Seizing the 'radical centre' of politics

Santiago

THE international press is having a hard time labelling the political positions of Emmanuel Macron, winner of the first round presidential ballot in France. Some have called him liberal; others, moderate; most finally settled on centrist.

The choice is understandable, but not without problems. It suggests a mere midpoint, as if the ideas of the centre were just a combination of right and left. In fact, successful centrist political movements belong to what sociologist Anthony Giddens called the radical centre: They are ideologically intense and have distinct ideas of their own.

Mr Macron and other liberals - like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, or the new party Ciudadanos in Spain - are still in the process of definin…