You might be a centrist if you think that centrism is a meaningless term – so let me point out some other signs of centrism, and you can see how you match up.
You might be a centrist if your response to a political dispute is to say ‘both sides’ are at fault – doubly so if the actions of one side are obviously far worse than the other.
You might be a centrist if your Twitter replies ever start with ‘Actually…’
You might be a centrist if you think that political policies should be made just by ‘looking at the data’.
You might be a centrist if you tell people you feel ‘politically homeless’ since the rise of Corbynism.
You might be a centrist if whatever the issue at hand, you just don’t think protesting can be the answer.
You might be a centrist if you are very worked up about abusive language in politics, but conspicuously silent about most of the abuse being aimed at Diane Abbott.
You might be a centrist if you feel like you just don’t understand politics any more – especially if you somehow nevertheless work full time as a political journalistYou might be a centrist if you are male, a dad, and often explain women’s ‘errors’ to them – and definitely if you have ever used the phrase ‘young lady’ or a variant.
You might be a centrist if you like telling people to ‘get round the table and negotiate’.
You might be a centrist if your Twitter bio contains the key words ‘moderate’, ‘rationalist’, ‘atheist’, ‘skeptic’, or anything relating to your own perceived high intelligence.
You might be a centrist if you are very concerned about ‘fake news’ but have nevertheless repeated the outright fake news that Labour conference didn’t debate Brexit.
You might be a centrist if you believe that the Canary contains more ‘fake news’ than the Daily Express.
You might be a centrist if you feel like you just don’t understand politics any more – especially if you somehow nevertheless work full time as a political journalist.
You might be a centrist if you berated Laura Pidcock for saying she wouldn’t be friends with Tory MPs.
You might be a centrist if you still think the old rules will re-assert themselves and really, it’s still all about swing voters isn’t it?
You might be a centrist if you literally wrote a book about ‘post-truth’ but mute everyone who calls you out for spreading untruths (#subtweet).
You might be a centrist if your view of politics can be basically summed up by old SDP party political broadcasts.
You might be a centrist if you think that scrapping tuition fees would actually be bad for working class kids because (insert lots of spurious graphs here).
You might be a centrist if you believe stopping Brexit is the only real political issue in Britain today, and forget all those people at the food banks.
You might be a centrist if you think anyone who holds an actual political view on anything is an ‘extremist’.
You might be a centrist if you think that any words used to attempt to describe your political position are a slur.
Hope this helps.
#230 Struggles for Truth ● The Arab Spring 10 years on ● The origins and legacies of US conspiracy theories ● The limits of scientific evidence in climate activism ● Student struggles around the world ● The political power of branding ● Celebrating Marcus Rashford ● ‘Cancelling’ Simon Hedges ● Latest book reviews ● And much more!
And you choose how much to pay for your subscription...
Siobhán McGuirk and Adienne Pine's edited volume is a powerful indictment of the modern migration complex writes Nico Vaccari
The uprisings against police brutality that swept across Nigeria must be contextualised within the country’s colonial history, argues Kehinde Alonge
Outside the media fanfare surrounding the recent wave of university-based militancy, one community's fight against developers goes on. Robert Firth reports
Conspiracy theories aren’t the preserve of a minority – they lie at the heart of US politics, argues Thomas Konda
From climate change to the perils of the information era, the collection powerfully explores the struggles facing contemporary teenagers, writes Jordana Belaiche
Hilary Wainwright remembers friend and mentor to many, Leo Panitch, who died on December 19, 2020