Saturday 10 November 2012

Thatcherite governments

Labour has been fond of saying that the "Conservative-led government" is "more Thatcherite than Thatcher". While agreeing that Clegg, Alexander and Laws could probably squeeze a little more out of David Cameron, on a number of scores the coalition is not only more liberal than the Thatcher/Major governments, but also less Thatcherite than New Labour.

For instance:


Thatcher/Major
Blair/Brown
Coalition
ID cards
Published Green Paper proposing a national database of personal details.
Legislated for national database and compulsory ID cards
Repealed database and ID legislation
Public photography
-
Permitted arrest of anyone taking photographs near public buildings
Repealed the law in question (section 44 of theTerrorism Act 2000 )
State Pensions
Broke the link between state pension and the wage rate index
Did nothing, resulting in the farce one year of a 75p weekly increase
Established triple-lock: pensions tied to highest of 2.5%, the wage rate index and CPI
Top tax
Cut top rate of tax to 40%
Did nothing for twelve years, then introduced a top rate of 50% which lasted 36 days of their administration.
Set top rate at 45%.
Post Offices
Closed around 7,000 post offices
Closed a further 6,000 post offices
Ended programme of post office closures
Military invasions
Permitted US invasion of Grenada, a Commonwealth country

Joined US in invasion of Iraq
Has resisted direct intervention in Libya, Syria, Iran

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