Thatcherism and New Labour
The two most significant trends in UK politics in recent decades have been Thatcherism and New Labour. How does New Labour differ from Thatcherism, if at all? Or has New Labour to a large degree simply accepted the positions and policies of Thatcherism?
The term Thatcherism is centered around the reform programme of the Conservative party led by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. The heart piece of the programme was the economic reform programme, that favored freedom instead of social insurance, by emphasizing deregulation in the private sector, privatisation of companies and tax reductions and a ‘give to get’ scheme to curb unemployment.
Especially the privatization of companies played a huge role in minimizing the
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It needed the introduction of ‘New Labour’ and its political leader Tony Blair, before the Conservatives could be overthrown after more than a decade in 1994.
New Labour was the result of an internal policy review, which was the consequence of multiple defeats. Previously Labour was known for its pro-stance on nationalization and redistribution of wealth as a part of its roots in socialism. But with the initialization of New Labour, the party no longer could no longer reject the reforms by Thatcher, thus policies needed to be revised to reflect these changes. As a result, New Labour was more sympathetic towards businesses, favored market discipline and waived any increase in taxes.
In many ways, it looked like New Labour was copying the manifesto of the Conservatives. I.e. it ditched its commitment to unilateral nuclear disarmament, which can be viewed as a continuation of the US-UK relations of the era under Thatcher. Also New Labour was led by Tony Blair, whose father was Conservative MP, thus further implying a more conservative approach to
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[...] It is interesting that most school textbooks contain the assumption that the british are a superior race [...].” And he continues, “Such views are frequently iterated also in the newly established popular press. The Daily Mail begins publication in 1895 and in the early years of the 20th century newspaper like The Daily Express and others also come on to the market, cheap to buy, easy to read and frequently trading in patriotic slogans and painting extremely unfavorable pictures of other
Scotland during the 1960s and 1970s witnessed an increase in inequality due to UK government policy. Prime minister of Britain Margaret Thatcher followed privatization policy Major nationalized industries were sold to the private sector. People of Scotland saw that this policy was unfair and unsuccessful because it feeds only the interest of the rich people, because of this policy considerable number of people became jobless. Privatization policy impacted negatively on Scotland, the very poorest of the household have become even poorer and the richest of individuals have become richer. In addition, the rate of unsafe work, part-time work and out agency self-employment increased, even reducing the tax rate was provided only to the people who
United States President, Ronald Reagan, and United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, believed in the economic principles of Friedrich Von Hayek. They believed in free markets and free enterprise. They also believed that governments are not to interfere with the markets and the economy at all. Both leaders removed centralized planning of their economies. They also privatized state-owned businesses, markets, and allowed the markets to decide prices and regulate itself.
This view is given further weight regarding the 1983 and 1987 election. Labour’s manifesto in 1983 had infamously been described as the ‘longest suicide note in history’ by a Labour MP denoting its extreme left views that the electorate weren’t in favour of, for instance leaving the European Economic Community and re-nationalisation of previously privatised industries like British Telecom .evidence of increase In consequence, Conservatives made further substantial gains in the midlands in spite of suffering from the decline in manufacturing, while in the south outside London Labour was virtually wiped out, holding only three seats . Labour suffered what Crewe called ‘a haemorrhage of working class votes’ , thus (therefore similar to 79)supporting
Chapter 15: The Rise of the New Right • Former actor & governor of California, Ronald Regan brought charisma to Washington, declaring America was destined to lead the free world and “stand tall” again • Promised to fight the Cold War without compromise, lower taxes, diminish govt. interfere w/ economy and restore family values • Cut taxes from the wealthiest from 70% to 28% • Nation recovered from post-Vietnam recession • Cut back on enforcement of environmental protection laws • A new tolerance of diversity in America made it difficult to punish individuals to performed acts that were supposed to be private choices • Conservatives felt that the Republican Party was headed into liberal tendencies “wooly mammoth” needed to change direction
This cultural and political shift during the Regan era moved toward constraining certain freedoms (4) a period of conservatism and neo-liberalism framed to push an agenda that fostered respect for the government authority and its administration. The neoliberal policy also emphasized personal responsibility and a backlash to the Civil Rights Movement. Thus, Reagan's election was a shift in political attitudes (similar to those of 2017 current President Donald J. Trump) attitude that reflects how people in the 80’s was looking for a” new sheriff.” What better sheriff than an admired actor who played a kick a** cowboy on the silver screen.
