Political essay of the week

By commenter Tayles at Toby Young's blog

One of the reasons the Left hates Thatcher so much is that she debunked the myth of the 'working class struggle'. Rather than depicting working folk as members of an oppressed group, exploited by a wealthy property-owning class, she made them realise they were part of a broader social hierarchy through which they could rise by the application of skill and hard work.

This denied the chippy inadequates at the bottom of the socialist movement of any meaning or purpose. Their moral outrage became exposed as envy and self-pity. Meanwhile, the political elite at the top of the socialist movement were robbed of a class of pet proles who they could dote on and control, and with it went their sense of righteousness and their right to rule.

One of the achievements of New Labour was to reinstill the notion of vulnerability among a large part of the population, and to convince them that they needed the helping hand of politicians and bureaucrats to cope with the rigours of life.

It's little wonder that the Left continues to spit Thatcher's name as if it characterises some dark age of human existence. For them and their interests it certainly did.

What he said.