Ibn Khaldun noted that when a society grows decadent, its leaders turn against relatives and come to depend on the support of outsiders. Parents disinherit their children. States turn to mercenaries rather than citizen-soldiers. Sponsoring out-groups to defeat local rivals is a pattern found throughout history - the results are usually dismal, and never as intended. The Labour Party has come to rely on the votes of sectional groups who have no real interest in liberal or progressive politics, merely using them as useful allies against a Right which is less welcoming but psychologically closer.