BY JOHN ISMAEL

The political philosopher Thomas Sowell snapped out of Marxism and into conservatism. Yanis Varoufakis went the other way. Some are won over by sense. Others throw their good sense in the bin.

It is a rare and beautiful thing to see two grown men, now retired from politics, look back and see the errors of their ways. Such maturing gives hope to all humans. Experience can change extremists into sound thinkers. There is a point where deradicalisation can help.

Here below is an example of former adviser to London’s ex-Mayor Ken Livingstone, Atma Singh, recognising – in a chat on social media with a friend – the folly of his past political affiliations. Mr Singh was interviewed two years ago by Country Squire Magazine about hearing Ken Livingstone’s advisers celebrating 911. His interview can be read in full here.

On a recent social media exchange, Mr Singh discusses “being very gullible” and how he was sucked into a Trotskyist sect by the heroin of Marxism as a youth. Since seeing the light Mr Singh has gone out of his way to promote sensible politics. He has even become a fan of the Jewish People and Israel. It is fair to describe Mr Singh as a freedom-promoting, libertarian capitalist. This has been quite the political volte-face.

When some of today’s youths think with a Year Zero mentality about socialism, the metamorphoses of some of their Hard Left forerunners like that of Mr Singh should be treasured and pored over.

We should all be hopeful that they too can one day snap out of the brainwashing they are undergoing on account of Jon Lansman’s Momentum and what remains of Jeremy Corbyn’s Antisemitic Labour Party. It’s never too late, after all.