Is Thatcherism out of fashion?
Posted on February 19th, 2010 in Politics | 14 Comments »
How many people do you meet nowdays that call themselves Thatcherite?
A PPC said to me the other day whilst he is a Thatcherite by ideology he would never say it publicly as it may not go down well in the Party! He though David would not approve!
Seems like Thatcherism is an ideology that is out of fashion.
But what does being Thatcherite mean?
It means you believe in limited Government, sound economics, spending only what you can earn & not getting into debt, rolling back the frontiers of the State, espousing liberty, enpowering the individual, cutting tax, incentivising the private sector and entrepreneurs, a strong Britain on the World Stage, a strong defence policy backed by a well equipped Army, Navy & Air Force, limiting the power & scope of Europe to a free trade area not a political superstate with a single currency………
Hhhhhmmmmmm sounds good. Aren’t we all Thatcherites?
14 Responses
Yes. I put my hand up. I am a Thatcherite.
We must always remember her successes and how she mobilised the working class to vote Tory. and they were rewarded by lower tax, council house ownership, share in privatised utilities
Blody great article. Love the fact you are back and on fire!
I believe in limited Government, sound economics, spending only what you can earn & not getting into debt, rolling back the frontiers of the State, espousing liberty, empowering the individual, cutting tax, incentivising the private sector and entrepreneurs, a strong Britain on the World Stage, a strong defence policy backed by a well equipped Army, Navy & Air Force, limiting the power & scope of Europe to a free trade area not a political superstate with a single currency. That doesn’t make me a Thatcherite it makes me a Conservative.
Under Thatcher empowering the individual got confused with individualism and with the help of Blair and Brown it has lead to a broken society which we are going to sort out.
Used to be that Conservative Way Forward represented Thatcherites. No longer. Con Way Forward has been taken over by political aspirants who would be better at home in the Heathite Bow Group, more interested in their own ambitions than upholding their Life President.
Where is the true Thatcherite group today. I would join.
I am a Thatcherite.
What a way to kick off your comeback !!
I am a Thatcherite and proud of it. I attend a college in the Welsh valleys, and the automatic response to anyone mentioning Thatcher is a bad one – including the teachers, but why do we as a party shy away from that. Do what I do, turn round and tell them her achievements, tell them how she saved Britain, tell them how she helped the working classes. Such as the huge reduction in income tax, the right to buy scheme, a more stable economy. I could go on.
The party and in particular Dave himself needs to remember that Lady Thatcher one 3 consecutive terms in office and was NEVER voted out by the British people. Don’t avoid Thatcherism, embrace it !!!
This sums up Thatcherism perfectly :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK3eP9rh4So
Daniel if you want what you write, then you wont find it under Cameron, I think you’ll find Ukip is just that place with 6 new local councillors, conservative branch chairman have jumped ship to UKIP. with quit afew ordinary members.
Daneil.
The CPS is still quite right wing. The IEA has lost its way. Con Way forward, lol, yes I tend to agree they are Heathite now.
What about the freedom association. They still around. They used to be sound.
Tory Taff. Good for you mate. A Welsh thatcherite. Now thats a rarity.
Tory Taff dont forget that lecturers are all failed business people. They cant do it, so they preach it. Dont listen to them. Good for you for standing up for Lasy T
And on Cameron Rob, guess what. He cant be called a Thatcherite. He cant be called a Heathite. He cant be called the heir to Blair! He is an opportunist populist! that means he is what the public wants on any given day! is that harsh?
Daniel.
I think you will find that The Freedom association under Simon Richerds is sound. He comes across as a Thatcherite. Just a shame Freddom Assoc is full of old farts in tweed jackets smelling of urine! They could have such a big membership!
I’m Thatcherite and proud oh and i’m a working class Tory originating from the Welsh Valleys.
If it wasn’t for her then Labour would have destroyed this country and the unions would now be controlling everything
I am a member of the Freedom Association. I neither wear Tweed. Neither do I smell of urine!
The legacy of Thatcher is a mixed one – good points and bad points, and neither total adoration nor absolute denunciation is a healthy form of politics.
Your painting of Thatcher does list some of the good points, but it is also a little idealistic. The state simply did not roll back under Thatcher – indeed her radical agenda absolutely needed the power of the state – and the ’sound economics’ part might be contested by people who now think that an over-reliance on finance and the city has made this current recession much more pernicious than it needed to be. ‘Espousing liberty’ might be true in a theoretical sense, but then for those trapped on welfare in those jobless cityscapes that fell under the feet of Thatchertie neo-liberal ecnomics this could resemble something like a bad joke. Finally, empowerment of the individual was important, but one has to wonder what influence it had on the devil take the hindmost ‘loadsa-money’ culture of the 80s, and the creation of the ‘broken society’ that so many claim is visible all around us today.
In short – not all good, not all bad.
I am a proud member of the Freedom Association.
Interesting to remember what principles it cherishes.
The Seven Principles of a Free Society:
Individual Freedom
Personal and Family Responsibility
The Rule of Law
Limited Government
Free Market Economy
National Parliamentary Democracy
Strong National Defences
Those feel very sound to me.
I must admit, from the little insight I have, there is a lot planned for The Freedom Association this year and it is a grouping that is well worth being part of. Key to it is that the people who are joining TFA are young, passionate and want to have fun.
Simon Richards, Director, is a thoroughly respected man, who has turned TFA round, and will go far in life. Simon reminds me of a later day Keith Joseph or Lord Harris of High Cross. A deep thinker on the Right of the Party. A man on the move.