The Thatcher legacy: a relational audit

- a personal view by Michael Schluter

 
We depart from our usual Friday Five format to bring a commentary by Michael Schluter on Margaret Thatcher’s legacy.  Michael headed up the ‘Keep Sunday Special Campaign’ in 1985-86, which led to the only defeat of a whole government bill while Mrs Thatcher was prime minister.

Margaret Thatcher is remembered with respect and affection by many, and rightly so, for breaking the power of the unions and re-establishing non-aggressive industrial relations in Britain. From a relational perspective there are few things more damaging to relationships than the breakdown of law and order.  ‘Parity’ in the relationship between unions and management in the coal mining industry, and between unions and government generally, was at a low level when Mrs Thatcher came to power. Some may feel that power swung too far back towards the employers, but I believe everyone should acknowledge there are some important relational benefits in Mrs Thatcher’s legacy.

However, it has to be recognised also that there are significant relational downsides to her legacy. She was so focused on the individual, and rolling back the power of the state, that she famously said ‘there’s no such thing as society’ (see below). Arguably, she went over the top in pursuit of market solutions and ended up closing mines and factories in the Midlands and North of England without making adequate preparation for alternative sources of employment and incomes. This left many communities and households devastated for a generation. The bitterness and resentment of these people has flared up again this week following Mrs Thatcher’s death.

In Europe her fierce defence of British interests gave the UK short-term financial benefits but probably at the expense of long-term goodwill and friendship with our European neighbours.  On the other hand, her contribution to ending the Cold War helped re-establish the relationship between the peoples of East and West Europe.

In terms of family and religious life, she attacked the institution of Sundays, which led on to the substantial commercialisation of Sundays under John Major in 1994. This undermined the opportunity for many to enjoy a shared weekly day off with friends and family.

Above all, through her belief in the magic of the market, Mrs Thatcher’s financial reforms cut off the few remaining relational threads between providers and users of funds for investment, and led to increased relational distance between management and employees as company size and pay differentials burgeoned.

So hers is a complex and controversial legacy from a relationships standpoint. Let’s hope for great leaders in the future with the same dedication and determination, but with a relational vision rather than an individualistic and materialistic agenda.

"They are casting their problems at society. And, you know, there's no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look after themselves first. It is our duty to look after ourselves and then, also, to look after our neighbours."  Margaret Thatcher in an interview in 1987