What should Margaret Thatcher have advised David Cameron?

On Radio Five Live yesterday David Cameron praised Margaret Thatcher and said that he wanted to emulate her.

The night before he had had dinner with Baroness Thatcher and a select numbers of others, including Lords Bell, Forsyth and Lamont.

I understand that David Cameron told Lady T about his plans to tackle today's economic crisis and, in return, she offered some perspectives on the last time Labour ruined our economy and how she put it right.

Quite rightly, that's all we know about this private dinner but what would you have liked Margaret Thatcher to have said to Mr Cameron?  Suggestions in the thread below please.  My offering is in the image.

Tim Montgomerie

(The photo is of a previous Thatcher-Cameron meeting taken by Chris Holt for Nigel Fletcher).

Comments

[Tony Makara]

Baroness Thatcher should have reminded Mr Cameron that her government introduced 12 month long public works programmes as a response to mass unemployment in the early 1980s.

Baroness Thatcher also should have added that the 1980s programmes were too small and were not able to help enough people. So Mr Cameron should introduce such programmes, but bigger and bolder than the 1980s to help families maintain living standards in these difficult times.

[GB£.com]

"Well David, as long as you don't make the mistake of leaving control of the economy to someone with no experience, or someone who has supported the lunatic economic rescue plans of Mr Brown, I'm sure you'll do just fine."

[DCMX]

Don't trust that Ken Clarke!

[Sally Roberts]

Don't be afraid sometimes to be unpopular if you know that what you are doing is right and for the good of the country. You will be inheriting a dire economic situation and tough decisions will have to be made that will cause some people to even hate you - as they did me when I had to make tough decisions for tough times.

[Phyllis Crash]

I'd like to be your back seat driver :)

[former Tory]

Get out of the EU before the nation is utterly undone.

[Graeme Archer]

Pick a hairstyle and stick to it.

[dontmindme]

It is seldom observed that the first term of the Thatcher government did not get going until the 81 budget, and that the real reform did not get going to her second term.

The first bet of advise is GET ELECTED. that way you can stop the rot.
The second bit of advise should be GET RE ELECTED, by then you might be able to do something useful

We are likely heading for the worst of times since the second world war. There will be little the government can do to stop it and indeed should not waste money trying. The unemployment to come will continue to rise well into your government and the labour party will try and make it your fault. Give up trying to fight the tide, and let the labour market find its own level. If you are likley to get pilloried for 3m, you may as well get pilloried for 3.5m or 4m. What matters is getting stability back into the government books.

The best first term action the government can do is an 81 style budget. Not necessarily in the particulars, but in thee radical firmness of it. Because what matters is sending as early a message to the bond market that the British Govt are serious about getting the books in order. That's the shortest route to regaining confidence.

Oh the first thing that should happen, turn off the printing presses. Like most things in life, people place a value on things that are scarce.

If you make it to a second term, then you can really get to work.

[Jonny]

Appoint John Redwood as Chancellor.

[Mark Hudson]

If you want Conservatives to support you, why not start acting like one?

[GB£.com]

"Pick a hairstyle and stick to it."

LoL. It think that one is out of his hands, until it gets to the point where he'll have to take your option Graeme!

[Iain]

Don't sneer at Conservative values, they tend to be correct!

[Stuart Crow]

She should remind him of the importance of defence expenditure; there are all sorts of pressures on it which need to be resisted. Thatcher did not resist enough in her early days and it nearly proved disastrous.

Remember especially that not all defence expenditure is equal. The Army needs manpower and equipment; money spent on the Navy is most likely to be spent and stay in Britain. The RAF have done very well for themselves in recent times, and are Dollar-hungry.

To zoom in to a very specific level, without meaning that it is obviously the most important thing you have to do - do something about piracy. The "big picture" connection there is that the threat to commerce is as big a threat as anything else we face. There is the lead-in to a distinctive but far-sighted foreign policy for you.

[Ray]

Keep doing things your way, you're doing great!

[London Tory]

Take the unpopular and difficult decisions at the beginning of the term, just as she did from 79 to 81, and just the opposite of what Blair did in 97. In 2010-11 we need to drastically cut public spending, and start to reign back the public sector, including no more bail outs for failing banks.

Call it anti-Obamaism.

Would Osborne have the balls to introduce a budget similar to Howe's in 81?. And would Cameron have the courage and determination that Thatcher showed, in ensuring Howe did it ?

[Edward Huxley]

Watch your back.

[Serf]

Grind the socialists into the dust.

[David Belchamber]

Be honest with the people, be bold and act on principles - conservative ones.

[Nicholas J. Rogers]

Cut taxes!

