Evaluate The View That The Current Conservative Party Is A Thatcherite Party.

Introduction

• One Nation Conservatism = adopted by Benjamin Disraeli, aimed to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor - the ruling class would look after the interests of the poor through social reform

• Thatcherism (New Right) =

  1. the neo (or new) Conservatives who want the state to take a more authoritarian approach to morality and law and order

  2. the neo-liberals who endorsed the free market approach and the rolling back of the state in people’s lives and businesses

Paragraph Focus

• Para 1 = Law and Order

• Para 2 = Economic Policies

• Para 3 = Foreign Policy

Para 1 - Weaker Argument Closer to One Nation

• though the previous Conservative government has taken a relatively strong approach to striking workers, it has arguably not been as harsh or uncompromising as the policies of Thatcher’s governments

• for example, after months of industrial action, the RMT and the government came to an agreement for a pay deal in which salaries were increased by between 9% and 15% for workers

Para 1 - Stronger Argument = Closer to Thatcherism

• Thatcher’s government took a very strong approach to law and order, and despite cutting budgets of other departments, she increased funding for the police and armed forces

• Rishi Sunak’s government took a similar approach to tackling crime, pledging to recruit 20,000 additional police officers and reduce “homicide, serious violence and neighbourhood crime” by 20%

• This commitment to tackling crime through tough law enforcement shows a clear movement towards Thatcherism which emphasises individual responsibility and a strong state capable of maintaining order

Para 2 - Weaker Argument = Closer to One Nation

• On the other hand, the economic policy of the Conservative Party under Rishsi Sunak could have be seen through the One Nation lense

• Eg. Conservatives 2024 manifesto pledged to close university courses in England with high drop out rates which leaves graduates without any real economic advantages in the world of work

• This may be an attempt to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor and ensure that student come out with degrees that will give them better salary prospects in the future

• Therefore, Sunak’s economic policy may be focused on trying to prioritise national finances in the context of increasing economic opportunities  

Para 2 - Stronger Argument = Closer to Thatcherism

• Perhaps the most important aspect of Thatcherism was in relation to economic policy, in which Thatcher greatly reduced taxes and the size of the state in an attempt to promote individualism and economic growth

• eg. Conservatives 2024 manifesto pledged to abolish National Insurance for the self employed and increase the person tax free allowance for pensioners which will be paid for by £6bil a year crackdown on tax avoidance and cutting the welfare bill by £12bil a year

•  this strong commitment to a smaller state with a smaller welfare state and reduced taxes shows a clear movement towards Thatcherism and the policies that Margaret Thatcher supported herself eg. Cutting taxes and deregulation

Para 3 - Weaker Argument = Closer to One Nation

• the policies under the previous Conservative Party are a lot different than Thatcher likely would’ve supported

• the Conservative Party under Rishi Sunak, for example, supported sending some asylum seekers to Rwanda had introduced the Illegal Immigration Bill which pledged to make the asylum claims of anyone who has arrived illegally on a small boat ‘inadmissible’

• this can be seen as different from Thatcherism, which wasn’t strongly opposed to immigration and recognised its economic benefits

Para 3 - Stronger Argument = Closer to Thatcherism

• Thatcher had a very strong, assertive foreign policy, strongly projected Britain’s interests abroad, including the Falklands War, and developing a strong relationship with Reagan in the US

• since assuming leadership, Kemi Badenoch has not dismissed the possibility of leaving the European Convention of Humans Rights.

• she has expressed concerns that international bodies, including the ECHR, have overstepped their original mandates and undermine UK sovereignty

• This is a strong commitment to neo-conservatism values of Thatcherism who prefer that Britain stay British

• This is also seen as reflective of Thatcher who was also eurosceptic and sought to protect Britain’s sovereignty against a growing EU