Long Term Impact of Thatcherism on British Politics and Policy - Coursework Example

LONG TERM IMPACT OF THATCHERISM ON BRITISH POLITICS AND POLICY Introduction Margaret Thatcher was a prime minister of the UK from the year 1979 to 1990. During her reign, the informal transatlantic alliance she signed with the United States president from 1981 up to 1989 has been found to play an important role in the promotion of the international neoliberal policy agenda that has remained quite influential up to date. In this paper, we carefully consider and critically evaluate the nature of the Thatcherism and the impacts on the politics and the policies in Britain (Leichter, 2014). Thatcher’s policies were somewhat associated with the substantial rise in the social economic as well as the health inequalities. The issues mentioned were quite marginalized and sometimes ignored by her government. Thatcherism particularly describes the conviction politics, social, economic policy and the political styles of a British Conservative leader as at her period of reign. The Thatcherism has been seen as a political platform that emphasized on the free markets that worked alongside the restrained government expenditure and a lot of tax cuts together with the British nationalism for the abroad and even at home (Wittlinger, 2002). It primarily encouraged measures as deregulation, privatization of the major national industries that maintained the labour markets with the marginalization of the trade unions as well as the devolvement of the governments decision- making of the prominent local authorities. On the policy agenda, the Thatcher government aimed at influencing the local government, the housing sector, the privatization and the industrial relation. The Long Term Impacts of Thatcherism in Britain Apparently it should be noted that the Thatcher government did not solely aim at effecting small changes in the country revolving round the factors of after war agreements based on the primary objective which was laid on three issues. Main revival within the market liberalism within a dominant public philosophy, a restoration of political fortunes within the conservation party and finally the creation of the sustainable situations of economy which is free in simply limitation of a scope in a particular state and at the same time making restoration of the authority in place (McCormick, 2013). Thatcherism has significantly had a fundamental long-term effect on the health inequalities policies since it greatly affected the social determinants in the health field making the socioeconomic position an important factor in the well-being of the citizens. Additionally, it has had an effect has it has been an ideological sort of project that had been set in radically recasting the relationship between the capital and labour and as well between the society, the state and the individuals. There existed a concerted effort within the change, which was in the midst of ideas where policies were easily pursued shifting the factors of the agreements itself and not individually based. It existed distinctively within a scope with high expectations that were aimed at hegemony for ideology as well as policies that required a radical reform in most of the state’s institutions. Most importantly, it is not possible to overemphasize on the ideology within the project which was political since the project was occasionally difficult to obtain with the organised frequent connections in the political setting, policies with the ideologies inclusive(Garnett, 2013). A number of the core changes during the Thatcher’s period mainly on the political setting with the main idea of an attempt to present the image of a steady government for the elaborate. Broadly, the above may be viewed to be an achievement especially in the early age because the consensus with the trade unions were forced to come to an end with attacks being launched based on solidarity in the political setting. A key effort aimed at reducing the budgetary contributions for the EEC was able to establish a new picture a leader of the ministers that was strengthened by the disagreement that lived in Falkland. Additionally, inadequacy of that party ended up punished and the loyalty in the parliament was made more significant. The parliament became a charade that had a little supervisory power within the executives. Furthermore, the cabinet government that was under Thatcher as well declined; the substantive issues like the ERM membership with the United States that involved the bombing that took place in Libya positioned in the Britain was planned by Thatcher who had consulted and made a conclusion with some other advisors.  Additionally, a long lasting effect on the fluctuation in a style of the political way of handling issues has persisted since then (Jackson, 2012). The Major who was chosen to be a conciliator instead of a mobilize usually, was taken be such a weak and an inadequate leader basically by the elaborate and so was found punished for it. On the other hand, the presidential style of Blair appeared significant and even more popular and consequently resulted into people into drawing differences with the Thatcher as a leader. However, seemingly, Thatcher’s tendency in the steadfast way of leadership has ended up being such significant in the general wellbeing of the Britain politics and her success. Indeed, this change in the style resulted to a significant change in the Britain and has been highly questionable up to date. Improvement of the state’s economy was such as the pledge in conservative sort of the government in that particular time. A primary objective mainly aimed at the reduction of the inflation with new ways of in the monetarism. Her initial thought in the in directly controlling the supply of money in this situation