Centrism

These concise guides are an antidote to confusion, tracing major political ideas from their origins to today's headlines.

A coherent political philosophy or a vacuous cop-out? A pragmatic middle way between the extremes of left and right or a cynical strategy to secure power and neuter debate?

Politicians have long invoked centrism as both a term of abuse (Margaret Thatcher) and a badge of pride (Tony Blair). Figures as important as John Maynard Keynes, Roy Jenkins, Bill Clinton and Emmanuel Macron have all had different ideas about how to make sure the centre holds. But for a term that purports to describe consensus, it's ironic just how little agreement there is over what 'centrism' actually means.

In Centrism: The Story of an Idea, Ian Dunt and Dorian Lynskey trace the evolution of centrism from ancient Greece to the French Revolution, the Second World War to the 2024 elections. They find a story that is much bigger than the sum of its parts - and that raises some uncomfortable questions about tribalism and compromise.

In a time of political turmoil, when ideas and movements are misunderstood and misrepresented, Ian and Dorian provide clarity, scholarship, wit and essential insight into why our world is the way it is -- ADAM RUTHERFORD
Too many concepts are bandied about in current affairs without people really understanding them. Ian and Dorian have done the hard work to separate truth from fiction and prejudice, seeking nuance wherever it is available. I wish I could make their writing mandatory -- SATHNAM SANGHERA

Ian Dunt spent many years working in the heart of Westminster as editor of Politics.co.uk. He is a columnist for the i newspaper, the UK correspondent for ABC's Late Night Live and regularly appears as a political pundit on TV and radio. He is the author of Brexit: What the Hell Happens Now, How to be a Liberal and How Westminster Works.

Dorian Lynskey has been writing about music, politics, film and books for over twenty years for publications including the Guardian, Observer, Spectator, New Statesman and GQ. He is the author of 33 Revolutions Per Minute: A History of Protest Songs, The Ministry of Truth: A Biography of George Orwell's 1984 and Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the World.

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