Ok, I feel the need to demonstrate that I’m not just wallowing in self-pity musing on the shape my life is taking, so I’m going to write about Ideologues and Activists, something that the last election drew my attention to and this argument made me think about.

I’m what I’d like to call a pragmatic ideologue (in political, and moral terms). That is to say; I have ideals, but I’m incredibly aware of my limitations, and (to a lesser degree) am slightly cynical about the mechanisms in place to preserve my morals/politics.

I didn’t vote in the last elections. I wanted to, but essentially it was a hectic work week and voting got dragged to a low priority; even if I’d managed to make it to the polling station before it closed, I would have had no idea who I was voting for. I mean, I would never vote BNP or UKIP; there’s limited need for hesitation there; I am at least that liberal. Beyond that, I would have had no information.

In the argument I link to above, Chris, who I think of as a slightly idealistic activist, is accused, essentially, of letting his middle class sympathies (re; the War in Iraq) take control over his rationality in his view of the Labour Party, and their man Tony.

I say, even if this is true (and while I do think that Chris would have been slightly emotional about it, that there is a core of reason and evidence sitting somewhere that sustains his position quite rationally): so what? I’m completely aware that my ideal world is occasionally unsustainable, internally inconsistent or simply impossible. I’m aware of my mental state, which like me is “affluent but left wing”, but I don’t think that politics is predicated on pure rationality in any case.

I think I’m beginning to lose the thread somewhat; the point I wanted to make was simply this: ideology and political activism (even if its just democracy) are often incompatible, and irreconcilable. I think being a wishy-washy ideologue is absolutely fine because part of the politician’s job is to get you feeling that they’re doing the right thing, as well as doing it themselves.

But maybe that’s just an excuse for my general apathy. Who knows?