How much have Thatcher/Reagan contributed to the state of the world today?

[gordondaviesmoustache]

If I were to give Thatcher the benefit of the doubt (I feel dirty saying that, and not in a good way), I might consider that she didn’t fully grasp how selfish and greedy many people could be.

Her embrace of neoliberalism and the trickle-down theory of unrestrained capitalism might have been based on the naive belief that once people had enough money, they would be more inclined to reinvest profits into their businesses, thereby improving standards and services, and to invest in their staff by offering financial rewards.

However, what we actually saw was a surge in greed and selfishness, with companies prioritising cost-cutting at any expense and funneling profits to shareholders, often at the expense of employees, service quality, and long-term sustainability.

I think you’re correct. Plus she was from a time and place where greed was frowned upon. So I think she thought social pressure would restrain people, but social mores had hugely changed by the time she came to power, based on where and when her personality was formed. In a town like Grantham ffs! It’s about the most boring place I’ve ever visited. No way would ostentatious displays of wealth be socially acceptable in Grantham in the 1930s.

 

[Kinkybyname]

If I were to give Thatcher the benefit of the doubt (I feel dirty saying that, and not in a good way), I might consider that she didn’t fully grasp how selfish and greedy many people could be.

Her embrace of neoliberalism and the trickle-down theory of unrestrained capitalism might have been based on the naive belief that once people had enough money, they would be more inclined to reinvest profits into their businesses, thereby improving standards and services, and to invest in their staff by offering financial rewards.

However, what we actually saw was a surge in greed and selfishness, with companies prioritising cost-cutting at any expense and funneling profits to shareholders, often at the expense of employees, service quality, and long-term sustainability.

...well all that will change now, and everything will be lovely again

 

[johnnytapia]

Says the bloke whose been on strike for months, stopping people getting to work, hospital appointments etc, all so he can get the pay rise he wants.

That’s generally how a strike works. (It’s “who’s” by the way.)

 

[PPT]

Mrs Vienna hates to hear that anyone has died, but she rang me to tell me the news, and I could hear the delight in her voice.

She absolutely hated the Grantham granny with a passion.

How sad.

 

[johnnytapia]

Example A M'Lud.

A selfish ****.

Calling @gordondaviesmoustache for a fitting rebuke to this erroneous use of “M’Lud”.

 

[manclad]

"The lady is not for turning" !!!

 

[Rascal]

How sad.

I was 14 years old when she came to power and i had to live with the consequences of her policies. There were no jobs for the likes of me and we even had the indignity of the local Labour Club being used as a makeshift centre where people could sign on the dole. There were queues out of the door to sign on and many where people I was at school with. She sacrificed my generation on the altar of corporate greed, tax cuts for the wealthy and destruction of the social fabrication of many communitees in the UK. When the witch said "there is no such thing as society" reflects the idea that inter-dependent social systems and institutions bring a natural order to human affairs. Its details are evident in the common law, in rituals and in customs and practices handed down the generations. This evolving order allows individuals to give expression to their personal choices; and, by those choices, systems and institutions are shaped through continuous adaptation.It is classic Hayekian psychobabble.

Hayek stated “One’s initial surprise at finding that intelligent people tend to be socialists diminishes when one realises that, of course, intelligent people will tend to overvalue intelligence." Thatcher the chemist overvalued hers as I do not believe she really understood Hayek at all. Just used bits of his work to create a country that was ripe for capitalist exploitation.

When the witch died me and my mates who lived through her nightmare had a big fucking party,

DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD

 

[TinFoilHat]

"The lady is not for turning" !!!

I bet Brewsters version is crusty.

 

[manclad]

I bet Brewsters version is crusty.

Krusty the Clown likes this post !!!

 

[bluethrunthru]

Don't know enough about Regan to comment on him but Thatchers ideological pursuit of unions was crippling. It poisoned peoples minds against structural institutions and lead to mistrust in them which oddly in 2024 helped to their eventual destruction. A structural institution no longer had trust in it.

Collective bargaining is not a bad thing. Speak to a union and you don't have to have individual meetings over pay from every employee crippling the business. Don't speak to them ( Dr's and the RMT come to mind ) can lead to strikes - speak to them and maybe you make progress.