ABSTRACT
The British General Election of 1 May 1997 produced the biggest-ever election victory for the Labour Party. Labour regained political power after 18 years, but it was much less clear that they would pursue the reinstatement of any socialist welfare state project. Influenced by the examples of Bill Clinton in the United States and Paul Keating in Australia, Labour had concluded that their route to power lay in the projection of fiscal safety to middle-class and skilled working-class wageearners with families. This involved an appropriation of some aspects of Thatcherism-‘toughness’, encouragement of work and respectable families, retention of earnings rather than their redistribution. This was in line with the personality of Tony Blair, Labour’s leader. Like Clinton, Blair is generally progressive but seems to have a cautious streak and is happy to present a changing selection of policies framed by trusted advisers to win voter appeal. While an impressive example of political communication, Labour’s approach now lacks ideological content or strong roots in the prior history of the party.
