It has been noted that Margaret Thatcher’s electoral triumph hastened the emergence of what is now referred to as the ‘post-political consensus’ that came to dominate debates pertaining to the limitations of contemporary parliamentary democracy. We are pleased to see that her recent death has re-ignited political opinion and debate regarding neo-liberalism, and its legacy as well as exposing the disconnect between the populace and electoral representatives.
Below is a short list of articles which we think do a good job of both understanding her legacy, unpicking the nature of debates surrounding her legacy and also pointing towards where the Left needs to be moving.
1. Margaret Thatcher and misapplied death etiquette – Glenn Greenwald. Glenn makes the case for us discussing and critiquing the legacy of Thatcher and Thatcherism.
2. Dispelling the Thatcher myths – Alex Nunn. Before we can properly look at the legacy of Thatcher and the political implications of how her legacy is being epigraphed we need to start by dispelling lots of the myths floating around.
3. Thatcher: a wound reopens – Benedict Thorn. This article looks at the body and the personal experiences of neo-liberalism and Thatcher.
4. A feminist guide to celebrating Thatcher’s demise – Angry Women of Liverpool (AWOL). Some of the responses to Thatcher’s death have contained implicitly sexist language. This article deals with this in a really easy to read way, perfect for sending to friends or colleagues.
5. The Happiness of Margaret Thatcher – Mark Fischer. This article recognises Thatchers legacy lives on today and that a politics of morality is not enough. Can we develop new tools to start moving beyond outrage and firefighting the right to actually winning arguments and making concrete change?
S (Thames Valley Plan C) and Ben (Manchester Plan C)
