From the 1997 election archive: Centre left at centre stage

The election of Tony Blair's first Labour government promised to usher in a new era for the "centre left". But what would Blarism entail? In this article, published on the 2 May 1997, the British sociologist Anthony Giddens attempted to define the new political philosophy.

By Anthony Giddens

Is there a distinctive position for what Tony Blair has come to call the centre left? The problem arises with some urgency in the wake of the election, particularly since the electoral strategy was dominated by caution. Areas of possible Tory attack were neutralised by shifting ever-further into the centre ground as the Tories continued to veer to the right. But is this all the centre left means: appropriating conservative policies one after the other?

During the run-up to the election, Martin Jacques and Stuart Hall penned an exasperated article, “Tony Blair: the greatest Tory since Margaret Thatcher?”