New Labour Continuation of Thatcherism

‘The main reason for conservative dominance in the years 1951 to 1964 was labour disunity’ Assess the validity of this view. (June 2011)

Although the contrasting Right wing faction of the conservative party ‘Thatcherities’ oppose this, as Margret Thatcher reduced the size of the state, and they believe State intervention to be negative as it took a lot of industries out of public control and into the state.

This period of Labour rule is often marked down as a poor performance on behalf of the labour party, critically looked upon by many historians. There were many failings under the rule of this government however the circumstances they were placed in caused severe restraints in their options.

New right ended in 1997 replaced by New Labour.- fight against marginalized groups through rejecting inequality, emphasising obligations and responsibilities. Its welfare to work policy supported subsidized training and work experience.

Whether or not there truly was a ‘post war consensus’ in British politics from 1951 to 1964 is a highly debatable topic of which historians can often appear to be in two minds about; on one hand, Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson infamously described the period as ‘Thirteen years wasted’, whereas historian Robert Blake (a supporter of the Conservatives’, regards it as a ‘Golden age of growth’. The likes of Kevin Jeffrey’s even argue that consensus had even started before the war. Overall, the central issue was the idea of a mixed economy.

Therefore, this source could be considered valuable as it gives us an insight into the criticisms that Thatcher’s social and economic policies were facing at the time, as this source focuses on the downsides of Thatcher’s policies, for example “For seven months of this year, all of the following- the erosion of civil rights; the withdrawal of welfare support; the cutbacks and closures; unemployment and civil disorder-have been brought together in a great turmoil of the miners dispute”. This is known to be true as Thatcher’s treatment of mine-workers, in particular her threats to close them down and her referring to them as ‘the enemy within’, were the main reasons for the strike action of 1984 This could also be considered a negative point as, with its focus on the downsides of Thatcher’s economic and social policies, it is unlikely to give a balanced view. It still, however, could be considered to be valuable to a historian when combined with Thatcher’s speech in source A, as this would allow a fairly balanced argument to be created. This source could also be considered valuable as it mentions the effects that Thatcher’s social and economic policies would have had on ordinary people at the time, as the line “Communities in the coalfields, like those in my constituency in

It would be far too harsh to argue that the Liberals passed social reforms just to win votes. The ‘New Liberal’ politicians were some of the most important, such as Churchill and Lloyd George and they were very aware of the obvious social problems in early 20th century Britain. These entire mean had their own personal motives for

The Conservative Party Government Era during 1951-1964 is a period which has been politically criticized throughout the years specifically that of Britain Politics. During this time, the Conservative government was said to have pursued mainly Keynesian economic policies which was centrally focused on reducing inflation, to maintain growth and promote stability but despite the Conservatives attempts to revive the Britain economy through industrialism, increase standard of living and encouragement for consumerism there was the development of a stagnant economy which eventually produced an increase in unemployment, inflation and interest rates for consumer products and loans. The Labour government described the period of 1951-64 as “Thirteen Wasted Years” as they felt that during this period Britain experienced economic chaos and turmoil. This was quite the opposite view for that of the Conservatives, particularly Macmillan who expressed in his speech that the people had “… never had it so good” and encouraged his supporters and opponents to “… Go around the country, go to industrial towns, go to the farms and you will see a state of prosperity such as we have never had before… ” This research paper will make reference to Andrew Boxer Thirteen Wasted Years and Dominic Sandbrook Never Had It So Good to

These reforms were perhaps not a social revolution, as they did not seem to change things specifically, rather, improve and build on what was already in existence. People of the time, although all the more happy for it, seemed to agree that it was not a revolution. In regards to Labour 'changing the face of Britain', I think, concerning 'The Welfare State' the very fact it is still the basis , essence of our Country's policies today, and that no party has abolished nor disputed the need for it, is testament to its significance.

She is known as “One of the most influential Prime Ministers of Britain”. But that being said she was also was the most debated earning both respect and hatard from the public. Particularly for her treatment of the trade unions. Margaret earned her nickname of “The iron Lady” because of her leadership style and her radical ideologies. She was a woman of very staunch values and she brought a lot of radical changes even though her ideas were under siege or still in progress. Margaret Thatcher strode the British Politics with her cleverness and had a tendency for making opportunities which made her very

Margaret Thatcher is one of the most profound and famous Prime Ministers to have ever reigned over the United Kingdom and is, to the present day, the only ever female Prime Minister to have reigned over the United Kingdom. During her reign as Prime Minister, she cut social welfare programs, reduced the power of the trade union and privatised certain industries. She made history during her reign as Prime Minister, however, a big question that many of us ask is whether Margaret Thatcher was a success or a failure during her reign. This essay is going to discuss that question on Thatcherism and look at the positives and negatives of Thatcherism and they will be supported by strong and accurate sources ranging from books to online articles. The

This is a key time in politics as its election year, not only election year but it was the year labour dethroned the Tories 18 year reign. Tony Blair took charge of the party and became prime minister. During the 18 years of the Tories being in power Margret Thatcher was a big talking point and caused many controversies with her in power, she was dubbed ‘The Iron Lady.’ One of the major controversies was the poll tax. This caused uproar between the countries because it was seen as unfair towards the working class people. This caused Riots and disharmony between the people of Britain.

Mr Corbyn’s pledge will enrage many MPs and party members who see Tony Blair’s abolition of the old Clause Four two decades ago as a symbolic and essential move which recognised the importance of markets and made Labour electable.

Additionally, the ninth chapter: Thatcherism abroad: influence and prejudice evaluated Thatcher’s influence abroad and how was Thatcherism perceived out of Britain. From these first two chapters was clear that her vision was non-European and Britain had stronger ties with Atlantic axis and the U.S.´s policies. The Thatcher´s period was significantly marked with the close Anglo-American relations called as the special relationship that was mirrored in relation between Ronald Reagan and

Most importantly, this reform successfully built the new image of the Tories, which humanized Thatcherite ruthless policies and make the Tories electable for another term.