Current Affairs the Centre is...

[dholliday]

It’s a nonsensical question as what people identify as being the centre ground is subjective.

So when centrists are attacked, like in this other Groan piece: What is a centrist dad? Who are they attacking exactly? The piece seems to be attacking those concerned by Momentum's influence within Labour. And that they're mansplainers (whatever that is).

Looking further afield, it appears centrists (whatever they are) are fair game when just looking at the base language used in a lot of media:

Good Riddance to Centrism

A Cult of Centrism, Poisoning the American Political System

The Three Kinds of Assholes You Meet in Centrist Hell

regardless of the content of the above pieces, it's clear centrist is becoming a dirty word.

By rent seekers, I'm specifically referring to the cowardly GOP who won't ditch Trump because he's "good for the party," but it applies to the Left as well

I'm all for people who prefer Stein, and people who prefer third ways or other candidates. But in 2016 there was a small, but noisy, "Never Trump" movement of GOP people who voted third party, thinking it would help crater Trump's support. The rhetoric, as I understand it, would be to absolve them personally from voting "for" Clinton, but also help Trump lose. In the end, these cowards did neither, and they bear the shame of their cowardice in their actions.

Well-explained that, i get it now.

As for what is centrism, there are many takes on this; I think in mainstream America it is people who have political views blended between the two parties. For me, I'm probably most closely aligned to the "Blue Dog Democrats" as they used to be called, although I wouldn't describe myself as a Dem.

Aye, I'd say the centrist is one or more of these things:

• someone with blended political views. As @Tubey mentioned someone could support some Tory and some Labour policies while still remaining consistent.
• someone who seeks to understand both sides and attempts to form a compromise position which causes least damage to all concerned.
• someone who rejects extremism & outrightism, preferring moderation on almost every position imaginable. This is the guy who supports small steps governance, rather than big swinging changes one way or the other.

Fence sitting whoppers who like to think of themselves as being a calm and rational voice of reason.

Im half joking but centrists I know tend to think of themselves as wise sages who are above both the left and right.

I can't stand all yous half-jokers with your neither here nor there humour. Either joke or not joke, ffs.

half-joking here.

 

[JimmyJeffers]

So when centrists are attacked, like in this other Groan piece: What is a centrist dad? Who are they attacking exactly? The piece seems to be attacking those concerned by Momentum's influence within Labour. And that they're mansplainers (whatever that is).

Looking further afield, it appears centrists (whatever they are) are fair game when just looking at the base language used in a lot of media:

Good Riddance to Centrism

A Cult of Centrism, Poisoning the American Political System

The Three Kinds of Assholes You Meet in Centrist Hell

regardless of the content of the above pieces, it's clear centrist is becoming a dirty word.




Well-explained that, i get it now.




Aye, I'd say the centrist is one or more of these things:

• someone with blended political views. As @Tubey mentioned someone could support some Tory and some Labour policies while still remaining consistent.
• someone who seeks to understand both sides and attempts to form a compromise position which causes least damage to all concerned.
• someone who rejects extremism & outrightism, preferring moderation on almost every position imaginable. This is the guy who supports small steps governance, rather than big swinging changes one way or the other.

I can't stand all yous half-jokers with your neither here nor there humour. Either joke or not joke, ffs.

half-joking here.

Because it’s largely related to New Labour in this country. Which in my opinion were a centre right party and a departure (or betrayal @davek ) of a left voice in mainstream rhetoric. Personally consider a centrist position to be like the Norwegian model

 

[dholliday]

Because it’s largely related to New Labour in this country. Which in my opinion were a centre right party and a departure (or betrayal @davek ) of a left voice in mainstream rhetoric. Personally consider a centrist position to be like the Norwegian model

I disagree New Labour were centre-right overall (if we disregard Iraq as Blair's personal poodling, that is). Their Third Way is akin to what (british) centrism might be, it wins votes as most people would identify as being 'somewhere in the middle'. I do agree they were a departure to what the left-leaning Labour of Kinnock et al promised. Tho' not a betrayal, they did spend a lot of public money on education and the arts which I think the Labour of the 80's also promised. Blunkett, Brown & Prescott were/are lefties, while Blair, Mandelson & Campbell were/are not so it balances out to centrism, one could say.

 

[dead_soft]

Nothing worse than a right winger ashamed to call themselves a right winger

 

[Socrates]

Current centrism means right wing economics mixed with left wing social policies.

Austerity with identity politics.

Both sides have something to moan about whilst getting their own way on others.

Me. I think it's the worst of both worlds but that's just my opinion.

 

[ilikecheese]

Current centrism means right wing economics mixed with left wing social policies.

Austerity with identity politics.

Both sides have something to moan about whilst getting their own way on others.

Me. I think it's the worst of both worlds but that's just my opinion.

That sounds like a Libertarian. Definitely not centrist.

 

[dholliday]

Nothing worse than a right winger ashamed to call themselves a right winger

who do you mean, soft lad?

 

[Prevenger17]

Come on D, not another one of these

 

[ilikecheese]

Come on D, not another one of these

Selling a centrist social view while hating Muslims invading his Country.

So F-ing dumb.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

Nothing worse than a right winger ashamed to call themselves a right winger

It's not bad, so I'm told, they appeal to higher loyalties and just become centrist...

 

[jackyboy]

Tories in t-shirts.

 

[dead_soft]

who do you mean, soft lad?

It’s the sort of folk who call the Guardian the groan and suggest it is anything other than a very very soft left paper. There is little to argue with centrism because it offers so very little substance.

 

[dholliday]

Tories in t-shirts.

It’s the sort of folk who call the Guardian the groan and suggest it is anything other than a very very soft left paper. There is little to argue with centrism because it offers so very little substance.

part of the problem right there, you're effectively labelling centrists as right-wing. it's weird. why do you do it?

and since when is someone (i.e. me) who supports Corbyn, Palestine and Sanders a right-winger?

there's a nutty faction on the Left, and they (i.e. you) are ruining any chances a Corbyn or Sanders might have of running government.

 

[dholliday]

Come on D, not another one of these

as it's the 30th anniversary this year of Maggie retiring i will be offering the community a Thatcher-Reappraisal thread. it'll have a poll and everything.

 

[Prevenger17]

there's a nutty faction on the Left, and they (i.e. you) are ruining any chances a Corbyn or Sanders might have of running government.

Tbf as mad as I find some of Soft's posts, that's as unquantifiable and absolutist a statement as you're accusing him of making.