Centrism also shouldn't be confused for pragmatism. Nor acting within the bounds of the possible.
what if you're a firm believer in the status quo and you really, really like the way things are
For anyone who wants a left-wing or right-wing party that strongly stands for something, centrism is bullshit. I personally hate the type of politics where no matter who you vote for you're vaguely getting a similar package.
That said, it has been succesful in getting parties elected and that is why it has survived. Third-Way politics is what got Bill Clinton and Tony Blair elected. In fact in terms of the Labour party in the UK it was pretty much unelectable until 'New Labour' which campaigned on a much softer labour platform.
I don't like centrist politics, but at I at least understand why it is attractive to some. Anything moving towards something radical comes with a strong amount of risk. And history has shown us the dangers of radical politics. Many people simply don't have the stomach for it. It seems a safer bet voting for a more centrist party than any party that has strong political principles and beliefs.
Modern centrist politics were pretty much invented by the Dutch prime minister Wim Kok.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/wim-kok-dead-prime-minister-netherlands-third-way-blair-clinton-srebrinica-a8598386.htmlHe had been union leader for most of his carreer and had concluded that if capital and labor were to work together all problems could be solved and dealt with.
Labour was too small to govern alone and the socialist communist party would never be elected. He didn't want another cabinet with the Christians which had pretty much been the driving force of politics since WW2.
So he decided to team-up with the Liberal conservatives and the newly formed liberal reform party to create what was called a 'Purple' government (Blue = liberal capital / Red = labour)
Brits and Americans looked anxiously at the Dutch politics of the 90's because the newly formed alliance got a lot of things 'done'. Clinton famously said: "Wim was first" to create this new third way of politics.
Just like Iraq was the end for Blair, our government collapsed over the Balkan wars, Kok's failure to protect the Srebrenicia Enclave.
And just like it happened internationally the atmosphere in our country had started to change during the course of this 8 year centrist rule.
An independent politician and academic named Pim Fortuyn wrote a book called: "The mess of 8 purple years"
which before 9/11 described how our country had been hollowed out by centrists policies and the west would soon find itself in deep trouble were it not to change course.
He eerily predicted all events that would happen after his death. Such as the economic crisis, the shift from an economic to an ideological EU and how it would be unsustainable to enact German economic policies on southern European states, Italy and Greece.
He also blamed the centrists or third way movement of paving the way for mass poverty for future generations. As the only solution that all sides agreed on was to spend more public money to solve problems.
Lastly he feared that all gains made by the LGTB community (he was gay himself) would be erased by not preventing the spread of radical islamism. He famously called muslim culture 'distinguished mentally-challenged' for having head veils and their backwards view on women and gays in particular. He was a big supporter of free speech and wished for everything to be debated. Especially the things that were covered and buttered up to not upset the centrist alliance.
He had sat alone in debate against the ruling clash and had completely and utterly destroyed them live on television. He was shot right before he could be elected a few months after 9/11.
Pretty much all other countries depending on third way politics ended up the same. The UK with Brexit and the US with Trump. The pendulum swung back hard after people discovered they had been duped.