was done away with permanently (Bale, 2011). The main aims for M3 substantially were made more in the time of four years of her reign. On careful observation, the monetarist rhetoric was not in a position to offer a successfully efficient monetary set of policies in which the increase was solely brought down by the reduction of UK into the recession. The Ley’s argument based on the policy, which was just a piece for the deflationary kind of a rule would possibly have been so political and very infectious within its standard uncloaked condition, which aimed at the reduction of the output with increased unemployment. This was mainly aimed at controlling the inflation (Aarts, 2011). For the resulting rise in the lack of employment in parts of the policy stricken areas confounded one among the Thatcher’s economic targets and goals that were to reduce the social security spending. Her state was targeted at procedurally reducing power within the local governments where they faced quite significant deal of resistance towards the laid policies that existed especially true for the GLC with the Metropolitan County Councils, which happened to be dealt way with then. The local governments were made to put up the refuse collection, and were as well forced to do the street cleaning, as well as the general maintenance out to tender. Margaret Thatcher was more of a crusader than a compromise and more of a warrior rather than a healer. She had it as a belief that all those that came into her government the period Mary served the position of a prime minister largely failed and more so on the economy. Absolutely, she was quite determined in changing all that alongside other political aspects. This brought out the major difference between the patrician, paternalistic Tory predecessors who meant a straight return to the levels of lack of employment which had not really felt the experience from 1930s, that most people thought of it to be both immoral and considered it as an electoral suicide (Berlinski, 2008). On the other hand, although she was such an ideologue meaning that she was too much to the people who worked together with her and to her opponents she was highly pragmatic behind the scenes. Some organisations for instance, were strangled procedurally together with joblessness separating the pieces in the legislation sometimes before her final dealings with them in direct confrontation with the miners in that period of time. Thatcher significantly drove the design within the conservative party concerning factor of the Europe changing it to be  a little complex for those who were to come after in keeping that party intact deleting the differences in another conservative group of majority any time soon. The factionalism that she built in Europe from the 1980s devastated John Majors premiership (Cooper, 2012). From that time, Euroscepticism has regularly defined new cohorts of the conservative members of parliament and has made it mandatory for David Cameron into promising a change on the Britains membership in an attempt to meet the rebels’ requirements.  Critically, the dislocation by Thatcher has alienated most of the conservative voters creating a sufficient room to enable UK Independence Party for conservatives right flank. Thatchers anti-Europe stance that dates back to 1986 Westland Affair drove Michael Heseltine out from the cabinet. The defection revealed such a widening gulf among the Thatcherism Conservatives together in the liberal, the anti-Europe views and pro-European interventionist’s conservatives like of Heseltine. The internal disagreements that resulted in seeds those are sowed and are tied to the leadership for future challenges. Thatcher failed in converting the conservative party into the Thatcherism despite the fact that she tamed the trade unions and that she saved the Britain from the economic collapse. Moreover, her  state was among those leading in support of European markets, which were put in place progressively from in the period of mid-1980s. Actually, the commissioner that brought the programme to completion of the internal markets, Lord Cockfield happened on an appointee of Thatcher that shared her views concerning the significance and the importance of the market principles (erlinski, 2008). It happened to indeed, become one among those enduring marks within the unchanging support in the only cornerstone markets of European integration not putting into consideration the turmoil in the recent years as well as the movement in the market changes throughout entire continent. Absolutely, it became a part of a myth which Thatcher failed to understand what she had exactly signed up for the single European Act of 1986 and she hardly foresaw the set regulatory strategies that would possibly have been imposed by the Brussels on the unsuspecting Britain. On the contribution of the valedictory sort of debate within the house of commons the previous week, Tony Baldry argued that in as much Margret had succeeded in the attempts of making the single markets work for the best, she was not anymore able to easily affect the exercise of UK veto, he stated that within that time she must have found it quite frustrating (Leichter, 2014). Similarly, the apparent fact that the EU had enlarged to incorporate ten countries the eastern and the central Europe with others that were to become a part of them later in the year, has at least been a part of the results of the main approach that her  government had taken in facing the entire Soviet Union towards the end of the cold war. It has indeed not been a coincidence that a number of the great eulogies for Mrs. Thatcher previously stated came from the normal citizens in some states like, Poland resisted unification of Germany as well as the comments that followed her burial from the German leader as at