The Thatcherites

Or, as they would have said, the IEA-ites

IN the early 1960s the Institute of Economic Affairs in London invited those Tory MPs favorable to the free market to a discussion on promoting their ideas in politics. It was a distressingly small gathering. For this was the heyday of the post-war social-democratic consensus in Britain. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan dominated the political scene with aristocratic style and “unflappable” dash. His nickname, invented by a despairing left-wing columnist, Vicky, was “Supermac.” His political skills were so deft that he was often compared to a magician. And as Balfour said of Gladstone, Macmillan was a Tory in everything except essentials.

About the Author

John O’Sullivan

John O’Sullivan is a senior fellow at National Review Institute and a contributing editor of National Review.

Featured Tags

Or, as they would have said, the IEA-ites

IN the early 1960s the Institute of Economic Affairs in London invited those Tory MPs favorable to the free market to a discussion on promoting their ideas in politics. It was a distressingly small gathering. For this was the heyday of the post-war social-democratic consensus in Britain. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan dominated the political scene with aristocratic style and “unflappable” dash. His nickname, invented by a despairing left-wing columnist, Vicky, was “Supermac.” His political skills were so deft that he was often compared to a magician. And as Balfour said of Gladstone, Macmillan was a Tory in everything except essentials.