Can’t disagree. In addition to destroying the Tories she set the Labour Party on the route to where they are today, just a palimpsest of the socialist outfit set up by intellectuals and working trades unionists to fight against the evils of capitalism. Now we have a Right-wing Thatcher tribute act.
That's quite a claim. I suppose it depends on how you measure it. In terms of overall damage done, I'd agree. But honourable mentions need to go to Cameron for his stirling work on austerity and paving the way for Brexit, Johnson for Brexit and killing 200,000 people, and. . .
Hey, come one now. The US is WAY more of a shithole than you guys. At least you get healthcare. Don't take our one achievement away. Best shithole on the planet!
If politicians truly wanted to fix the UK they just bring back all necessities into government control, run it as a none profit organization and join the EU. It’s easy, but I’m afraid rich people won’t allow this. They want us all struggling.
There is evil in the world, so we expect acute instances such as Thatcher vel sim, but rather than lament that, what is to be done to end the repeating cycles? There are many who need that now.
While considering, here is some consolation, but not a solution per se:
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Having thought about this a lot, I’ve come to a similar conclusion (certainly in my lifetime at least).
If we look at many of the issues facing us now, most have their roots in her time. Energy, water, housing, transport, health, social care, local services - the rot in all of them began with her.
As others have added I would say the Iron lady 80% responsible, dishonorable mentions have to go to Cameron, Johnson, Truss and the shit stirrer in chief, (Farage).
In Canada, we dodged a bullet in the 80s. We had a Thatcherite, who actually stumbled into good policy: national VAT and a free trade agreement with the US. Had that not happened, with our current slate of subnational leaders all governing from 4Chan, we'd be hooped (we still may be).
Sorry, Too simplistic, the real culprits were the corporates adopting the theft of social capital by ‘trickle down’ neo-liberalsm which was adopted by politicians as the ‘third way’ Thatcher, Josepth (and Regan in US) were the vanguard but Blair & Mandleson were just as culpable. All Paid stooges!
To ascribe neo-liberalism as being any politicians idea is ignoring the real culprits, the paid for think tanks, Milton Friedman, heritage foundation, Adam Smith Institute, guido Faulks et al, paid for by billionaire corporates and their ilk.
Now the SEZ’s & Freeports will smash us all.
They worship her. They bask in the memories of the bonfires from her dismantling a caring society to make way for the magnificence of the free market and the never to be seen benefits and opportunities promised from it. Well, except for the few capitalist buccaneers who benefited greatly.
Margaret Thatcher didn’t take us out of the EU.
If the U.K. was still in the EU things might be a whole lot brighter even without the permanent rebate she negotiated in 1984.
Indeed she blew north sea oik revenue on blowing a hole in major industries - mining, textiles, steel and use north sea oil money to pay unemoyment benefit instead of investing it like Norway
Never liked her but had argument with my husband when he described her as “evil”; in retrospect, I think I should have shut up! She did, however, push for single market.
Historians will look on Thatcher as a national catastrophe and the start of the decline of a great nation. No industries, no money coming into the exchequer to pay for services we can't do without.
We own nothing now and pay through the nose. A true traitor!
Her closure of gas storage facilities resonates today. Destroying shipbuilding & mining communities & never replacing those jobs sowed the seeds of the vacuum we have in politics today. Selling off water companies, has destroyed the oceans & rivers. Yep, she was ghastly.
They were both proponents of Neoliberalism which is still the dominant economic policy. Privatise everything, so called free markets and union busting.
One day I shall piss on her grave in front of a crowd of tourists, while I sing the song I wrote for her, "You're a Cunt and it's Fantastic That You're Dead'.
Controversially, I still believe that Thatcher's aspirations of meritocracy, opportunity for all, public share ownership, and our place in Europe were well-intentioned & for the benefit of the country. Unfortunately, she failed to anticipate the greed & corruption that brought it all crashing down.
Ideology is all fine and dandy on paper but if you don’t factor human nature in then you’re running 100mph to a disaster. Communism being another prime example.
She was the first to set the ball rolling but the damage done by the ones that followed shouldn’t be let off any more lightly. They’ve cut into areas she could only dream about.
It's not v.helpful to frame this in terms of "worst PM ever". In terms of effective governance and UK standing, Johnson & Truss are clearly worse. What you really mean is that MT encoded into our politics and govt the callous philosophy of "the sovereign individual"which then infected everything.
Prior to Thatcher we had Keynesian economics - gentler, fairer, more socialist leaning. She introduced neo-liberal economics - efficiency, targets, profit above all - destruction of community and security. Cheapest not best. All politics since has been neoliberal - except for Corbyn led Labour.
Section 28. Destruction of whole communities. Using the police as her own private army on striking miners. Trying to cancel HIV education and PSAs. I could go on, but you could look it up yourself.
Her "there's no such thing as public money, there's only taxpayers money" lie is still deeply embedded in the public psyche and causes untold damage to this day.
Comments
While considering, here is some consolation, but not a solution per se:
The neoliberal perfect storm that wiped out the future for everyone but the wealthy.
If we look at many of the issues facing us now, most have their roots in her time. Energy, water, housing, transport, health, social care, local services - the rot in all of them began with her.
Now the SEZ’s & Freeports will smash us all.
If the U.K. was still in the EU things might be a whole lot brighter even without the permanent rebate she negotiated in 1984.
We've since had Boris, Truss... and Starmer is more right wing than the Milk Snatcher was.
We own nothing now and pay through the nose. A true traitor!
The current Marxist government of UK is by far the worst ever!
I’m sure I’ll be put in jail for saying so!
Thatcher is up there with Churchill.
You are either too young or ignorant of history to think otherwise.
Thatcher presided over losing of inflation from 25% under Labour to circa 3% and an economic boom!
https://youtu.be/DUlj48Rvp1c?si=WaGoKsBUgRhBHieM
And he was shit, too.
And Sunak for that matter
I'd rather have her than any of them
Thatcher satisfaction Ipsos Mori to June 2022
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/bp.2014.22
He destroyed the Labour Party!!