Good politics, effective campaigns and legislation often result from influencers, politicians and parties reaching outside of their comfort zones, forging common interests and winning over others.

No matter how noble a campaign, cause or objective might be its message and capability to garner support can still be lost by misguided approaches to relevant issues and by actions deterring policy-makers.

Strategic and tactical failure and loss of the moral high ground can all work to a campaign or cause’s detriment.

Interesting is the difference between Prime Minister David Cameron’s considered approach to Britain’s European Union reform negotiations and the until recently ill-disciplined backbench MP Jeremy Corbyn’s surprise ascension to leader of the Labour Party.

Leading a largely Eurosceptic Conservative Party with a wafer-thin parliamentary majority is surely no easy task for Cameron, but his attempts at making friends on the continent and winning sympathy for EU reform may actually pay dividends by the time the UK’s vote on membership comes around.

Cameron’s demands for reform might not please all EU member states, and negotiations will be no walk in the park, but his approach and argument will strike a chord with many. As German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently admitted, British concerns are Germany’s concerns too.

Should Cameron win the reforms he seeks we can expect to see him siding with the “In” campaign.

Whilst Cameron may get by with help from friends on the continent, Jeremy Corbyn’s position looks set to become increasingly precarious without such sympathetic shoulders in sight at Westminster.

For decades Corbyn openly rebelled and acted against his party’s policies, his colleague’s and leadership’s wishes.

Regardless as to whether he was right or wrong, going forward many Labour MPs – most of whom did not support Corbyn’s candidacy for leader in the first instance – will not hesitate to return the favour by defying his authority and policy stances.

Just as good campaigns and causes require solid objectives and messages, strong strategy and tactics to influence, an increasingly embattled Corbyn and Labour organisation entangled in bad politics will find it difficult to persuade non-Labour voters to support the party in future.

Whereas Cameron has went about the EU debate in a way which fellow European leaders will consider thoughtful and constructive, almost every cause which Corbyn will intend to champion will face some level of reluctance from sceptical colleagues given his own obstructive track record.

Good politics is going about things the right way and keeping the moral high ground. Love or loathe Cameron, pro-European or Eurosceptic, he seems to be succeeding at doing this. Agree or disagree with Corbyn’s stances and actions past and present, judging by the here and now it appears he hasn’t been so successful. Time will tell.