Introduction

This chapter will examine the ideological underpinnings of what came to be known as Thatcherism, before going on to outline the main themes in welfare and penal policy in the period 1979–90. Mrs Thatcher was an unusual British politician in many ways. She was the first female leader of the Conservative Party and subsequently the first female prime minister. In the post-war period, the two major political parties had followed broadly very similar policies when in government. These included a commitment to Keynesian economics, including policies aimed at full employment and investment in public services (Kynaston, 2008).

However, the contradictions of the social-democratic consensus were fatally exposed in the aftermath of the oil crisis from 1973 onwards. Mrs Thatcher presented herself and her policies as a clear break from the post-war period and what she saw as its failings. In doing so, she developed and exploited a narrative that the nation was in crisis and that she embodied the radical action that was required to solve these problems (Sandbrook, 2011; Moore, 2013). Her supporters, particularly those in the tabloid press, contrasted the Iron Lady with the allegedly weak and ineffectual politicians who had gone before. These, particularly her predecessors Heath and Callaghan, were presented as old-fashioned, outdated and without the political courage to tackle the long-standing structural issues that had led to Britain's relative decline (Gilmour, 1992; Young, 2013). Political rhetoric and image were key elements of Thatcherism. In the areas of welfare and penal policy, much of the Thatcherite project was completed by her successors.

The influence of Thatcherism is fundamental to an understanding of welfare and penal policy in the 25 years since her defenestration from Downing Street. The influence is to be seen in both New Labour and Conservative administrations. Thatcherism was a combination of market fundamentalism and socially conservative populism. These themes are apparent in successive government policies in the areas of crime and welfare. In particular, this chapter will set the scene for the later consideration of New Labour's social policies and its ‘double shuffle’ (Hall, 1998). It will be argued that these moves were the result of a fear of being seen as weak on crime but also as a ‘party of welfare’.