I view Thatcher as a necessary correction to Britain's economic ills of the time...I mean, what were the choices? Her or Foot...But that in no way changes my view that she also did damage...We know that she started selling off the council houses without replacing the stock...houses built for people who needed them....An example of selfish short termism......Great for those that benefited while a complete pulling up of the ladder for the next generation.

While we can pick apart this or that policy I think the biggest damage she did was to the mindset of how the Tory party should see itself.

She wasn't a one nation Tory in the Macmillan mode.....I'm old enough to remember Macmillan complaining about her selling off the 'family silver' with that too wishful thinking that privatization was the answer to all the ills in the public utilities. The truth is that we have had very mixed results.

That said, Thatcher had great qualities as both a leader and as a conviction politician....What she would think of the current parade in the party I dread to think....A line up of social justice warrior wannabes and feminists mixed with globalistic neo liberalism.

As someone said the other day.....The Conservatives....what are they conserving exactly?

Edited by Stirlingsays (28 Dec 2018 7.50pm)

Well, she certainly enlarged the financial sector......though that was probably one of her more intelligent and far sighted policies because first world countries were going to lose a lot of their manufacturing base to cheaper options around the world as globalisation became easier......That's unless you had an tradition of top quality trade guilds like Germany had and have......So that inevitable drop in manufacturing had to be replaced with something else.

So we went financial sector and more services focused rather than manufacturing.......It was necessary but painful....too painful in some ways....Thatcher was like William the Conquerer insomuch as she waylaid the north.

Edited by Stirlingsays (28 Dec 2018 8.09pm)

Self evidently, themselves.