At what point in time will the mining communities stop complaining about the industry being killed off? It's been 30 years now. Will their inability to ever get a job be blamed on Thatcher for infinity?

Lord Gusset of Chislehurst's MP seemed to approve...

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Pro USA & Israel

When Margaret Thatcher came to power Britain was in a total and utter mess with the 'State' a giant welfare machine.

The truth is that a radical shake-up of British industry which had limped along on Government subsidies for far too long was badly overdue.Even today when we are told we no longer make things, we are still in he Top 10 of the world's manufacturing exporters.Without Thatcher's reforms which massively boosted British productivity and banished the curse of industrial unrest this would not have been possible.

Mrs Thatcher had to make some tough decisions and unfortunately her predecessors had put off the difficult decisions for far too long which meant that the pain would eventually be much greater.

Edited by Willo (18 Apr 2013 11.20am)

So basically you are saying that the hardship for millions of Britons and their families and leaving their communities to rot were necessary casualties of an economic war. Collateral damage.

Must have made them a bit sick when hearing about how the already wealthy were getting wealthier due to Thatcher's other economic policies whilst they were fumbling round the back of the sofa trying to find some loose change to buy some food, don't you think?

Big chest and massive boobs

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Of course that for many people the 80s were very difficult years but in truth Britain was always facing an immensely painful transition with unemployment always likely to rise as the inevitable penalty after years of decline.

In the final analysis the stark reality of globalisation meant that major industries were doomed before Mrs Thatcher came to office.

It depends on how you view the role of government, as to whether its to the people as a whole, or just to those who'll vote for you.

We swapped failing industries for massive welfare budgets, deciding it more moral to render people into poverty and benefits, than to subsides them as members of society. Thatchers route included nothing for those who would lose out, whilst profits boomed and taxes were cut.

Those privatised companys would also often go onto be record profit makers for decades (BT for example. The tories had crippled the unions, they were in a great position to rationalise and reform state assests like BT. Instead they sold off cheap one of the most profitable British Companys of the next 20 years - Its surely on a par with Brown selling off the gold reserve).

The problem with the Thatcherite response is that it simply relied far to much on the ideology of the free market and deregulation, without a view to the idea that a government is responsible for more than just the wealth generation of those who will vote for it.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
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