In all the reminiscing about Margaret Thatcher that we've heard lately, it seems that many people believe that one of her greatest achievements was curbing the power of union bosses. Now, to be fair, the power of union bosses was a genuine problem in the 1970s. Their democratic legitimacy was questionable, and the damage they did to the economy with repeated strikes was very real.
It was clear that "something must be done": the classic politician's syllogism. Politicians faced with the challenge that "something must be done" tend to focus more on doing "something", rather than on whether that something is the right something.
In Thatcher's case, it certainly wasn't. She took power from union bosses, but she gave even greater power to multinational corporations, particularly in the financial sector. Anyone who has followed what's happened to the economy since 2008 will know that that didn't end well.
Fast forward to the current Conservative government. One of the big problems they have decided to tackle is the benefits system. And yes, again, we do have a genuine problem. About a third of all government spending goes on benefits. That's clearly unhealthy and unsustainable.
Something must be done.
In this case, that "something" appears to be shafting some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Radical changes to the benefit system are only now starting to take effect, so it's too early to be sure what the results will be, but I fear it is likely that many vulnerable people will be left in misery and destitution.
So to me, Thatcher's legacy is that the Conservative party feel free use the excuse of solving one problem to further their ideological agenda while creating even bigger problems.
