Liberal Democrats and Kermit the Frog
April 04 12:21 PM
AUTHOR:
There are times when I empathise with Kermit the Frog.
While Kermit sometimes laments that it is not easy being green, I sometimes lament that being in the political centre is not always easy.
The liberal centrist approach requires a sensibility and a pragmatism that often does not sit comfortably with the prevailing political debate. It is inevitably much easier to be “for” something, or “against “ it in a sort of soapbox way, than it is to take a more discerning approach based on the particular circumstances of the time and the best response to them.
To the cynic such detached objectivism is not only passionless, and therefore lacking commitment, but also unprincipled and opportunist, easily dismissed as “wishy-washy”, or “standing for nothing”, or “just having an eye for the main chance.” Far better, the cynic argues to be unmistakeably “right” or “wrong” as the case may be, because at least that way everyone is left in no doubt as to where you stand, regardless of the consequences.
In fact, in the cynic’s eyes, that is probably the cardinal sin of the centrist – the ability to see the beneficial points in both sides of the argument and to pick one’s way carefully through a course that focuses on achieving those, rather than becoming bogged down in the points of disagreement. Even worse, there might be occasions when the centrist changes course, because circumstances have changed. To the cynic, this is tantamount to capitulation. Far better it would seem to doggedly and rigidly stick to a course that is wrong or outdated, because that at least provides clarity, than to change tack in the light of new circumstances and work to achieve one’s objectives within that.
And then there is the argument about principles. Principles, it would seem, are the millstones ideologically based political parties attach to their own necks. To the liberal centrist, however, principles are enduring values which enable one to decide how to respond effectively to changing times and the actual situation. To the cynic, being rigidly “for” or “against” something is principled – whereas using principles to guide behaviour is “convenient” or “pragmatic” in the most disparaging way.
All of which brings me back to Kermit. He endures, not because he is a green puppet frog, but because the persona his character reflects is one many people relate to – a decent, honest guy, doing his best for those around him, and gently pricking the balloons of the more self-important, ridiculous and pompous characters he associates with. Similarly, the liberal centrist espouses and operates by the values of decency and honesty, and getting things done, while pricking the balloons of social and political pretension.
While, like Kermit, it is not always easy, it is invariably worthwhile.