[pp]

Sally, that rather sounds like advice that *Brown* thinks he *is* following(!).

Although a big difference was that when maggie was unpopular with many, she still had substantial support from others. Whereas Brown and his government seem entirely isolated and even some of them (i.e. Balls and Harman) are marking out their escape routes...

Maybe "Theres no such thing as GB PLC, there are lots of individuals and families working as hard as they can to make a living - don't make it harder for them."

Actually change 'there is no such thing as society...' bit to 'society is not a thing in itself, it is made up of individual...' and you could do worse than use the whole thing...
http://briandeer.com/social/thatcher-society.htm

[John Reeks]

Let's hope that she offered him some sage economic advice without telling him that the best way to garner support for domestic policies is to have a short sharp war. (I understand that the Falkland's War was not her fault, just saying that it did prove to be mighty handy).

[Steevo]

"Pick a hairstyle and stick to it."

Excuse me for a compliment but that's pretty funny.

[RichardJ]

"Baroness Thatcher also should have added that the 1980s programmes were too small and were not able to help enough people. So Mr Cameron should introduce such programmes, but bigger and bolder than the 1980s to help families maintain living standards in these difficult times."

Where will the money come from? We need to be reigning in spending and borrowing. Keynesian-style pump priming may create a short-lived boom but it inevitable results in a bust. They tried it in Japan and remained in the doldrums.

Furthermore what happens when the economy recovers, the public works come to an end and it turns out that there's no sustained private demand for whatever services were being provided?

[Patrick Harris]

Hold the (promised) referendum on the EU constitution/Lisbon Treaty as soon as possible.

[Tony Makara]

RichardJ, public works programmes for the unemployed are a response to the problem of unemployment and a measure by which the government of the day can maintain living-standards for families, as a way of keeping people from losing their homes etc.

Of course at a time when employment is booming the need for such schemes is vastly reduced. Any scheme introduced would have a limited lifespan, say 12 months, but those 12 months could mean so much to families in avoiding the financial pressures of unemployment. I've already heard stories on TV about how marriages are under strain because of the financial stress of unemployment. Britain pays one of the lowest rates of disposable unemployment benefit in the Western world, little wonder therefore that families come under strain.

The answer has to be transient public works programmes because its the only way to keep people in work at times when the market isn't producing enough jobs, which, it hasn't done for the last 35 years.

If David Cameron is serious about keeping children out of poverty he must introduce such schemes as a stop-gap measure, at the very least for people with families, although ideally I'd like to see work programmes available to all, resources permitting.

[Onthejob]

make sure you have a willy

[Mark Williams]

There is very little the government can do to stimulate the economy apart from cutting away all the obstacles to growth.

In the long term, there is little to be achieved by tinkering with interest rates and injections of capital into the economy if there area no fundamental wealth creating industries.

Pick winners and do as much as possible to stay out of their way and remove barriers to their growth.

[judith]

Be calm, passionate and steadfast! The british people need to feel secure.Stay in no. 10 as long as possible. Keep fit and healthy.

[Ross Warren]

Under no circumstance let the press or the opposition force you to change direction.
Treat the members of your cabinet with respect, but ignore their advice when you know its wrong. Be strong don't let anyone not even the president of the US push you around. If the president says "yo David" remind him that you are the leader of Great Britain not his flunky. The public will respect a strong leader even when the outlook is bleak.

[Sally Roberts]

"Although a big difference was that when maggie was unpopular with many, she still had substantial support from others. Whereas Brown and his government seem entirely isolated and even some of them (i.e. Balls and Harman) are marking out their escape routes..."

Exactly, pp! The big difference between Cameron and Brown is that David is living in the real world, Gordon has retreated to his bunker.

[Malcolm Dunn]

In an ideal world always do what is right rather than just what is popular. But always be pragmatic as I was.

[resident leftie]

Lie about cutting taxes, then massively increase VAT. Choose an industry sector, pick a fight with the union, set the police on them, then crack down on workers' rights. The industry will be dead, but you'll have cemented your base. Talk big on the EU, but sign up to everything they ask. Remember there is no such thing as society, and inflation is a price worth paying for unemployment. Blame each individual's inability to find work in times of high unemployment rather than deal with the strucutural problems which cause them. Talk big about cutting public expenditure, then blow it all on unemployment benefit. Sell off every asset we possess as cheaply as possible.

