Margaret thatcher
...y called upon by fellow conservatives to respond to the policies of the Labour Party, their political opponents. She served as joint parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance from 1961 to 1964, then as secretary of state for education and science under Prime Minister Edmund Heath from 1970 to 1974. Thatcher's political career was not always well regarded, however. In 1972, when she was at the Ministry of Education, for instance, she was referred to in the Sun newspaper as "the most unpopular woman in Britain." Yet she continued to rise in the ranks, and after the Conservative Party lost two general elections in 1974 she succeeded Heath as party leader. When the conservatives won a decisive victory in the 1979 general elections Thatcher became prime minister. Upon entering office she advocated measures that would limit government control, such as giving individuals greater independence from the state, ending government interference in the economy, and reducing public expenditures. Although her conservative philosophy met with approval, during her first two terms unemployment nearly tripled, the number of poor people increased, and bankruptcies resulted from her efforts to curb inflation. Thatcher became known as the "Iron Lady" because of her strict control over her cabinet and the country's economic policies. Extending her firm approach into foreign relations, she helped Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) establish independence in 1980 and two years later she oversaw the successful British seizure of the Falkland Islands from Argentina. This victory led to her landslide re-election in 1983. During her third term Thatcher continued the "Thatcher revolution" by returning education, health care, and housing to private control. She also supported the campaign to keep Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, a position that could have been fatal: In 1984 terrorist bombers nearly succeeded in killing Thatcher and several members of her administration in Brighton, Sussex. The bombing was allegedly the work of members of the Irish Republican Army, a nationalist organisation devoted to uniting Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland. In 1990, when a split within the Conservative Party was costing Thatcher political support, she resigned from office. During her tenure as prime minister, however, she set historic precedents and, according to political observers, she brought long-needed changes to British government and society. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "I am in politics because of the struggle between good and evil. I believe that in the end good will triumph." "If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing." (Random quotes from Margaret Thatcher) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Throughout her time as Prime Minister and even now Margaret Thatcher has been faced with great opposition. Her decisions and policies have been praised by some and scorned by others. Her success by some is even considered to have been down to luck, her chosen "issues" were, although carefully decided upon brought about through luck. However, what can't be disputed is the fact that Thatcher had a large part to play in many useful and advantageous projects. Her governing was so admired that many countries supported and followed in her path. But Thatcher became a world figure for more than just her politics. She combined a flamboyant willpower with evident femininity. It attracted universal attention, especially after she led Britain to a spectacular military victory over Argentina in 1982. She understood that politicians had to give military people clear orders about ends, then leave them to get on with the means. Still, she could not bear to lose men, ships or planes. "That's why we have extra ships and planes," the admirals had to tell her, "to make good the losses." Fidelity, like courage, loyalty and perseverance, were cardinal virtues to her, which she possessed in the highest degree. People from all over the world began to look at her methods and achievements closely, and to seek to imitate them. One of her earliest admirers was Ronald Reagan, who achieved power 18 months after she did. He, like her began to reverse the Ratchet Effect in the U.S. by effective deregulation, tax cutting and opening up wider market opportunities for free enterprise. Reagan liked to listen to Thatcher's various lectures on the virtues of the market or the minimal state. They turned their mutual affection into a potent foreign policy partnership. With Reagan and Thatcher in power, the application of judicious pressure on the Soviet state to encourage it to reform or abolish itself, or to implode, became an admissible policy. Thatcher warmly encouraged Reagan to rearm and thereby bring Russia to the negotiating table. She shared his view that Moscow ruled an "evil empire," and the sooner it was dismantled the better. Together with Reagan she pushed Mikhail Gorbachev to pursue his perestroika policy to its limits and so fatally to undermine the self-confidence of the Soviet elite. Historians will argue about the precise role played by the various people who brought about the end of Soviet communism. But it is already clear that Thatcher has an important place in this huge event. