Margaret Thatcher's Law and Order Agenda

Abstract

At the end of World War II there emerged in Britain a political consensus on the role of government. Both the Conservative and Labour parties broadly endorsed and adhered to the notion that government should provide certain safeguards for its citizens. Among the issues that received the principal focus of attention were: the economic revival of basic industries, the maintenance of high levels of employment, the assurance of health care and pension benefits, and the establishment of an extensive safety net in the event of personal hardship. In 1975 that consensus began to unravel with the election of Margaret Thatcher as leader of the Conservative Party. Although the Conservatives had worked within the consensus, they had long emphasized the importance of individual responsibility and private initiative. That perspective was given a new meaning and an added impetus with Mrs. Thatcher's commitment to overhauling the collectivist and state interventionist policies of the post-war years. Since 1975 the political climate has been kind to Prime Minister Thatcher. First elected in 1979, she has been re-elected in 1983 and 1987. Recently, she surpassed Lord Herbert Henry Asquith (190816) for the distinction of being the longest serving Prime Minister of this century. She is also considered the most powerful Prime Minister of this century, if one excludes from the discussion the stature of Sir Winston Churchill at the height of World War II. The attention directed at Margaret Thatcher during her tenure as Prime Minister has focused overwhelmingly, and justifiably so, on her economic policies. She has also been touted of late as the leader of the Western European Alliance, which affords her a certain deference when speaking about foreign and defense policy. Despite this new-found status. Thatcher's principal interest remains domestic policy issues, and one of the long-standing items on that policy agenda has been the issue of law and order. This paper is divided into three parts. The first considers how the issue of law and order was raised to such a prominent status in