This is
not the post I originally planned on writing but this occasion was
so momentousness that it needs to be discussed. If it does not fit the
context of the blog I apologize and I will do my best to make it work. I
will also try to be as unbiased as possible as I still have family in England who are
all Irish immigrants, one uncle who was a miner......
Unless you have been living under a
rock this past week, you would know that Margaret Thatcher is dead. The ex
prime minister of Great
Britain passed away at 87 on Monday. This
post will discuss Margaret's connection here in the United Sates, her impact on
the UK ,
and to try to connect it to the course I will discuss how I
feel Margaret policies would work today here in the states.
Even if one did not care for
Thatcher it is hard to deny that she was one of the most influential women in
the world. She was prime minister from 1979 to 1990. She led to
an ideological change in the UK going away from the
"welfare state." Thatcher stood up to trade unions and the strong
Labour Party. She despised Socialism and the Soviet Union .
Though Thatcher did not single handedly bring down the Soviet
Union , she did play a vital part in the Cold War leading to the
death of Socialism.
Perhaps
her greatest downfall, in the eyes of British citizens, was how she treated the
lower class. With privatization, the raising of the VAT, a huge unemployment
rare with no real help on the horizon, and claiming there is no such thing as a
society. People believed she only cared about the rich and pushed a false sense
of nationalism to a falling empire. This sentiment of her legacy can be
demonstrated in this quote shown below from an Op ed piece from TheSpec.com
"her
greatest contribution to politics, and the foundation of the right’s political
success over recent decades, was not ideological but tactical. She was the
first politician to grasp the fact that with the decline of the old working
class, it had become possible to win elections on a platform that simply
ignored the wishes and needs of the poor. There weren’t as many of them as
there used to be, and the poorest among them usually failed to vote at
all."
Thatcherism
and Reaganomics go hand in hand. Thatcherism promoted free markets, financial discipline,
small state, firm control over public expenditure, tax cuts (for the rich) populism
and nationalism. I did not see Thatcher as a Tory but rather a 19th century
liberal with a libertarian twist.
I believe
Thatcher’s policies would not be too kind to the American people but I could
see it getting great support from conservative right. Thatcher, to put it in
American terms, is the female Ronald Regan. I suppose that many conservatives
would like the idea of a hands off approach to economics. Everything should be
left to the individual. Monetarism should reign supreme. Conservatives would love to see welfare cut
back and might support frivolous wars in the terms of “national interest” (IE
the Falklands ).
Despite
what you think of Thatcher, one cannot argue that she has a profound effect on
the western world today in how conservative governments operate. The Iron Lady always
be remembered whether if it is with love or hate that is for you to decide.
For your listening pleasure: Billy Bragg Thatcherites
SOURCES
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/importance-margaret-thatcher-article-1.1311615
http://www.economist.com/blogs/lexington/2013/04/margaret-thatcher-and-america
http://www.thespec.com/opinion/columns/article/915328--dyer-why-margaret-thatcher-was-important
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22079683
4 comments:
I think you did a good job connecting it to American Politics. I agree the today conservative republican would love her. I like the personal connection you share with this article as well
I find connecting Margaret Thatcher to American politics today an interesting thought to explore. While she may appeal to many of the ultra-conservatives today, like you mentioned, I do not feel like she would have the ability to win a presidential election. Correctly nick-named the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher was known to have an antagonizing personality. Some of her concepts such as her dislike for “welfare” and hatred of socialism sound like ultra conservative ideologies, however I don’t believe a woman with such an unforgiving personality could win any popularity contests. That is unfortunate to say—perhaps if Margaret Thatcher were a man she would be remembered differently.
I think part of the reason of what made Maggie so important is that she was a woman. She as the first female PM and had some of the most radical views in Britain at the time. And I completely agree she would win no popularity contest if she was a man or a woman.
I loved reading this, I am very much interested in British politics and they are very much similar and it was nice to see this connection.
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