It is commonly said that all politicians are the same. And, sadly, in and amongst all the outrageous generalisations, the oversimplifications, and the downright crude arguments, there is some truth to it. While I often find myself exploding in impassioned fits of political idealism whenever anyone dares to confront me with such cynicism, examples do abound.

David Cameron steals Gordon Brown’s clothes on a regular basis, New Labour is little more than fluffy Thatcherism, and the Lib Dems’ ruthless decapitation of Charles Kennedy in 2006 was unprincipled power politics at best. Examples of modern Western leaders who would instinctively put high ideals above political gain are few and far between. And the ideological convergence of political parties in the infamous centre-ground, where the electoral fruits are ripe, is but a symptom of this.

There are reasons, of course. Economic prosperity and political stability tend to depolarise societies, making it more difficult for politicians to win elections from the peripheries. But it is not as if there is a deficit of good causes worthy of political risk. What about world poverty? That’s pretty important. Global warming, even, if you are into that sort of thing. And how about the death penalty?

But progress in these important areas is slow. Politicians in Britain, for example, are undoubtedly moving cautiously on global warming for fear of alienating the electorate. And even the most liberal candidates in the 2008 US presidential election kind of support the death penalty. It is because of this sort of politicking that I long for a flicker of idealism.

It wasn’t too long ago that a Baptist minister from Georgia told the world that he had a dream, or a young, grieving New York Senator told South Africans, broken by the misery of Apartheid, that courage and idealism could break down the mightiest walls of oppression. I speak, of course, of Martin Luther King jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, who were both murdered for their political convictions.

Can you imagine Gordon Brown taking a bullet for the EU Treaty? Do you think Vince Cable can see the Promised Land? Would David Cameron have set the slaves free? In the age of the ASBO, it seems unlikely. Politicians seem to have missed a trick. Political courage is often admired by the electorate, while party politics is viewed with growing cynicism. Take a look at what happened when Kennedy tried it.

Leaders can make idealism work, and they will be rewarded for doing so. In and amongst the parliamentary schedules, the fundraising, and the committee meetings, inspiration seems to have been lost. But perhaps we can hope that one day soon, someone might come along who can put pay to the stereotype of all those in public service. After all, stranger things have happened.

Filed under: andrewnoakes, ukpolitics, uspolitics on December 13th, 2007