The New Deal The New Deal was a series of policies put in place by Franklin D. Roosevelt(FDR) in 1932 to steer the American economy back in the right direction. This included agencies such as the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and The Agriculture Adjustment agency. Most Americans were for The New Deal, and confident that it would work.
Depending on their upbringing and social status a Brit may convey dissimilar thoughts on Gould 's works. A working class factory worker would think of how he couldn 't enjoy the benefits of being in the so-called elite of society, while a member of Parliament may consider it his right to order the spreading of his ideas to lesser people and how Gould 's essays were proof of right he is. Granted this false impression of Gould 's work would be the very thing he disdained about how people viewed evolution and superiority wrong. It assumed that British civilization was inherently superior to those it was subjugating. Gould expresses in "Measuring Heads" how starting with an assumption causes no advancement in thought, "They began with conclusions, peered through their facts and came back in a circle to the same
With our wondrous victory, there was a chance to break away from the British monarchy and start a new government
The Rise of Ronald Reagan and Republican Conservatism Conservatism and liberalism are two of the most dominant political philosophies and ideologies during the post-Enlightenment era (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). As an ideology, conservatism served as a blueprint in the society which promoted the idea of retaining traditional social institutions, beliefs, cultures and discourage social changes. Although the United States of America during the present day promotes liberalism, there was one portion of the country’s history that conservatism was promoted due to several factors. This paper examines the very factors which gave rise to conservatism embodied in the candidacy of Ronald Reagan.
In the novels, Brave New World and 1984, the authors take the positive social aspects and values of community, identity, and stability and corrupt them into a dystopian society. While both books may come as a shock to the system, seeing as they both focus on aspects we are to scared to admit could possibly happen and seem wildly different at points, there are a lot of similarities between the two. Aldous Huxley’s novel is set in a world where the society is kept very carefully balanced: “The World State’s motto, COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, STABILITY.” (Huxley 1). For example, the means of reproduction is just as closely monitored and controlled as production is.
The New Deal and The Great Society had many similarities and differences. The New Deal was set into place by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, he gave Americans hope during a very difficult economic time. Many Americans experienced unemployment following The Great Depression and The New Deal was put into place to create more jobs and help boost the economy. The Great Society was set into place by Lyndon B. Johnson. The Great Society followed The New Deal and the main goal was to end poverty in the United States.
The Grange & The Populists were a party that came into the spotlight around the late 19th century. The Grange was a farmer’s association set up in 1867 with its main purpose was to help stabilize the economic situation of farmers and also at the same time try and improve their current conditions. Similarly The Populist, or also known as the People’s Party, they have tried to alleviate the unfair conditions of the late 19th century so that it was beneficial for the lower class citizens. The Grange and the Populist were crucial towards understanding the social and economic aspect of farmers and workers in the late 19th century.
The document talks about how the Anglo-Saxons are the superior race compared to all the other races. I also forgot to address that it is one person’s idea/opinion. Given that the document was written for the American Home Missionary Society, can lead to the conclusion
They believed they were superior to the people of India, therefore it did not matter what the people of India believed or how British actions made them feel. In “The Mark of the Beast”, Rudyard Kipling uses symbolism to portray ignorance and arrogance in India brought on during its colonization by Britain. The character of Fleete exemplifies that ignorance and insensitivity, and he ultimately pays a grave price. Rudyard Kipling was able to experience both India and Britain growing up. Kipling was born in Bombay, India and was later taken to Britain to be educated (“Rudyard Kipling - Biographical” nobelprize.org).
Her article, Britishness, and Otherness: An Argument, uses ethnohistory, nationalism and cultural methodologies to express how those in the British Empire rattle and are protective of their identity. In her article, she discusses how British identity waves since identity exists in a ven diagram and not in the black and white roles of the past. Religion, gender, race, ethnicity and many other identities exist in various combination depending on the individual. She asks why little attention has been focused on how or why the British population defines themselves against both real and imaginary enemies. That identity seems most important when being threatened.