-
•
JLaw
-
New Labour was a departure from Old Labour, a move towards the centre, even past it but it wasn't Thatcherism. It didn't believe in the continued shrinking of the state and the absolute efficiencies of the free market.
It was a pragmatic, centralist party. The logical conclusion to the beliefs of Thatcherism is the abolition of as much government supported services as possible. That's the NHS and education. I seem to remember New Labour ploughing money in to these things. Even improving them in its own ham fisted, target setting ways.
dst2-
New Labour ... didn't believe in the continued shrinking of the state and the absolute efficiencies of the free market.
...the NHS and education. I seem to remember New Labour ploughing money in to these things. ..
I'm totally with @JLaw on this one - and I don't understand your statements at all. "Public Private Partnerships" were a Conservative idea that New Labour ran and ran with, wholeheartedly moving infrastructure, health (and later, schools) out of state control, management, funding, and into private hands. In doing so they promoted the pernicious idea that you could only be "efficient" if you trusted in the private sector, that public sector was lazy and not to be trusted. ~~Even setting aside the financial argument (which was New Labour's surface argument) there is a massive ethical and social impact when the provision of public services is locked into obscure private contracts. ~~ (Sorry got carried away, but essentially they knowingly or otherwise, were furthering a core Thatcherism agenda)
ETA: I'm sure there were many differences between New Labour and Thatcherism, but I don't get the specific points you used to illustrate.
hoefla