Centrism

Explanation

Centrists occupy the middle of the left-right political spectrum, typically combining elements of both sides: market-oriented economics with social safety nets, socially progressive values with fiscal restraint. Centrism became a defining strategy for center-left parties in the 1990s — Tony Blair's "Third Way" in the UK and Bill Clinton's "New Democrats" in the U.S. both explicitly positioned themselves as centrist. Emmanuel Macron's En Marche (La République En Marche) is a prominent contemporary centrist movement. Critics from the left argue centrism amounts to accepting the status quo; critics from the right argue it is simply center-left politics relabeled. The precise location of the center shifts as political climates change.