I was just thinking about it, if you go across Europe, a lot of parties that call themselves "Centre" or "Centrist" seem to always align themselves to the right
For example from my understanding, the Nordic "Centre" parties are in reality right leaning; the Swedish one amost always joins in right wing coalitions as part of the Alliance.
In France, the UDI/Nouveau Centre are basically annexes of whatever Les Republicains are calling themselves this week. The exception being Bayrou, who seems to want to earnestly sit between the two major parties.
In Switzerland, the far right SVP call themselves "Union Democratique du Centre" in French, and the Parti Liberal-Radical (or FDP) call themselves centrist but everyone else calls them right wing.
Similarly, the German FDP is very much liberal on economics; and Ciudadanos in Spain seem pretty right wing too.
Is it basically a case that being centrist amounts to being a moderate right winger? Or is it my perception bias in calling otherwise quite socially liberal parties "right wing" on the basis of their economic policies?
Historical Europe shared the Conservative and Liberal dichotomy which USA have, which meant the centre lay between these two, but when socialism rose, it pushed the entire political spectra to the left, which placed the former moderate parties on the right. It's why in Danish political the Radical Left are a placed around the middle, while Venstre (meaning Leftformerly known as the Moderate Left) are placed on the right.
