When Emmanuel Macron beat Marine Le Pen handsomely to reclaim the French presidency in 2022, the liberal establishment was in ecstasy. Their verdict that the centre was holding was as understandable as it was unfounded. In reality, Macron’s second term helped the ultra-Right become France’s strongest political force. Last week, Mark Carney and Anthony Albanese defeated their Trumpish opponents to retain the prime ministerships of Canada and Australia, respectively. Once again, news of the revival of the political centre may prove a centrist delusion.