In a world of perfect unity there would be no need for politics and compromise. That is why so many fundamentalists be they religious or ideological are frustrated by politics. "Why can't people recognise THE TRUTH", they plead, "it is there for everyone to see and comprehend if only they would rid themselves of the yoke of material and self interest".

The problem is that the truth is contested and the circumstances in which its variants have to be implemented are forever changing. Indeed when everything seems settled something new pops up to challenge the status quo. It might come from within, for example a new social movement, or it might come from without, for example a new technology.