In recent years, there has been a systematic effort to argue that the only “legitimate” and sane political position is the “centrist” one, in the “center” at a safe and equal distance from the “reprehensible” extremes. And this is if we admit that references to political currents from the point of view of geometry still make sense.
Except that we are talking about political space which I insist simply does not exist this is a magical picture of politics, based on the clash of opinions, ideologies, and visions.
And don’t tell me about the Union of the Center, because in Greece what was called the pre-dictatorship of the “Center” was not something in the “middle” of the political map, but that part of the progressive space that clearly opposed the authoritarianism of the post-conflict state, but did not belong to the communist left .
Today, the “Center” is a political space that basically says “we live in the best world,” meaning that nothing should or can change, and that major political choices are set by the “autopilots” of markets and globalization, creating fearful societies with low expectations.
A space that is distrustful, sometimes hostile – often authoritarian – to any social movement that claims change, let alone one that seeks to overthrow established economic and social structures.
A space that asserts and protects human rights, but when necessary and convenient, also turns a blind eye to pushback. Because the basic principle of “equals” is all relative, it’s a matter of reading as you like and what is imposed by the situation and interests, there are no red lines, there are no clear positions.
In essence, it is the political identity of politicians who do not really want to be involved in politics, but clearly seek to govern, and citizens who increasingly do not distinguish between politics and consumption and want to be treated as customers. Whoever makes the best offer wins their favor, politics as a deal, defining customer relationships.
The emergence of the Center as the only “legitimate” political identity may explain why social democracy is experiencing such a serious crisis, as well as why traditional conservative parties are losing part of their social base.
Because, especially in Europe, this imposition of the identity of the “Center” as dominant actually explains the growth of citizens’ distrust of the political system, because it is simply an identity that does not allow for real relations of representation, i.e. the other cannot recognize himself, his needs, his interests.
And, of course, these privileges of the “center”, together with the crisis of the left, this is what explains why today the extreme right is gaining strength and in fact gaining more and more among the popular layers, the poor, the disaffected, those who feel offended and neglected by the political system .
Because what we call the “Center” would be more correct to call the “Extreme Center”, that is, to use this seemingly contradictory neologism, which, however, clearly shows that we are dealing with an ideology that is first above all, neoliberal and aggressive towards anyone who insists that social rights and income redistribution should be a priority.
In Greece we saw these “extreme centrists” in full force during the writing of the Memoirs, when their logic was “if Schäuble did not exist, we would have to invent him”, and even today we see them criticized , especially in the public sphere and media whenever social groups come forward and demand justice.
It is they who, taking the right position on rights and identity, believe they have an alibi to propose the most unpopular policies on social policy.
Only now this identity is experiencing a crisis and is being rejected by a large part of the electorate throughout Europe.
And this means that politics can really come back.
With their “grand narratives”, with their different ideologies, with their visions and agendas, instead of just managing the existing one.
And this return of politics, especially in its democratic, left-wing and progressive version, is the only thing that will prevent the far-right from being the ones who benefit from the collapse of the Center.