The battle of ideas is more important than ever

One of the features of modern politics is just how reactionary it is; political leaders jump from issue to issue as the agenda dictates while the media (understandably) follows or leads this trend.

For those who keep a close eye on politics it can therefore feel as if life is a series of tactical battles with the focus on winning the day, or just surviving it.

And yet, ideas still matter. They matter a great deal. A survey by YouGov, released this week, shines a light on the UK’s ideological diversity. Socialism is viewed favourably by 38 per cent of the population while Communism garners support from 10 per cent.

This is counterbalanced (reassuringly) by 32 per cent who have a favourable view of Conservatism and 30 per cent who quite like Capitalism. Nationalism is scored favourably by 29 per cent of the population with 24 per cent feeling positive towards Libertarianism.

How should political parties respond to such a spread of opinion? The Labour government’s victory in the summer was in no small part down to its rejection of extreme ideology (as typified by Jeremy Corbyn) and yet the new leader of the Conservatives, Kemi Badenoch, has expressly said that she’s interested in an intellectual argument.

Fortunately, for those interested in this sort of thing, one of the legacies of 14 years of Conservative government is that we do not lack for right-of-centre think tanks and campaign groups, most of which are busy reconstituting themselves for life in opposition.

The liberal Tory outfit Bright Blue has just announced a raft of new appointments to its advisory board, including former LibDem and Labour grandees, in a move that suggests they’re not giving up the fight for the progressive wing of Conservative thought.

Meanwhile, one of the most exciting centre-right groups Next Gen Tories, is also preparing to re-make the argument for Conservatism to a disillusioned generation (watch out for an announcement involving City AM‘s own opinion editor Alys Denby on Thursday).

The debates getting underway among Tory thinkers today might not make the daily headlines, but they could shape our politics in the years ahead and we should be grateful that these plucky wonks are choosing to engage in a battle of ideas.