Thatcher, Thatcher…. Materialistic Snatcher?

Not a political day goes past without some mention of Margaret Thatcher’s Government.  The Right-wing use her as a benchmark on which to compare the present Tory led Coalition, while the Left-wing use her as a negative comparison.

Yesterday on The First Post there was an interesting article titled, Riots: Were they Mrs Thatcher’s fault of not?  Attributing such despicable behaviour to Britain’s greatest Prime Minister is offensive, but through a quote from Ian Duncan Smith in the article there is a glimmer of a connection.

“Under Margaret Thatcher, he said, the Conservative government “freed up the markets”, but “missed the next bit”. This resulted in “a sort of mid-20th Century society, many locked away in welfarism, and a 21st Century economy.””

I have previously argued on this Blog that our world is made up of two separate sectors, Economic and Social, and both are as important as each other.  This is touched on by Ian Duncan Smith.

“But Smith fell short of blaming Thatcher. Instead, he said what was still needed was social and welfare reform. Thatcher knew this, but “never got there”, and neither have her successors of either party.”

Many of Margaret Thatcher’s speeches refer to social issues, it was something she felt to be important.  Unfortunately, when she came to power in 1979 there was so much to do in both the Economic and Social sector; and the country’s Economics too precedent.  Quite simply, 1979 – 1990 was not long enough to carry out everything that needed doing, and nobody after her took the baton.

It was not Thatcher’s Economics per say, they were immensely beneficial for Britain, it was the fact they were not coupled with a strong Social Policy which caused problems.  This is where, Pankaj Mishra from the San Francisco Chronicle, and Polly Toynbee from the Guardian, quoted in the article are wrong.  Solid Social Policy provides Economic Policy with discipline, without it the problems Mishra and Toynbee talk of are created later down the line.

By freeing up the markets and through privatisation, the Thatcher administration created the foundations for almost anyone to make immense wealth.  However, unlike the traditional wealth creation methods which many people were used to, which involved physically doing something through hard work, this method created wealth without the need to break into a sweat.  In other words, wealth could be created by doing almost nothing physically, and there was nothing physical created at the end.

This move from the secondary sector to the higher earning tertiary sector transformed Britain from the ‘sick man of Europe’, to an Economic powerhouse in which anyone could play a part in.

In a similar way to the school playground game, ‘Whisper down the Lane’, or ‘Chinese Whispers’ as some may call it, without a clear Social Policy the message of the high earning tertiary sector over time became corrupted.  This coupled with a too generous welfare system, in which one often gets more money doing nothing then they would working, and a lack of discipline in schools, has created a message of being able to have what you want without working for it.

This corrupted mentality has caused the problems of which Thatcher’s critics often speak of, and the recent riots were a grotesque representation them.  If anyone is to blame for these riots it would be those after Thatcher who diverged from a winning game plan.

“Pennies don’t fall from heaven, they have to be earned here on earth.”  Margaret Thatcher at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in 1979.

 

The First Post article which I refer to can be read here:  http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/83266,news-comment,news-politics,riots-were-they-mrs-thatchers-fault-or-not

The Current Situation

There has been much analysis recently over the riots, the causes and the solutions, which will and should carry on long after this is over.  This would be best done however with a clear head when it is finished.  Looking directly at the current situation, I would like to very briefly make three points.

Firstly, David Cameron’s speech today was what we had all been waiting to hear. He finally got a grip, and shook off the watery talk which got us in this mess in the first place.  Of course we need to look at why this happened, but while people live in fear and businesses are being destroyed, our priority is to restore order before anything else.

Secondly, Looking directly at the current situation, there is another particular issue that appears to be rising.  Whilst I admire the ‘vigilantes’ or whatever they would like to call themselves, as I believe it shows the community coming together, it does also concern me for a number of reasons.  Firstly, that people feel it has come to this. Secondly, with emotions running high they may not show the restraint professional law enforcement does.  And thirdly, and most worryingly, is the escalation this can lead to, depending on how they perceive they are being treated by the Police.  These people need to understand that the Police are in a difficult situation and bringing more people onto the street can lead to confusion.  They have to understand the Police need to be over cautious, and that this does not mean an ‘attack’ on them; it is after all for their own good.  At the same time the Police need to make sure they maintain a firm but good understanding relationship with these people, and that by working with these people this hideous chapter can be brought to an end.

Thirdly, I hope it does not get to the stage of having to use water cannon, rubber bullets, tear gas etc, but if it does then we should support its use.  A clear message has to be sent out, that if you decide to go out terrorising towns, looting, vandalising, attacking Police, and you get hurt in the process then that is entirely your own fault.  Quite simply, if you don’t want to get hurt then don’t go out rioting, you cannot complain about Police heavy handedness when you act like feral thugs.

There is Such a Thing as Context

In an interview for Women’s Own in 1987 then Prime Minister Mrs Thatcher declared:

“I think we have gone through a period when too many children and people have been given to understand ‘I have a problem, it is the Government’s job to cope with it!’ or ‘I have a problem, I will go and get a grant to cope with it!’ ‘I am homeless, the Government must house me!’ and so they are casting their problems on society and who is society? There is no such thing! There are individual men and women and there are families and no government can do anything except through people and people look to themselves first.  It is our duty to look after ourselves and then also to help look after our neighbour and life is a reciprocal business and people have got the entitlements too much in mind without the obligations, because there is no such thing as an entitlement unless someone has first met an obligation.”

Unfortunately, this interview is rarely seen in full, and instead the phrase “there is no such thing as society” is all that is quoted.  Sadly this has been hijacked as an example of greed and selfishness.  But reading the whole interview, especially within the context of the current riots, there is a poignant message.

 

The Idiotic Irony of These Riots

For three nights now London has experienced some of the worst rioting and looting it has seen for decades.  Homes, lives, businesses and more have been devastated by a brainless, stupid, thugs… and that’s a kind description.

Some say it is because of the Police shooting of Mark Duggan.  Which we all know it a pathetic justification for such needless violence.  Being concerned against the death of a 29 year old man, and purposely going out to steal a TV and clothes from JD Sports does not make sense.  But then again, these people don’t share a braincell between them.

The most ironic justification is the economic situation.  Most of these lowlifes are on benefits, which due to the burdening economic situation is being reformed and for good reason.  Rioting, looting, vandalism, all costs money, which will only make the situation worse for them and put more strain on their already generous benefits.

The other ironic justification is that some claim it is because the Police do not understand them and doesn’t work with them.  But how can the Police work with people that burn down shops and trash high streets?  If this is how they act, these people are not mature enough, not civilised enough for the Police to build a relationship with.  If they continue to act like this then they have absolutely no basis on which to complain how the Police treat them.  The Police are protecting London, its people, its property and themselves against these scum who have no support.

I’ve not heard one person from these riots explain why they are doing it.  The reason is… because they can’t!