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope." (Margaret Thatcher quoting from a prayer whilst entering No.10 for the first time) "The forces of error doubt and despair were so firmly entrenched in British Society, as the 'Winter of discontent' had just powerfully illustrated, that overcoming them would not be impossible without some measure of discord." ( Thatcher commenting on her words in her memoirs "The Downing Street Years" P.19) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ One of the main arguments against the running of the Thatcher government was the high unemployment rate. In her first government she proposed a remedy for Britain's economic ill's; Monetarism. This was an economic philosophy based upon the teachings of Milton Friedman whereby governments keep a tight rein on the money supply (via the Bank of England) by using interest rates. The theory is based upon the premise of "too much" money chasing "too few" goods; the root cause of inflation. (Prices increase because of increased demand and low levels of supply). The Bank of England would raise interest rates so firms and individuals are forced to reduce their borrowings. Managers must therefore keep costs down (esp. wage costs) to make themselves more competitive. A by-product of this is high unemployment which the Thatcher government thought was a "price worth paying". Furthermore they would not prop up any ailing businesses, particularly those nationalised giants; only competitive businesses would survive. British industry would contract but also be more efficient and competitive abroad. With purchasing power reduced as unemployment rose, inflation would be controlled and wage demands kept at moderate levels. Another outcome would be that union power would be curbed; people would be thankful to have a job and reluctant to strike. Thatcher and Howe (her Chancellor) stayed strong to this policy with base rates (core interest rates) peaking at 17% (1981). With massive spending cuts (forced reductions in local authority services & investment) inflation came down to 4% by 1983. Investment in Education and the National Health Service was curbed and unemployment peaked at 3 million, many businesses went bankrupt and there were riots in the streets. However, the Falklands war (April-June 1982) changed attitudes and despite unemployment levels of more than 3 million, the Thatcher government won a landslide victory at the 1983 general election and she was returned to power with a massive majority (397 conservative seats - v - 209 labour, 23 SDP & 21 "others"). Fortified by this huge majority, the government pushed ahead confidently with its programme of reform, which included Privatisation. Advocating improving efficiency and encouraging employees to be shareholders within their own firms, privatisation raised huge sums of cash (£2.5 billion between 1985/86) and a further £4.7 billion in the 3 years following. By 1987 Thatcher had sold off 17 major institutions to those in the general public who could afford to buy shares. This alienated millions who did not have the wherewithal to buy the shares, thus creating an underclass between the "haves" and the "have-nots" which still survives to this day. Lord Stockton, formerly Harold Macmillan referred to privatisation as "selling off the family silver". Thatcher then took on the unions, banning union membership from GCHQ where she implied union members were untrustworthy and in danger of compromising National Security. She refused to compromise in the Miners strike (February 1984 to March 1985) and she unleashed the army and police forces against the strikers. Her decision to press ahead with the introduction of the community charge, or 'poll tax' - which replaced the old rates system, in the face of widespread public hostility, severely damaged the Tories. On 31 March 1990, a huge anti-poll tax demonstration in Trafalgar Square, attended by many middle class voters as well as regular anti-Conservative protesters, ended in violent clashes. Ministers began to contemplate a reversal of the policy. However, as this was a flagship Thatcherite policy, such a U-turn was impossible whilst Thatcher remained at the helm. Prior to the poll tax riots she had already lost her Chancellor, Nigel Lawson, and was beginning to look increasingly out of touch with her party. On 26th October 1989, Lawson had resigned in protest at the over reliance on her economic adviser Sir Alan Walters. Sir Alan (standing in the coming election for the Referendum Party) strongly disagreed with the Chancellor's policy of shadowing the Deutschmark. Furthermore whilst the period 1985- 988 had been marked by strong growth, by 1990 the economy was heading for a severe recession. As the party headed into the autumn of 1990 trailing badly in the opinion polls Mrs Thatcher was increasingly viewed by many of her colleagues as a liability. A public conflict had occurred between two senior cabinet colleagues (Heseltine and Brittain) over the future of the We...