But take a deep breath and have another look... one of Walsby's friends, George Walford, published a series of essays and magazines about the theory. One of those magazines was sent to Trevor Blake. Trevor thought the theory was interesting enough to try to understand it better, and created a Web site to both document his interest and share his findings with others. That Web site eventually inspired the George Walford International Essay Prize, offering £3,500 annually to students around the world for essays about systematic ideology. So perhaps there's something here worth a struggle after all!

Many have tried to explain systematic ideology for new readers and several have succeeded. The following are some of the best results of this effort. These are overviews of systematic ideology, moving from the big picture in to the details. For those who are inclined to start with the details and move to the big picture, try a few essays from Walford's magazine Ideological Commentary. Academics may prefer the History page. Unfamiliar terms or usage are defined in the Glossary.

Applicants to the the George Walford International Essay Prize are encouraged to these documents in this order. But if you prefer to skip around, or start with the familiar, or just want a taste, try some essays arranged by topic, or read the following list from the bottom up.

• Beyond Politics by George Walford (1990)
  Beyond Politics is a book-length introduction to systematic ideology. "Starting with the [British political] parties and their policies, Beyond Politics goes on to trace the influences of ideology in the history of society and in some of the main fields of social activity outside party politics. It shows how the major ideologies arise and how they come to be what they are; it looks at some of the ways in which they interact and tries to work out what we can reasonably expect from them in the future."
• The Domain of Ideologies by Harold Walsby (1947)
  The foundation document of the study now known as systematic ideology. Familiarity with The Domain of Ideologies is essential for a thorough grasp of the theory and the changes it has undergone since inception. The book was first published in 1947 and has long been out of print.
• Ideologies in a Hierarchal Order by Dr. Zvi Lamm
  Reprinted (slightly edited) with permission from Science and Public Policy, February 1984. The author is Dr. Zvi Lamm, MA, PhD, of the School of Education, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. An introduction of systematic ideology from an academic perspective.
• What is Systematic Ideology? by Trevor Blake.
  A modest introduction to systematic ideology from the ground up. Begun in 1992 and still undergoing revisions.
• Meet Systematic Ideology by George Walford
  Beginning in January 1985, George Walford included a brief introduction to systematic ideology in each issue of his independent journal of systematic ideology, Ideological Commentary. As the theory changed and grew, so did his introduction. George Walford died in August 1994, making this the final published version.
• Ideology as Self-Determined by George Walford
  A paper delivered at the Second International Conference on Ideology, Bureaucracy and Human Sruvival in New York, September 1983.
• Where Do We Go From Here? by George Walford
  Issue 9 of Ideological Commentary featured a lengthy self-analysis of systematic ideology; what its function in a society highly unlikely to adopt its insights?
• The Political Series by George Walford
  An introduction to some basic concepts in systematic ideology, from issue 34 of Ideological Commentary.

Some of these texts are available for downloading as PDF files.

If you read these texts, the theory should make sense. Whether you agree with it or not is another matter - a well-made argument against systematic ideology is also acceptable for the George Walford International Essay Prize! In fact, it may help you to understand the theory better by reading some arguments in opposition to it.

The only known newsletter about systematic ideology in print today is GWIEP Notes & Quotes.