Can The Centre Hold?

Mary Ann Sieghart asks what the future holds for the political centre.

As a populist wave has been rising around the world, parties of the centre appear in retreat. Much energy has been devoted to understanding this new wave, but what of the parties which have traditionally been the home of swing voters and occupy the ground on which elections have usually been fought? In this programme Mary Ann Sieghart follows elections in Stoke, France and the Netherlands, and speaks to politicians from across the world who have thrived in the political centre, about its future. What clues does history hold to how parties of the centre should respond, and what models seem to be working?

Producer: Giles Edwards.