A Move to the Centre?

Been away. Now I'm back.

Post election. A bit grumpy but also encouraged.

I've been reading the analysis and wondering if we're missing something.
Mostly I've been interested in this idea that the Green Party have moved to the centre resulting in their excellent numbers.

I'm not entirely convinced. Apart from Norman's ridiculous flirt with the Tories early on in the campaign - and I notice it was never mentioned again - Green policy hasn't changed much.

I wonder if the perception that the Greens are moving to the centre is actually a case of the centre moving to the Greens. In other words that much of what used to be "fringe" environmentalism is now "mainstream". I look at the young, educated Green candidates who are qualified in professions that simply didn't exist 20 years ago. They have studied subjects that one couldn't even study at universities until recently. Much of what used to be considered the realm of slightly nutty, home-knits and back-to-the-landers is now accepted wisdom. Indeed ideas such as sustainable management have become part of the mainstream conversation, part of the economy. Bright young things make their careers in areas once the reserve of crusty, Whole Earth Catalogue reading hippies. Those bright young things are mainstream professionals. Their areas of expertise are mainstream professions. Those bright young things are now candidates and voters.

I further wonder if the move away from Labour is a similar process.

Post 1987 the Right populated the accepted centre, neo-liberals infected the Left and the accepted wisdom of globalisation, the free market and every-man-for-himself became the mainstream norm.

I wonder if the same crop of bright young things know better. History has shown us the error of most of neo-liberal puffery and they teach history at universities. There is a generation that adopted the new-right philosophy wholesale. There is another that has been educated in the evidence that Don Brash, Bill English and Phil Goff continue to ignore.

Perhaps those same bright young things are part of the Occupy crowd. Perhaps ideas such as: the rich shouldn't benefit at the expense of the poor; Te Tiriti should be properly honoured; workers shopuld have basic rights and power in the system; a redistribution of wealth is sensible in a civilised society; a level of intervention is essential to ensure the safety and prosperity of citizens; collaboration is better than competition are becoming part of (yes, and returning to) the mainstream.

Yes - I do notice the surge to Peters and the Conservatives. But maybe that is the natural reaction of a society afraid of change in the face of the wave of fresh ideas - and idealism. I also note the crop of fresh faced nutters at ACT functions. Exceptions proving the rule?

Anyway. Just a thought.