@jmaris In the US, it's hard to distinguish between centrists and corporatists, and especially with corporatists, their goals are sometimes indistinguishable from those of fascists. The concern is that in either case, they miss some critical things.

There are other issues, but a huge one with the centrists in the US is a tolerance for the genocide in Gaza. Thoughts and prayers as we continue to send over bombs yield just as many dead kids as the Islamaphobic glee of the apocalyptic Pxians.

Centrists, when we distinguish them from corporatists, just want to go back to what we had, even though that system inevitably led to where we are now. And that's the origin of the "scratch a centrist" phrase. In the US it's more common to hear "vote blue no matter who" to express the same concept.

"Not all centrists" is certainly true. In the US, "not all Republicans" is certainly true, but conscious affiliation still says something.

If there are critical differences over the pond and I've missed them, I'd welcome your perspective.