What is "blatcherism"

Blatcherism is a term formed as a portmanteau of the names of two British politicians, Tony Blair ( Labour Party) and Margaret Thatcher ( Conservative Party). It has been used by critics of monetarism and neo-liberal economics to refer to the thesis that a policy model of the Thatcher government, distinct from One Nation Conservatism, was resurrected when Blair came to power. It echoed ' Butskellism', frequently used to describe the post-war consensus on a mixed economy with moderate state intervention to promote social goals, particularly in education and health.

Editorial comment by Red Pepper before the 1997 General Election that brought Blair to power may be the earliest usage 1. Another early sighting of this term was in 2001, used by Brian Lee Crowley 2, a Canadian commentator. The term has also been used, for example, by the journalist Alexander Cockburn, in preference to Blairism.