The great misconception about “centrism” is that it splits the difference between extremes of hard left and far right, and that, in doing so, accepts aspects of both those extremes. That to be centrist on the environment is somehow halfway between climate change denial and the overwhelming global scientific consensus that climate change is real – when, in fact, a centrist would be firmly in the latter camp.

The word “centrism” in the UK has been transformed by supporters of Jeremy Corbyn from meaning the politics of the moderate, common ground, into a term of abuse, much in the same way “liberal” migrated into a slur by right-wing Republican backers of Donald Trump.

Let’s hear it then for the original centrist papa himself, Emmanuel Macron, who has delivered the sort of speech he should have been shouting from the rooftops of the Elysee from the moment he was elected president nearly a year ago. Macron defeated the racist, far right candidate, Marine Le Pen, by a margin of two to one on a platform of centrism and consensus building. He promised to bring unity in France and, as he hinted during his campaign, reform to the European Union. His election was a victory for liberalism over fascism, for community harmony over anti-immigration, for centrism over populism.

During the presidential contest, after 2016 had ushered in Brexit and Trump, it no longer seemed impossible that Front National candidate Le Pen could win – a frightening thought for a country with a living memory of Nazi occupation. So when Macron did triumph, he acknowledged the symbolism of his victory had ramifications beyond France’s borders. But, with anti-immigrant sentiment still flourishing in Europe, this is something he should have repeated over and over during the past year.

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Show all 8 1 /8 The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Post-Brexit immigration workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns. PA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Customs union A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that “Brexit means Brexit” and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UK’s economic outlook become clearer. Alamy The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Northern Ireland-Irish border Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Party’s coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a “specific solution” would need to be found. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Transition period Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Rights of EU citizens living the UK The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreement (with the EU) Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreements (internationally) The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Financial services Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period. Getty

His speech, finally, to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday was much needed for Europe today. The controversy over Radio 4’s broadcasting of Enoch Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech, to mark its 50th anniversary, is a reminder of how openly, undeniably racist that address was and, rightly, it was condemned from across the political spectrum at the time. But today, such hatred has crept into our politics more insidiously; it hides in the wide skirts of populism, is given credence by mainstream politicians including – as we are reminded with the Windrush scandal this week – Theresa May, who as home secretary four years ago said she wanted to make Britain a “hostile environment” for illegal immigrants. In Hungary, Viktor Orban has just won a third term landslide based on an anti-immigration, anti-EU campaign, while nationalist parties are also in power in Poland and Austria.

In his speech, Macron warned that the EU faces a “civil war” between liberal democracy and the authoritarian right, and that “there is a fascination with the illiberal that is growing all the time”. “Nationalism will lead Europe into the abyss. We see authoritarianism rising all around us. The response should not be authoritarian democracy but the authority of democracy,” the French president said. “I don't want to belong to a generation of sleepwalkers that has forgotten its own past.” This was his key line because, with nationalism and anti-immigrant rhetoric now mainstream in parts of the EU, sleepwalking is exactly what the bloc, forged from a desperate need to keep totalitarianism at bay in Europe after the Second World War, is at risk of doing.

With the term centrism so derided and distorted in meaning, it is easy to mock Macron for his youthful arrogance – he is still just 40. He has a vision to reform the EU, not to extinguish its core purpose but to modernise it so fewer countries seek to follow Britain out of the door. His decision to place France at the centre of Western military action against Assad over the chemical attack in Douma earlier this month means he will never be celebrated by the Corbynite left in this country.

Yet that is a pity.