The centre cannot hold under austerity, in Britain or Europe | Seumas Milne

The crisis is polarising politics from Ireland to Spain, and Labour will sink unless it offers a real alternative

Six years after the crash, the centre cannot hold. Crisis and austerity are delivering polarisation and political fragmentation, and its happening almost everywhere across Europe. In Britain the main parties share of the vote is shrinking, while Ukips rightwing populists are dragging the Tories towards them. At the same time, the Scottish National Party has mushroomed out of the independence referendum campaign as a self-proclaimed party of the left, commanding a level of support that threatens Labours chances at next years general election. And the radical Greens have overtaken the Liberal Democrats in the latest polls.

Its a pattern reflected throughout the continent. In the wake of the 2008 meltdown, incumbents were ejected from office one after the other, regardless of political colour. As cuts in services and living standards were imposed in a fruitless attempt to escape the crisis, support for establishment parties plummeted or fractured to left and right.

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