NZ’s political ‘centre’ is an electoral strategy, not a set of beliefs

Marty Melville/AFP via Getty Images Most of us use an imaginary two-dimensional spectrum to chart the positions of political parties, generally based on the fundamental issue of the relationship between the state and private enterprise. Parties of the left tip towards a greater role for government, while those on the right favour free markets and lower taxes. The centre – that fabled land where political kingmakers and queenmakers roam – captures the moderate edges of both, at least in…