then, Helmut Kohl who testified to the friction that had been caused (Aarts, 2011). Notably, it is without much disbelief that she had hardened life in a number of ways for the followers in Europe since she occasionally blocked what many others considered and took to be important changes in the state. In the UK perspective, she stood a chance of securing a considerable success in the renegotiation for the European budget in having ‘my money back’ in the year 1984 in a rebate. The results however, have been that the EU budget discussions are among the difficult ones, and that EU budget has been so resistant in reforming that it again does not anymore fulfil the effective function within the economic governance of Europe. In the years that came after her political assassination, domestically, the schism of the Europe adequately haunted the conservation party but it remained within the government up to 1997. The political conflict continued in the Europe and eventually divided the government of Thatchers successor known as John Major once memorably was described by Lamont Norman who was the Chancellor presiding over the Britains removal from the exchange rate form of mechanism in 1992 as one that was in the office but was not in power(Morphet, 2013). Up to date a lot of community. ‘It is quite possible that the people in the opposition for the consensus brought the bad policy decisions. several people could easily recognize that there existed a great need for the  economic changes in those years between 1970s and 1980s and specifically there needed a few challenges for the organisations and the raised ability to change the lobour markets, unfortunately, the reforms happened to be brought in not even with consultation or compromise actually it had happened without the need of taking into account different geographical and the social interests (Garnett, 2013). This means that the changes introduced in that period of her government have constantly had a great impact with the society in most parts of the state up to date. The council estates of the northern part of England have for some time suffered the combined effects of the de- industrialization as well as the house sales that are up to date reeling from impacts of the rules dated back in the 1980s. The Thatchers rejection of the consensus was not anything worth admiring but rather quite dangerous, the anti-democratic practices of the executive dominant kind of political system. The main issue has been that she knowingly ignored the cosy elite show of the agreements, which was rightly offered , which was as well not democratic, although she attempted not to put another kind of legitimizing methods or mechanisms in place. The politicians, therefore, require a process in constructing a broad support if in any case there is need in maintaining the support for citizens with the adversarial politics breed cynicism (McCormick, 2013). Her failure in not building a consensus created a zero-sum sort of politics with a loser who felt that the resentment and it produces a policy change because of the dogma instead of evidence. Most politicians had a chance to enjoy a moment with the public under the tutelage of Thatcher, who was an extraordinary politician. She drove the wedge of the Conservancy party in Europe making it so difficult for the one to succeed her to maintain the party together. The factionalism that was created by Thatcher was evident when her successor assumed the helm. She was unable to turn the Conservancy Party to Thatcherism though she tamed the other unions and prevented the economy collapse of Britain. The successor struggled to restore the unity within the party since it had turned to ideological rather than the pragmatic side (Jackson, 2012). Thatcher left a legacy in labour after she saw the removal of the clause IV on a commitment to public ownership. The New-Labour got a new face different from the social democracy. Thus, the new amendment was a representation of party tradition pragmatism and a response to wider social and economic trends. Conclusion To conclude it can be said that the thatcher government significantly has had long-term effects on the Britain. The legislation with the industrial relations as well as a radical privatization policy that adequately built an irreversible change how the state relates with the industry. Critically, this was with as well popular with the voters and happened in tune with many long-term tendencies within Europe. The Thatcherite revolution is currently taken to be a product of rhetoric and not the reality of the policy effects since the legislation with most of the objectives were definitely so radical although occasionally not successful with the implementation of the policies that actually achieved the objectives. The implementation gap that the Thatcher’s government aimed at achieving with what was achieved that seemed mainly self-inflicted. Notably, the inconsistency of the Thatcherism ideology with their mistaken thoughts in the complex approach towards the state government undoubtedly promised and eventually ensured that in accordance to the main criteria of success more so in the field where opposition was faced the government was most of the time destined to fail. Additionally, there exists no doubt that the Thatcherism offered a primary effect on the well-being as well as the British population health concerns. In addition, the aggressive promotion of the free markets policies was later accompanied by the overgrown influence on the business interests as well as in commitment to the reduction of the size of the general welfare state. All the above mentioned shows that Thatcherism significantly led to ensuring that Britain was one among the less healthy and unequal place as well. 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