Buck Up, Redux: A Bracing Dose of Thatcher
For those of you who have truly persuaded yourselves that all is lost, let me remind you that people were saying exactly, but exactly, the same thing about Britain in the 1970s. The decline, they said, was terminal; British values had been permanently undermined; socialism would be impossible to reverse; you might as well just move. And the grounds for this pessimism were by all objective measures substantially greater. Britain–upon whose Empire the sun once rose and set–was enduring the Winter of Discontent. Labor unrest shut down public services, paralyzing the nation for months on end. Rubbish was piled high on the street, and so were human corpses. (“Not that many corpses,” say Thatcher’s detractors, a rejoinder that speaks for itself.) Britain had recently become the first country in the OECD to supplicate for a loan from the International Monetary Fund. The Soviet trade minister told his British counterpart, “We don’t want to increase our trade with you. Your goods are unreliable, you’re always on strike, you never deliver.”
Here's Margaret Thatcher in 1978.
The coming election is a watershed election. Every General Election is important. But next time the vote could decide what sort of country we are going to live in for the rest of this century.
It could decide whether we turn our backs on the free society and the enterprise economy. It could push the point of balance in Britain so far to the left that no Government would ever be able to redress it.
The balance in a society decides what sort of country you live in—how free it is, how prosperous, how concerned about standards in moral, social and economic life. When you look at the balancing points in Britain today, what do you conclude about the reasons for our failings in the past and about the approach we need to take to the future?
Imagine yourself an uncommitted, rather neutral, non-party voter, and ask yourself these questions.
Do you think that our problems are caused by the State doing too much or doing too little? By State spending consuming too large a share of the nation's resources or too small a share? Do you think that our industry would be strengthened if there was more nationalisation and interference or less? Do you believe that we would be a happier and more prosperous and more free people if the trade union leaders had more political power over our lives or less power?
Those are the sort of questions we must put before Britain. And I guarantee you this. When you ask them, you won't find many people giving Socialist answers.
So, is the common-sense majority, who would give a Conservative answer, extremist or reactionary? Are we extremist or reactionary because we say with the people that the effect of having a Labour Government for roughly ten out of the last thirteen years is that the balance in our society has shifted too far towards the State and too far away from the individual, too far towards regulations and control, and too far away from freedom and independence?
You know how the electorate answered these questions, and you know what happened afterwards. It takes only one election and one leader to turn things around. That's the lesson of Margaret Thatcher.
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May '10
Re: Buck Up, Redux: A Bracing Dose of Thatcher
After Maggie the country resumed its march towards socialism. She kept the state from failing, instituted reforms that last until today and left the country vastly better off - but after Thatcher the leftward march resumed. Our Reagan phenom was not dissimilar.
Frankly I would settle for a Thatcher/Reagan reprieve and am confident that we will have a U Turn election. I do not see a leader of their ilk on our horizon however and remain unconvinced that GOP leadership has the conviction, tenacity and will to reverse the suicidal indiocies we currently have underway.
I am by nature an optimist but have been bitten to often by the elitist Bozos in Washington.
Aug '10
Re: Buck Up, Redux: A Bracing Dose of Thatcher
It's certainly possible to imagine a slowing down of the ending of the American dream as the result of an election. For more long-lasting changes, we should not be looking to the political class. We should be looking to entrepreneurs and engineers and writers and thinkers and builders and teachers and mothers and fathers and priests and ministers and doctors and nurses and comedians and singers.
It makes sense for liberals always to be talking about government and politics. That's their thing, I would like to see more creative and more practical and more far-reaching ideas coming from conservatives. Politicians are followers, not leaders.
Rob
Re: Buck Up, Redux: A Bracing Dose of Thatcher
Steve MacDonald:
Frankly I would settle for a Thatcher/Reagan reprieve and am confident that we will have a U Turn election. I do not see a leader of their ilk on our horizon however and remain unconvinced that GOP leadership has the conviction, tenacity and will to reverse the suicidal indiocies we currently have underway.
No one saw a leader of Thatcher's ilk in Thatcher, either.
May '10
Re: Buck Up, Redux: A Bracing Dose of Thatcher
It seems to me that Thatcher and Reagan postponed the growth of government but that it resumed as soon as they were removed from power.
May '10
Re: Buck Up, Redux: A Bracing Dose of Thatcher
Claire, Point to you. In fact, on reflection, there are a number of candidates who appear to at least have the potential to get the thing going in the right direction. I am just not convinced that Boehner and McConnell are remotely up to the task.
Rob Bennett is 100% correct. All the country needs is for government to get out of the way and let commercial creativity prosper on a reasonably level field. This has always been our strength and could be once again - assuming we can bulldoze away the mess that has been created.
Jul '10
Re: Buck Up, Redux: A Bracing Dose of Thatcher
Claire Berlinski
Steve MacDonald:
Frankly I would settle for a Thatcher/Reagan reprieve and am confident that we will have a U Turn election. I do not see a leader of their ilk on our horizon however and remain unconvinced that GOP leadership has the conviction, tenacity and will to reverse the suicidal indiocies we currently have underway.
No one saw a leader of Thatcher's ilk in Thatcher, either. · Aug 10 at 4:15am
Exactly. I know Claire has her doubts--as do many, and if I'm honest as do I, but...it's very hard for me not to look at Palin and see many of the same people doubting that she has a chance. And just because she may not be ready for the presidency today doesn't mean she won't be tomorrow.