[John Forster]

I am a pessimist.I think we will wake up in 2 - 3 years time and find the clock turned back 50 years, only worse - real poverty and no industry left to power a recovery - but with the horrors of gang warfare and mindless terrorism to face.
The first thing Dave must do is to get rid of Political Correctness. Protecting the rights of minorities is civilised. Lavishing admiration and deference on them is simple-minded and ridiculous. The laws which protect the human rights of foreign criminals but not those of our own British people must go.
He must stop opposing grammar schools, the only state schools which are proven centres of excellence if we are to compete with the hordes of highly trained Indian and Chinese graduates - and we must.
He must stop devoting so much of the country's attention and treasure to 'equality' (i.e. welfare). There must be safety net but we will not be able to afford to keep 5 million plus in total dependence on handouts.
In short Dave must stop trying to be a Tone lookalike and return to Tory values.

[Mark Hudson]

Resident Leftie, you must hate the fact that she won the argument.

[GB£.com]

Resident Leftie, nice summary of the past 11 years. Thanks.

[London Tory]

@ Passing Leftie

There was no market for coal. End of. Only the Scargillite extreme Left was advocating forcing people to buy it. Scargill, a little man with a bad combover, thought that he was above the law and refused to hold a ballot. Kinnock, another little man with a bad combover, caved in and went along with it. Perhaps we could abandon other choices British people get, like democracy, while we are at it ? Presumably that is another Marxist policy with which you find agreement ?

There is no such thing as society. The notion of 'Society' has become conflated with Labour's bloated client state, which people feel beholden to in return for ticking the Labour box once every four years. Mrs T made the eminently sensible point that the individual should FIRST look to themselves, and their families, and that they had to meet their obligations [i.e.work, and pay tax] rather than just stand there with their hands out.

The last Conservative Government left a booming economy in surplus, Labour has blown the inheritence on a 'Shameless' underclass which sees a 13 year old fathering children, whilst growing up in a household where he does not go to school, and where eight people receive state benefits.

The message since 1997 is therefore clear.

Be an inept scrounger- Vote Labour.

[resident leftie]

Posted by: Mark Hudson | February 19, 2009 at 12:53

Resident Leftie, you must hate the fact that she won the argument.

I hate the fact that a bizzare combination of factors allowed her to be in power for far too long.

[Tony Makara]

"no industry left...5 million plus in total dependence on handouts"

John Forster, this is the root of the problem. Hard industries have to come back and the door firmly shut on the sweatshop imports from the East. Start to produce our own wares for supply to our own market and for export to non sweatshop economies, do this and we will start putting people back to work in droves.

Don't expect it to happen though because the Conservative party is too ideological to stand up against the sweatshop wages that are putting and keeping our people out of work. Instead it prefers free-trade and international capital to reign supreme.

[michael mcgough]

I am so so very pleased to that you are now taking advice from Ken and Michael.This will do so much for party unity as I am sure the results in June will prove.

[Tony Sharp]

Posted by: resident leftie | February 19, 2009 at 13:01

"I hate the fact that a bizzare combination of factors allowed her to be in power for far too long."

Many more of us hate the fact that despite all the spin, lies, deceit, incompetence, waste, rising taxation, sleaze and damage caused to the social and economic fabric of this country, Labour remains in power - for now.

[Mike Thomas]

"Eliminate waste, simplify and cut taxes. Get people to stand on their own two feet, Privatise the banks and parts of the civil service...

..and smash Labour into atoms, to do this once to our nation is a careless mistake, to do this twice to our nation is nothing short of treason. Smash them into oblivion..."

Seeing Mrs T at full tilt in the eyes of this working class lad watching her smite the Trade Union bullies and giving us our country back was a joy to behold.

[Steve Tierney]

Give Britain back its freedom and its personal responsibility. Cut away the waste. Deregulate business, industry and agriculture. Make the country competitive again.

[resident leftie]

Posted by: Tony Sharp | February 19, 2009 at 13:52

Many more of us hate the fact that despite all the spin, lies, deceit, incompetence, waste, rising taxation, sleaze and damage caused to the social and economic fabric of this country...

And that's just the Opposition!

[Steve Tierney]

resident leftie | February 19, 2009 at 14:34
>>And that's just the Opposition!<<

These comments ran well...
- back in the nineties.

This is a new millenium. Labour have used it to utterly destroy their reputation and credibility, such as it was.

I'm sorry Resident, I actually feel sorry for the Labour movement that 'pretenders' have done this damage to them. At least Old Labour had integrity.

But however much you hang out here and try and be the 'voice of the left', your tone is sounding more and more desperate and out of touch.

Labour are dead. You guys need to work on what you might do next. I suspect you've got ten or more years to come up with something. Let's hope your next reimagining doesn't bankrupt the country. They say third time's the charm!

Of course, if the Lib Dems overtake you in the blood bath that Election Night 2010 is going to be (notice i'm presuming you wont have the courage to come to the nation sooner), you may not ever get another chance to visit your disfunctional ideas upon the nation. Not that the Lib Dems disfunctional "ideas" (read: soundbites aimed at popularity) are any better... but you get the point.

