Oh God, What Now? Can Centrism save the world… again?
Mar 17, 2026
Adrian Wooldridge, Bloomberg columnist and author of Centrists of the World Unite, critiques modern liberalism and champions a centrist revival. He maps three strains of liberal thought, warns that tech platforms now threaten liberal order, and argues for antitrust and legal fixes. Short, sharp conversations on political reputation, cultural conditions, and why centrism must rethink priorities.
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Liberalism Defined By Individuals Tolerance And Power Limits
- Liberalism's core is individualism, tolerance of diverse beliefs, and suspicion of concentrated power.
- Adrian Wooldridge argues these essentials allow both small-state and big-state variants like Hayek and Keynes to still be liberal.
Bobo Neoliberalism Became An Unfit Orthodoxy
- The 1980s bobo neoliberal consensus (market-first, tolerant lifestyles) became an ossified orthodoxy that stopped addressing new problems.
- Wooldridge says liberals retreated to a mantra and must return to fundamentals to reinvent themselves.
Three Fragmented Liberalisms Creating Three Crises
- Liberalism fragmented into three strains: neoliberal market fundamentalists, left liberals focused on identity, and managerial liberals prioritising procedural global governance.
- Each faction drifts to extremism and stops talking to the others, creating three crises.
