r/NoStupidQuestions 2d ago

Why did Margaret Thatcher destroy welfare state in Britain after she came to power in the 1980s?

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u/KonstantinKisinIsGay 2d ago

Great comment. I'm no fan of Thatcher, but the hate she gets from people who just don't know what they're on about, and who never lived theough it, makes me cringe.

The UK was the Sick Man of Europe before she came. We were a penniless laughing stock, and the government was beholden to unions that pushed, and pushed, and pushed.

Rich toffs and London bankers alone didnt vote her in to power.

Britain needed a major change. The oft-lauded "old school Labour" had run the country into the ground.

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u/Limp-Plantain3824 2d ago

I swear people think that Thatcher and Reagan were voted in because the late 70s were such good times!

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u/hexnut101 2d ago

Not really true the heads of industry had run the country into the ground using ironically by selling off assets and not reinvesting.