With the Conservatives in power again, albeit in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, it’s tough not to start making comparisons between the world in the early days of the Thatcher government and these of the coalition. When Lord Lawson was interviewed on Talk Radio Europe last week that seemed to be the main focus. The interviewer and Lord Lawson also talked about his second home in the southern part of France, but we don’t want to talk about that because it has nothing to do with politics and may show us to be a bit jealous.
Nigel Lawson, one of the key players in Margaret Thatcher’s government, said that there are some comparisons to be made between the system they inherited and the one that the coalition did recently: “trade unions running rampant” and a “hugely bloated public sector” are two of the main comparisons to be drawn. Lord Lawson stated that the culpability for many present-day economic problems rests with Gordon Brown, as indeed it would to anyone who took on the position of Chancellor and then Prime Minister.
However, even after admitting that this is a difficult time for Lib Dems and Conservatives and noting that “the coalition is a curious creature”, Lord Lawson believes that the Thatcher era has, if anything, shown that these problems can be put right and that the coalition can take comfort from that.
So there you go, Nick and David, make you feel any better?
Nigel Lawson’s Memoirs of a Tory Radical includes all-new material on the current state of British politics and the economic situation, as well as the original fascinating account of his life on the political front-line.
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