How will Corbynism be remembered? The more sympathetic historians to come -of which there will be many- will point to the revival of a mass party membership, the & #39;myth& #39; of the 2017 general election & the & #39;unique& #39; barrier to the promised land that was imposed by Brexit 1/3

Realists on the other hand will present Corbynism as a case study in failure. A comfort blanket for an activist base that had become disconnected from public opinion & culture. Like Michael Foot & George McGovern a theory that inspired true believers but alienated the mass public

But perhaps the failure of Corbynism speaks far more to culture than politics. It serves as a reminder that -deep down- the British are deeply sceptical of radicals, ideology & & #39;isms& #39;. There have been brief exceptions but pragmatism has long reigned supreme over ideology

It was once said that the Brits, but especially the English, "long approached any promised panacea in a spirit not of enthusiasm but profound scepticism". Ideologues like Corbyn & McDonnell always looked like imports, cut adrift from a culture that rejected radicalism elsewhere

Blair& #39;s Whatever Works, Cameron& #39;s Big Society, Leave& #39;s Take Back Control, Johnson& #39;s Get Brexit Done...the most memorable recent creations in British politics riff not on ideological radicalism but pragmatism. A reminder that deep down this is instinctively a conservative nation