Brownism is understood by
Anthony Giddens and others as a
social democratic ideology, characterised by its distinction from the ideology of
New Labour under
Tony Blair, with Brownism generally understood as tolerating less enthusiasm about market driven reforms such as tuition fees and foundation hospitals, more keen on the role of the state, and less critical of
Labour's links to the unions. Compared to
Blairism, Brownism places more emphasis on constitutional reform, advancing ideas of a "new constitutional settlement", alongside a "robust concern for redistributive politics" with commitments to reducing poverty and expanding the welfare state;
Will Hutton opined: "Like Tony Blair [Gordon Brown] is a believer in a pluralist and fair society, social mobility, and marrying economic efficiency with social justice". Brownism retains much of the economic pragmatism of
New Labour, characterised by commitments to liberalised markets and "responsible capitalism", with light-touch approaches to financial regulation and tax. Brownite pragmatism was demonstrated during the 2008 Financial Crisis which occurred during the
Premiership of Gordon Brown, with the UK Government response comprising the nationalisation of the
Royal Bank of Scotland,
Lloyds TSB and
Northern Rock – with both conservative and left-leaning governments worldwide following this approach. On foreign policy, Brownism is characterised by "complexity, inter-connectedness, and cooperation", with focuses on improving globally under-developed regions, improving human rights, and global
social justice – particularly through
international aid. Brownism is additionally characterised by significantly greater hesitance towards
liberal interventionism compared to
Blairism, with focuses on foreign policy advanced through cooperation, and hesitance towards conflict. It emphasises "duties to discharge and responsibilities to keep" where conflict does take place, and places greater distance towards
US foreign policy, while retaining commitments to
Atlanticism. Brownism has been described as lacking an "ideological narrative", something that has been said to have damaged
Gordon Brown's "credibility as
Labour leader". This has meant that scholars and observers have been able to describe Brownism as
neoliberal, while others have described it as
social democratic. == Relationship to prior administrations ==