Margaret Thatcher: Political Realism vs. Apathy

Margaret Thatcher: Political Realism vs. Apathy

Written by: PaxForex analytics dept - Sunday, 20 July 2014 0 comments

Many people are surprised by a large number of unfriendly reactions and even a direct expression of hate for the British prime minister, a woman who was described as one of the brightest and most influential politicians of the XX century.

The tone of accusations and claims seems more impulsive than reasonable and impartial. It is difficult to remember that the death of any politician had such a harsh response. The author even thought that some writers were ready to tear the "Iron Lady."

What did she done to deserve such a hate? Our age does not forgive Margaret Thatcher that she was "a professor of energy." Our "tired age" would like to see unprincipled, not targeted, spineless and apolitical leaders. And we see them on our modern political scene.
The real politics is the personal energy, first of all. It is this energy the modern Europe can not tolerate. Margaret Thatcher will always remind everyone what the real politics is.

Thatcher’s influence to economics and markets:

- Thatcher's economic policy was influenced by monetarist thinking and economists such as Milton Friedman and Alan Walters. She lowered direct taxes on income and increased indirect taxes. She increased interest rates to slow the growth of the money supply and thereby lower inflation, introduced cash limits on public spending, and reduced expenditure on social services such as education and housing. All these measures have led to the fact that the financial markets began to grow. 

- Thatcher reduced the power of the trade unions, whose leadership she accused of undermining parliamentary democracy and economic performance through strike action. Several unions launched strikes in response to legislation introduced to curb their power, but resistance eventually collapsed.

"There is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families.'' Margaret Thatcher, 1987, magazine interview.

- The policy of privatisation has been called "a crucial ingredient of Thatcherism". After the 1983 election the sale of state utilities accelerated; more than £29 billion was raised from the sale of nationalised industries, and another £18 billion from the sale of council houses. The privatisation of public assets was combined with financial deregulation in an attempt to fuel economic growth.

"We are not asking for a penny piece of community money for Britain. What we are asking is for a very large amount of our own money back, over and above what we contribute to the community, which is covered by our receipts from the community." - 1979, Margaret Thatcher at a European Economic Community summit.

So, why many politicians didn’t like Margaret Thatcher? Her inner freedom, her overbearing force and her ability to make vital decisions for the country annoyed unprincipled politicians. On the background a politically faceless 70s and 80s, such a bright personality, which was Margaret Thatcher, of course caused an irritation. Thatcher's time is long past but the resentment of those who was (and are) unable to make important political and economic decisions is remained.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you tonight in my Red Star chiffon evening gown. My face softly made up and my fair hair gently waved. The Iron Lady of the Western world. A cold war warrior, an amazon philistine, even a Peking plotter. Well, am I any of these things? ... Yes I am an iron lady, after all it wasn't a bad thing to be an iron duke. Yes, if that's how they wish to interpret my defence of values and freedoms fundamental to our way of life." - 1976, Margaret Thatcher’s speech to Finchley Conservatives.