Michael Young, June 2001, The Guardian 

I have been sadly disappointed by my 1958 book, The Rise of the Meritocracy. I coined a word which has gone into general circulation, especially in the United States, and most recently found a prominent place in the speeches of Mr Blair.

The book was a satire meant to be a warning (which needless to say has not been heeded) against what might happen to Britain between 1958 and the imagined final revolt against the meritocracy in 2033.

I figured I had to have done this years ago. I've never been able to read the word straight, even before I knew the origin. But people still do, especially the people claiming to oppose it.