UK: Margaret Thatcher

[Peter]

OK, so I have read some of the arguments about the former PM that have started up on other threads where it is clearly off topic, and recommendations were made to bring in a bright Tory to help fight the Socialists on the basis of some experience in UK Politics.

Here I am! For the record I am a card carrying member of the Conservative Party and a member of the Tory Reform Group. The latter obviously puts me at odds with some of her policy and there are parts which I think she was wrong to pursue.

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Balancing the budget is a rather important part of fiscal policy (something that GW might try learning!)

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I would not agree: She reined in the trade union movement and retook control of British Industry; She allowed people to own their own homes; Overcame the dependence of many on the welfare state; Britains economy went from being the sickman of Europe in 1979 to one of the strongest today because of her economic reforms. Need I go on?

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Pretty sure that Maggie understood economics, having been Shadow Chancellor and presiding over the rebuilding of the British economy after the shambles of the late 70s.

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I know a lot of socialists had quite a few problems with this, mostly because it cost them more. The reason it was her downfall was that she had picked one fight too many with her cabinet and her backbenchers, even if the policy itself had merit

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I am not here to defend the indefensible, on this one I concur with your judgement that it was not a good policy.

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The mining communities died because they refused to mine coal because they wanted to extort more money from the government. So, when she would not come to the table, they died because they did no work and she found other sources for coal and energy.

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I am no economics expert, but I am pretty sure that her reforms have had much greater long term benefits than continuing with the system of corpratism and selling the country out to the unions every couple of years.

Margaret Thatcher is the longest serving PM in living memory, she stood up to the Soviet Regime, and they obviously feared her, apparently they had a fearsome name for her. She stood up for British sovereignty by retaking the Falklands.

Look forward to your replies, and please keep the insults checked.

[Peter]

I am inclined to agree with English that the Thatcher administration pursued necessary economic policy, but that its social policy was, to put it mildly, somewhat lacking.

How Lord Tebbit is still allowed in the party is beyond me; yep I am one of the plotters who would not mind seeing the back of him!! Section 28 as previously discussed was IMO a stupid idea.

Unlike English, however, I can forgive the party because there are many elements of it that  have moved on and joined the 21st century, although not all I will openly admit. However I find that sort of policy more palatable than the daftness of some Labour MPs who hark back to the socialism of the 1970s as continuing to be the solution to our problems.

Pete