[Peter]

Let the Argentinians think they can have the Falklands.

[David Sergeant]

"..and smash Labour into atoms, to do this once to our nation is a careless mistake, to do this twice to our nation is nothing short of treason. Smash them into oblivion..."

Posted by: Mike Thomas | February 19, 2009 at 13:54

Just to suggest it's the third time Labour wrecked the country and the Tories have to sort it out, remember 1951 when we still had to have wartime rationing to prop up a Labour government?

This is serious. In 1979 the Tories took over unemployment of approx 1.6 mil and rising rapidly, it continued until 3 mil+ before it turned round and reduced and Labour regularly yell that under the Tories there were 3 mil+ unemployed. This will happen again and unless it is dealt with Labour could be back in power quickly to create another disaster of our country. Hence, it is important to aim to "smash them in to oblivion".

Just to underline how these things take off, in 1997 unemployment was approx 1.6 mil and falling. Have you noticed everybody saying the present rising unemployment is near 1997 levels at 2mil? Musn't let the facts get in the way of a good anti-Tory story.

[Susanna Smith]

Introduce pay scales more in keeping with the job description 'public servant' for public sector workers of ALL ranks. One of our local council officers has bought an ocean-going yacht and lives like a millionaire (fair enough, he is, with his salary).
Final salary/early retirement for PS workers abolished.
Abolish quangos — wipe them out.
Abolish Regional Assemblies, devolve their powers to elected Parish Councils.
Education vouchers — £5000 pa for every child aged 5 to 18. Parents' can either top it up to pay for a better school or not, their choice.
Limit any benefits paid to single mothers to the first child, the second will be means tested, the third nothing. Her choice.

[dean thomson]

Be more pro-EU and promote Ken Clarke back up to chancellor.

We need a strong policy in favour of the euro. We need to get back to Mr Majors line of "open to the possiblity of the euro...open to the EU".

[www.englandism.co.uk]

Thatcher:
'David, that Blair chap flattered me by his sincerest form of imitation. Perhaps you might like to rewind and learn?' Smiles contemplatively as Yoda to a confused Skywalker.

Dave:
'Whilst seeing the merit in some of what you contend I would counter that the key demographic anti-handbag clouting focus group in the critical ABC1 marginal flip chartists in the West Midlands swinging community might be dis-motivated turnout-wise should it be raining on my parade. Go Duffy! I like the Monkeys me.' Smiles gurningly as his eyes fail to authenticate sincerity.

Thatcher graciously departs to noises off. Another liaison awaits.

In the lobby, Frank Field's grimace of determination obscures his deeply perplexed mind. Should he embrace Her or simply throw himself to the marbled floor in supine deference?

[David]

"Remember that despite the rhetoric about controlling public spending, I kept increasing it, particularly with regards to the NHS"?

[Cicero]

Do not wear a baseball cap, ever. Stop wearing silly untucked shirts and trainers.

Speak firmly and carry a small handbag and you will go far.

[Simon R]

I suspect (provided she is still sharp minded enough to discuss politics) she told him not to believe he can reform the E.U from within, and to get out whilst there is still a country worth saving. And sadly I also suspect he nodded and smiled and said something nice and mentally dismissed what she was saying as the words of an overzealous geriatric. I hope this isn't true, but I suspect it is, and it makes me very sad.

[Sartorialist]

True blues don't wear green laces or trainers!

[Steve Tierney]

I thought his trainers were pretty cool. What he weara in his spare time is his business anyway. Too many 'fashion gurus' out there think they can dictate what people 'should' wear in their private time. People should wear whatever they want to wear and makes them happy.

[Yet Another Anon]

Pennies make Pounds, and Pounds make Billions of Pounds.

Restore Britain to a position of military might.

The NHS is over rated as a factor behind improved health in the British population since WWII.

Smash the Trade Unions.

Don't accept the Ratchett Effect, reverse 100 years of Socialism and Liberalism.

[Victor Bowman]

I hope that Mrs Thatcher would have told Mr. Cameron that while youu must not let the manufacturing industries (ie. the unions)dictate the future of the UK, nor should you encourage their demise in favour of profiteers hell bent on breaking industries apart for short term monetary gains. And certainly not to rely on providing the U.K's income from so called financial and economic experts who's sole qualifications are that they went to Eaton.
Let's make sure that senior management are qualified for the job - both practically and academically.

[sdf]

I'm sure she would have told him to cause mass unemployment, mess up the economy (according to the IMF, we're suffering because we've got too many bankers and too little industry- that's HER fault!) and support brutal dictators- that's what she did.