   == Ross Perot and the Reform Party ==  I edited to include Ross Perot because his candidacy everywhere was talked about as appealing to the 'radical middle' (in the press even). He said he was a social moderate and fiscal conservative, but his general tone was of centrismwhich is why for years after 'swing voters'/centrist voters/independents were called 'Perot voters'. On most issues he came to compromises between Democrats and Republicans with hard solutions. For instance he said both tax cuts and tax increases were needed. He also felt that partisanship and gridlock between the parties caused most problems, including incessant debates on social issues like abortion. But he promoted issues that appealed to the center (that weren't just plain 'centrist' but pro-active positions that at that time hadn't been talked about much before) like balanced budgets, campaign finance reform, referendums, term limits, etc.  The Reform Party was based on this platform and was radically centristmembers even called themselves 'centrist'. People in the party felt there were definite issues that needed to be solved, and the two major parties had to be challenged to solve them, with the creation of a new party. Today, many might say the party has a chink in this line of thought, because after Pat Buchanan and his supporters entered the party in the 2000 election, hard stances on immigration started to enter party platforms.  Which is somewhat right-but even still it doesn't compromise on the idea. I read Noam Chomsky once wrote that in America the groups on the fringes of politicslike Nader on the left, Buchanan on the right, and Perot in the center, agreed substantially on their significant issuesand he proposed that they joined together in a pretzel to form the 'radical middle'. A radical 'centrist' is an uneasy concept, since politics always changes and what will be moderate will change. The idea here though is that there is a growing set of issues that is not shared by left or right parties (fair trade, campaign finance reform, balanced budgets). That those who support these issues also carry different baggage of their own, tied to left-right positions, like Buchanan with abortion or immigration, should be expected.  If you're talking about John McCain, he plays to many of these positions (but is still free trade). But he's usually still what you might call a 'sensible' centrist and usually falls on the right, where he is. I was in the Reform Party (i think my analysis is accurate so don't bring up the bias), and many members hated McCain because he was a 'false reformer'-for instance his McCain-Feingold act made it even harder for third parties, while not doing anything substantial for reform. The sentiment was that he was just taking advantage of the issues for his public image. If you even listen to his speeches on reform he gives no substance just uses the phrase 'special interests' liberally.  From what I know about UK politics, Tony Blair looks more like Clintonesque centrism (which is purely political) than anything else.   