Is there a future for Centrism? Meet the Leaders with Yair Zivan and Jo Phillips

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Chat history: 17:30:50 From Sophie Cheadle : Welcome everyone 17:33:08 From Sophie Cheadle : Pre submitted questions: 17:33:35 From Sophie Cheadle : Is social media responsible for polarisation and if so what further UK regulation is needed? 17:33:49 From Sophie Cheadle : The Centre Must Hold was top of my Summer reading list; I ate it up. 1. The first thing I did upon opening the book was scan the contents for any Irish names - there were none. Just curious were any Irish political figures considered for inclusion? Former Prime Minister Bertie Ahern and NI politician, Lord John Alderdice are decent (living) examples, I would have thought - both deal making alchemists, weaving through painstaking complexity. Likewise, the (late) great John Bruton, John Hume, or indeed, Conor Cruise O’Brien could be posthumously claimed! 2. Further to that, would Mr Zivan consider a follow-up book on historical Centrist figures? Could such a political DNA be traced? 17:33:59 From Sophie Cheadle : Does Yair think the potential for centrism varies by country? How big is the Israeli appetite for centrism? 17:34:07 From Sophie Cheadle : What are your definitions of centrism? What views do you regard as being incompatible with it? 17:34:14 From Sophie Cheadle : Environmental breakdown, global conflict, and aging populations worldwide suggest that the coming decades will be radically different from the easy growth and stability of the late 20th Century. It seems inevitable that our political and economic models will have to change - and that that change will be heavily contested. Do you believe that centrism can offer a compelling vision of change, and build the movements to deliver it? 17:34:25 From Sophie Cheadle : What arguments can be garnered to counter the global rise of far right extremism? 17:34:30 From Sophie Cheadle : What arguments can be garnered to counter the global rise of far right extremism? 17:35:36 From Ben Rich : If centrism equates to mainstream isn’t part of the problem that everyone believes that their views are the mainstream? 17:36:58 From Biyi Oloko : Reacted to "If centrism equates …" with 👍 17:38:09 From Kevin Langford : Does a first past the post electoral system increase or decrease the chances of extremists having power or influence? 17:38:28 From Ben Rich : “I never was a radical when young, for fear I should be conservative when old” - Robert Frost 17:53:12 From Leslie Hurst : Does the charisma of the messenger have a disproportionate impact on the whim of voters viz Farage, Johnson and Trump? 17:57:14 From Patrick Thompson : But often the media owners have an agenda of their own. This was very obvious during the Brexit debate and is very marked now 17:58:17 From Ben Rich : Replying to "But often the media ..." Yes - I am not convinced that Farage or Trump are actually particularly charismatic - it is just that that they are good copy because they say extreme things… 17:59:52 From Patrick Thompson : Replying to "But often the media ..." Yes exactly 18:03:41 From Ben Rich : Does social media mean the end of nuance and so the end of centrism 18:05:42 From Patrick Thompson : What is the role of education in all this? 18:08:43 From Andy Ross : Liberal democracy is a lovely thought, but history and many recent trends seems to suggest that Centrism being moderate in its approach to fighting the far-right can be naive, should Labour be more aggressive in preventing them organising and spreading misinformation and hatred while it still can? 18:11:08 From Kevin Langford : Is centrism sustainable without economic growth? 18:13:27 From Andy Ross : Reacted to "Is centrism sustaina..." with 👍🏻 18:19:46 From Kevin Langford : Is there evidence that centrist opposition parties benefit from being less strident in opposing governments and making compromise easier? 18:20:16 From Merlene Enerson : How can/should centrist parties/thinkers influence international organisations? Do centrists believe in multi-polar world? 18:21:47 From David Tyfield : Thanks Yair, very interesting. Listening to you, it sounds to me that ethics (in the actual practice of politics, governance, the shaping of social services, ... plus the key role of education - i.e. transmitting an ethical education to the next generation ...) is crucial to your concept of centrism. Is that true? And does being explicit about this ethical dimension help or hinder or even do nothing to strengthening centrism - and today amidst runaway complexity specifically? 18:25:35 From David Tyfield : Perfect. Thanks Yair. 18:25:56 From Katy Lindsay : In cognitive terms, dealing with complexity is hard. Extremists offer simple answers, which is cognitively appealing for most people (even if not the people here). Centrists need to put their arguments in a way that appeals whilst reducing cognitive overload - e.g. values (but we need to explain them easily). This is hard. We must also work out a way to get people comfortable with shades of grey (which we didn't with Brexit, for instance, since the EU is all about compromise and shades of grey). 18:28:27 From Sophie Cheadle : Thank you everyone! 18:30:43 From Biyi Oloko : Thank you