a strong and stable Opposition emerge, for this can only strengthen the nation's governance.