Margaret Thatcher has been out of politics for more than 20 years, but the strategy of "Thatcherism" is popular in many countries. In fact, the real enemy of Thatcherism is not the welfare system, but bureaucracy, inefficiency and laziness. Restore social vitality by cutting fat in the welfare state. Margaret Thatcher realized very early that "the political views of the British people have changed a lot. After 30 years of failed experiments, they are going to try something else. This great change is our responsibility. " It should be pointed out that when Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979, more than half of the public in Britain thought that welfare had been excessively generous, which was also the public opinion basis for Margaret Thatcher's drastic welfare system reform within ten years. Don't forget, in an election country, without the support of the people, even if the "iron lady" has any ambition, it can only be difficult to pay. Also, don't forget that in an electoral country, if she doesn't win the hearts of the people, she can't be the longest-serving prime minister in the past 200 years. If it weren't for the "palace coup" in the Conservative Party of 1990, there would be little suspense for Margaret Thatcher to win the fourth general election. Today, she has become the most popular politician in Britain after World War II, which shows the high popularity of the people.
The welfare state system became popular in Europe and America after the end of World War II. In essence, welfare is the necessary cost for the rich to buy peace from the poor. The welfare state system has effectively eased the class struggle entangled in capitalism, and the welfare red envelope has also become a "carrot" for politicians to win votes. In the past decades, countries have established welfare systems in every detail, from cradle to grave. However, "meticulous" care makes people lose their diligence and integrity. Britain is the birthplace of the industrial revolution and the most mature country of the workers' movement. The huge centralized trade union makes the welfare expenditure increase continuously, but the production efficiency decreases continuously. The former British Empire had to accept IMF assistance at 1977. Influenced by Hayek, Popper and other liberal philosophers, Margaret Thatcher believed that high welfare and big government were the dead end of slavery. Hayek is a supporter of the free market, and he is not opposed to all welfare. He believes that education on equality and protection of citizens is crucial.
Margaret Thatcher's reform skills are also worth mentioning. Interest groups cannot form a welfare state, but the welfare state has greatly promoted the development of interest group society. Margaret Thatcher wants to transform the welfare state, and she faces all kinds of individuals and groups who benefit from the welfare system. Radical reform is bound to be rebounded by interest groups, so the reform needs skills. Vague policies, divide and rule and moderate compensation can alleviate the resistance of interest groups and realize welfare slimming.
The austerity policy pursued by Margaret Thatcher is not to bury the welfare state, but to promote market-oriented reforms and promote the transformation of the welfare state from "institutional" to "surplus". The institutional welfare state relies on public service laws and regulations to try to reduce the differences between different classes or different status groups, thus limiting the impact of the market on life opportunities. The goal of the surplus welfare state is to provide a "safety net", usually based on a project that requires family qualification examination, while consolidating the market generation mechanism of social stratification. On the national health insurance project, after several years of privatization attempts, Mrs. Thatcher not only did not continue to promote the reform, but became a defender of the national health insurance.