• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

The demonised deceased

By Nathan Lee, Politics and Finance writer  Was Margaret Thatcher demonised for the right reasons, why did people hate her, and to what extent did the unions warp our perception of the long-standing politician? Margaret Thatcher was born of a working class family, but died the most victimised member of its society in living memory. […]

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2014-02-20 15:24
in Politics
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp
By Nathan Lee, Politics and Finance writer 
Was Margaret Thatcher demonised for the right reasons, why did people hate her, and to what extent did the unions warp our perception of the long-standing politician?
Margaret Thatcher was born of a working class family, but died the most victimised member of its society in living memory.
It is difficult to assess whether the recently deceased Baroness Thatcher was unfairly demonised throughout her time in Westminster. A Durham University research paper has revealed that Thatcher’s policies  caused people to die early in what was termed  “unjust premature death”.
But to what extent can one lady be responsible for industrial evolutionary pressures? In order to make a fair assessment of the Iron Lady’s impact on British society, one must account for the trade union movement, and how it  shaped the political perceptions of the time.
Why is Thatcher disliked?
Coal mining had been carried out in my home area of Rothwell, near Leeds, for more than 600 years before production stopped on 9 December 1983. Needless to say that songs such as ‘Margaret Thatcher, throw her up and catch her’ were still being chimed as I grew up, and it was clear from an early age that there was a deep-seated hatred for the woman that would become known as the Iron Lady.
Baroness Thatcher was disliked for the way she unapologetically destroyed mining and went to war on industry. She made no concessions to people who had built livelihoods based on these working communities and permanently altered the way Britain functioned as a nation, the ramifications of which are still being felt today.
The reason Britain is struggling to recover in the aftermath of the financial crisis is because there is little stimulus coming from the underbelly of the economy. The service sector has taken a dangerously large share of our economy but does little to stir economic growth, contrary to countries such as the US and Germany, where industry has proved to be a lifeline.
Her foreign policy, fiscal control and welfare state moves are also frequent grumblings among the Thatcher bashers, and the ex prime minister was very much to blame for exacerbating such feelings of resentment. Unlike politicians of today, publicity didn’t concern here – not among her ranks or in the wider public view. Meryl Streep claimed that she was disliked simply because she was a woman, but she was a woman of resolute values, which is a force indeed when sitting at the helm of the government.
What role did the unions have to play?
There is a good case to be made that the trade unions created a pseudo perception of what was good for the country. They were –almost as a mandate – protectionist rather than progressive, in a time when other parts of the world were evolving. Major mining communities in parts of Europe, such as Belgium and Holland, had seen their pits closed some ten years before Thatcher closed ours, largely because the trade unions weren’t such a force to contend with.
The hype of Thatcherism almost clouded other parts of the political sphere, and there isn’t always enough consideration given over whether trade unions were a force for the good. They had become very powerful, some argue too powerful, and that often warped their perception of reality.
As much as I will eternally sympathise with those whose livelihoods were impacted by Thatcher’s incescent fight against unionised Britain, on the day of her passing I find myself asking whether the Iron Lady was unfairly demonised by the organised workforce. She fought fire with fire, and it should be no surprise that the resultant mess was a hotbed of hatred – whether justified or not.

RelatedPosts

Jamie Oliver threatens Johnson with ‘Eton Mess’ protest over anti-obesity U-turn

Gove was ‘advised’ to do funny accents during TV interviews

What was Theresa May’s Irish Backstop deal?

This video tells you everything you need to know about the NI Protocol in under 2 minutes

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Should you hire an SEO Agency or an SEO Freelancer?

‘Soft & perverse’ sentencing after driver who dragged officer 200 yards spared jail – just weeks after murder of PC Andrew Harper

Finance Made Social

Saucy Mediterranean Potato Bake

Tory MP who said food bank users ‘can’t budget’ claimed £220k in expenses in one year

More criminals who attack emergency workers fined than jailed, figures show

Trump says he’s taking malaria drug to protect against coronavirus

Man returns to London Bridge restaurant after terror attack to pay his bill

Hilarious TripAdvisor reviews appear on Raab’s Crete hotel

England Cricketer Ben Stokes charged with affray

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.