If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨
Options
Help me politics h/work (again...)
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Hi everyone. Hopefully most of you reading this will have already started politics A-level so might be able to help me!
I know this seems a bit of a basic question, but it would be a HUGE help. I need to write a little bit about Thatcher an what she did in each of these three areas: Economy, The State and Social.
I know what Economy is, but can't think how to define 'The State' and 'Social' - what sort of things would come under it? Any help is greatly apppreciated!
Han xx
PS 1 A*, 7 A's and 3 B's at GCSE! YAY!
I know this seems a bit of a basic question, but it would be a HUGE help. I need to write a little bit about Thatcher an what she did in each of these three areas: Economy, The State and Social.
I know what Economy is, but can't think how to define 'The State' and 'Social' - what sort of things would come under it? Any help is greatly apppreciated!
Han xx
PS 1 A*, 7 A's and 3 B's at GCSE! YAY!
0
Comments
What's wrong with using your text books
I don't have any text books or ANYTHING other than the h/work - it was sent to me by the sixth form I will be going to in September and I JUST got the sheet and the text I was meant to answer the questions on. There's nothing about the definitions in either the text or the worksheet. xx
For social I'm assuming that rather than talking about 'the social' - as in social services, they want you to consider how Thatcher affected the society in general, from the changes during her time in power in society to the very famous (and no doubt very relevant) comment that there - 'is no society, only individuals'
wikipedia is your ally
To be honest there are a million websites and books she could be looking through and research skills like that will aid her through college and university. Instead of asking people, it's normally better to look up the answers yourself imo.
You don't have to study politics to take an intrest and understand it and she's not asking for anybody to do her work for her, just for a little help in understanding a question. I'm sure there are people here that could help.
This is a prime example of why people are put off coming into this forum.
I find it hard to believe she would have been asked to do a pre-course assignment without it being easy to access the information she needs.
I don't think it will put posters off at all... It'll do her good to open up a book and read. I mean her question is a fairly simple one (or complex depending on how deep she has to go) so why can't she find the answer herself? She could pick up other information relevent to her course on the way.
Likewise she could get some valuable input from people off here, rather than just reading from a textbook - different opinions and views etc.
Nothing stopping her doing both is there?
FizzPopSpan, what Jim said before is helpful. The state would be the the government institutions of the time, including the police (read about the Miners' Strike) and NHS (cf the private healthcare sector).
And the 'social' would include how 'Thatcherism' affected ordinary people, economically, socially, politically, individually etc.
Good luck with the assignment and congrats on the GCSEs :thumb:
For "economics" you would consider her neo-liberal belief in the "market" to provide everything. This would encompass privatisation and the creation of "agencies" run on private business ethics, separate from the Civil Service. Both of the latter would also come under the heading "the State"- privatisation was the selling off of aspects of The State because of an economic ideology.
The Social element of your question would also be interlocked. The treatment of the miners is an important aspect of a social discourse, but they were of a direct consequence of the divergence away from a Keynesian view of the world in terms of economics and state constructs.
I don't expect you will need to go into detail for this. You will need to think about the issues, and do independent research around the subject of these issues.
To give you a helping hand towards the right books in your local library, they key areas you need to discuss deal with the abandomnent of the Keynesian model of ecopnomic governance.
You need to look at privatisation- including that of industry (e.g. Rover), non-critical transport networks (British Airways), critical transport networks (the National Bus Company) and the utilities (British Telecom). You need to look at the selling off of council housing stock, and the problems that that has created to the present day.
You need to look at the reform of the Civil Service during the 1980s, in particular the creation of the Agency separate to the CS.
You need to look at the reforms of taxation under Lawson- when the icnome tax rate was cut to a maximum 40%, the taxation income from the highest 10% of the population increased.
You need to look at the social consequence of the divergence from Keynesian economics- the miners' strikes and the social deprivation, the creation of a two-tier society, the consequences of the disposal of council housing stock, the consequences of Thatcher's comments of "there's no such thing as society".
Try looking at these issues in terms of both a socialist and a neo-liberal discourse.
For even better marks, you can talk about how Thatchers neo-liberal ideas came from her mass murdering chum in Chile, Pinochet and how he dealt with trade unionists by rounding them in a football stadium and shooting them, something no doubt Thatcher would have done if she thought she could get away with it.
Surely Blair's landslide with 1/3 of the votes tells you that?
I'm just balancing the view up a bit - very convenient for tories like you to forget Thatchers mate Pinochet.
The economy, you would want to tlak about privertisation and the economic rational behind this, (basically the less government the more efficient private industry can be) the practical benefits ie the money from selling the shares.
this is a more "la sa fair" economy (spelling undoubtly wrong) as oposed to a more centrally controlled "socialist" economy she moved Britain more on the american lines. Mention the money from North sea Oil (lots at the time) and the tax cuts (basically for the rich).
So the state and economy are tied in as she would attempt to "shrink the state" she rebelled against the "nanny state" the beleife was that if government got out the way people (regan said "the little guy" whan normally he meant "the multi millionaire businessman") wopuld run their own lives better.
Also the unions that was a key ingredient as by reducing the poiwers of the trade unions then business (left to its own devices business is better more efficient and generates more wealth which will "trickle down" from the ritch to the rest)
And society the famous statment "theres no such thing as comunity (or was it society) only individuals and their families.
And on the subject of Economics the best book for any level from the most basic to d3egree level is Begg, Fischer and Dornbusch, dont let any one tell you its too advanced for AS level or HNC its not its got everything
You can't have done very well at school if you think you'd get better marks for saying that.
You need to give both sides where relevant and it’s indisputable that there is clear-cut historical debate with Thatcher and even Pinochet and their policies. Mouthing off your own personal political views doesn’t impress examiners.
I wasn't being entirely serious about putting it in an essay, just attempting to redress major tom's post. What however is not indisputable is Thatcher's chumminess with mass murderer Pinochet.