Tangled Metal wrote:Did I read it right that Thatcher is responsible for the Johnny foreigner taking our jobs attitude?
She really liked "Them and us" and used it to divide the country further. "Them and us" can be applied in all circumstances men vs women, rich vs poor, public school vs state school, militarists vs pacifists, north vs south, black vs white, miners vs law abiding citizens. It's the worst of labels as can be used for anything. If you don't campaign against it then you will end up with a political dialogue that consists mostly of labelling and grouping people along such tribal lines - for example foreigners vs the English, muslims vs chrisitians, those who are taking our jobs and clogging our roads vs those who have the only god given right to be here.
As I have said before Thatcher was responsible for hardening and polarising the political landscape in the UK in a way that has not happened since. As others have pointed out those who came after merely took advantage of the new rules of engagement and fiddled round the edges of her policies.
I have been out of the country for a while, so help me. What policy changes have post Thatcher governments implemented that have had such a big impact on UK society as the closure of the coal mining industry (including the political bitterness that came with it)?
So long and thanks for all the fish...