I lived through the Thatcher years from beginning to end. At the time, I was one of her greatest fans. Now, though, I can see the folly of my ways. So many of our problems today can be traced back to Thatcher. For example, the wealth inequality we are living through here and elsewhere in the West—don’t forget that Thatcherism was exported worldwide at that time—can be traced right back to Thatcher's policies and the policies of the Old Gipper, her partner in political crime from across the Pond. By the way, I majored in economics, so I do know a little about what I write.
This video is biassed BS! The best railway I know and have plenty of experience with is the Swiss railway, SBB. (Schweizerische Bundesbahn). That's the name of the Swiss Federal Railway network. It is NOT privatised. It is run by the Swiss government. It puts our crappy privatised railways to shame, I can assure you. Privatisation is NOT the way to go for public utilities and public services. Our utilities should never have been privatised in the first place. End of.
By the way, to see the flaws in Thatcherism doesn't make one a socialist. To think so is simplistic and binary. It is perfectly possible to be pro-capitalism without being pro-Thatcher(ism). It should be remembered that Thatcher didn't invent capitalism. Thatcherism is but one manifestation of the economic system.
When Thatcher came to power, nothing worked. So yes, she was the right person for the time. I have no problem with that at all. What I have a problem with is this: Her policies should have been abandoned years ago. What might have been right at that time doesn't mean that it is right for an eternity. For example, Tories today still harp on about this country needing another dose of Thatcherism. Poppycock! The last thing this country needs today is another dose of her medicine. The wealth gap is dangerously large already. We need no policies to make it even worse. If the wealth gap gets much worse, we shall be in danger of fuelling a revolution. Some of Thatcher's policies were good. Sure they were. But on balance, she destroyed much that was good about Britain and about being British. For example, she sold off the family silver. Were we to have another dose of Thatcherism, there'd be little left to sell off!
It is high time that the Tories come up with a new, more modern formula. Thatcher’s ideas are tired now. New economic problems call for new economic solutions. – © Mark Alexander
