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One should never monkey around with society too much; if we do, we may find that history has some unpleasant surprises up its sleeve for us. (a statement from) Anthony Crosland’s, The Future of Socialism (1956)
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The "post-war consensus" was an agreement between the UK LABOUR and CONSERVATIVE parties.
"People demanded an expansion of the welfare state as a reward to the people for their World War II wartime sacrifices" e.g. EDUCATION & UNIVERSITY TUITION FEES. (para 3, here).
This resulted as the post-war consensus which describes the political co-operation in post-war British political history, from the end of World War II in 1945 to the late-1970s, until its repudiation (or cancellation) by Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher.
Both political parties agreed upon it.
The consensus tolerated or encouraged: nationalization, strong trade unions, heavy regulation, and a generous welfare state.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-war_consensus
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SAVE THE PLANET
Collapse of the post-war consensus.
The post-war consensus was seen by right wing politicians as being the cause of Britain's economic decline; (e.g. trade unions running the country, inability to balance the economy, etc).
Believers in New Right (Thatcherism or Economic-liberalism) political beliefs saw their ideology as the solution to Britain's economic dilemmas in the 1970s.
Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher started the property development GOLD RUSH to get rid of Trade-unionism-rule & Socialism.
When the Conservative Party won the 1979 general election and Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister 1979-1990, in the wake of the Winter of discontent, they implemented Thatcherism or New Right ideas and brought the post-war consensus to an end.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-war_consensus#Collapse_of_consensus
The fall of UK Socialism.
The UK Labour Party were formerly a Socialist (democratic) party until Labour PM Tony Blair's premiership 1997-2007, when the UK Labour Party were converted to Democratic-socialism, and were said to convert to Thatcherism or New Right ideas.
The UK Labour party government-and-opposition had enjoyed many benefits of the post-war consensus until circa 1997. Both Labour and the Tory's enjoyed relative prosperity and stability in the post-war era. For example, a certain recognizable pride had existed in Britain under the government-and-opposition of the socialist UK Labour Party. The Tory's also enjoyed decades of popular support, political stability, Keynesian-economics, co-operation which yielded one of the worlds richest countries, growth from rebuilding new infrastructure up to and including Prime Minister Thatcher's Popular-capitalism, as well as prosperity gained from the emergence of new technology, and some of the greatest support for the Church of England which followed the endless populism of the young and charismatic Queen Elizabeth II. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-war_consensus#Collapse_of_consensus
Tony Blair developing New-Labour's Third Way - a platform designed to offer an alternative "beyond capitalism and socialism"..
Thatcherism has led to the destruction of nearly all UK unionism and has ended UK socialism, which is now a liberal form of socialism known as Democratic Socialism. Thatcherism also gave the UK Labour Party an easy ride with plenty of opportunity to renege on their socialist values under their rebranding of 'New Labour' as the Democratic Socialist Labour Party, which continues to stagnate after a period of relative prosperity.
Thatcher resigned as prime minister following a challenge to her leadership. Conservative PM John Major (1990–1997) took over as prime minister, Major removed the Poll Tax and replaced it with the Council Tax, committed British troops to the Gulf War, led the country during the early 1990s economic crisis, withdrew the pound from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (a day which came to be known as Black Wednesday), passed reforms to education and criminal justice, privatised the railways and coal industry.
At the 1997 general election, the Labour Party inflicted one of the largest electoral defeats upon the Conservative Party, resulting in a Labour government ending 18 years of Conservative rule, and Major was succeeded as prime minister by Blair.
It was said that, Thatcherism or the New Right was cancelled after the 2007–2008 financial crisis, which (was said to (last para)) convince politicians to abandon New Right neoliberal markets-and-deregulation ("eliminating price controls...") in favour of Keynesian methodologies (or "incentive to invest").
John Major Replaced the
'Poll Tax' with Council Tax.
Thatcherism as a matriarchal-sub-culture is still going strong in popular culture, and has been redefined as ‘Starmerism’ in the UK Labour Party. With the electorate firmly divided by the ousting of Jeremy Corbyn, Starmer has to negotiate a Democratic Socialist path to power, though the red-walls of a depression era loom, as the gains from the Covid crisis recede.
UK Labour's heartfelt idealisms based on the post-war consensus were sadly consigned to the archives. These were powerful ideas the British public favored and encouraged, but which for many are now at a loss. Labour's rebranding to 'New Labour' failed to replace their ideas with anything like the popularity they had with Socialism. Many analogies compare the Democratic Socialist UK Labour Party to their Tory counterparts. To quote The Times' political commentator Peter Riddell, "an economist from Mars would conclude that the same government had been in charge throughout the second half of the 1990s". It could be argued this is still true today, and since the waning Democratic Socialist UK Labour Party have validated the Tories decisions during the Covid19 crisis, so that the UK national debt now stands at just under £2.1 trillion.
In their tit-for-tat battle for supremacy, the Tory's have continued 'New Labour's' devolution plans, with power disapearing into the intangible realms of newly created offices, like: Regional Mayor's, Police Commissioner's, Quango's and Quasi's; who administratively try to score political points like trying to win funding for massive construction projects and harebrained schemes. Their newly created offices are extremely distant from the media, and seem to have their own private agenda, while carrying powerful offices that seem to do nothing much politically except to stifle nearly all debate.
Thatcherism has led to the destruction of nearly all UK unionism and has ended UK socialism, which is now a liberal form of socialism known as Democratic Socialism. Thatcherism also gave the UK Labour Party an easy ride with plenty of opportunity to renege on their socialist values under their rebranding of 'New Labour' as the Democratic Socialist Labour Party, which continues to stagnate after a period of relative prosperity.
The evidence shows New Right policies continue to be implemented, such as the Private finance initiative (PFI) which has continued to at least 2016 (in Examples of projects shown here), the Labour Party’s resolve of Trade unionism continues to decline, the COVID-19 recession increased borrowing beyond £2tn and 100.5% of GDP for the first time since 1961 and which could take 30 years+ to repay, all in the wake of the Climate-emergency and imminent irreversible climate change, etc....
‘New winter of discontent could be hard to avoid’: economic says expert.
Beat Generation.
Since television and recorded music expanded in the 1950's, youth culture found a way to rebel against the horrors they saw in society; by pulling away from the strict rules of the CHURCH OF ENGLAND and CATHOLICISM in British and American society. But not without being heard. Their rebellion was done through literature and was one of self expression in the post-war era. Generations became known for their zeitgeist; like 'The Beat Generation', who may be the original Club orientated cultural phenomenon, who also achieved their notoriety through literary as well as musical genre.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_Generation
The Beat Generation made things the way they wanted it for themselves by dumming-down British archetypes; not realizing their youth-culture would result in a tremendous settlement and population growth; boom, which after 75 years of frantic construction would result in a virtually overnight BAN ON PETROL & DIESEL USE in motor vehicles due to GLOBAL WARMING.
Collapse of the post-war consensus - a Labour-Tory story of lost love.
As Britain heads towards break up of the United Kingdom union and financial meltdown, it could be argued; the Collapse of the post-war consensus has led to the demise of democracy in the UK.
After Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1979-1990) cancelled the post-war consensus the UK saw decades of Labour-Tory dissent over government spending and opinion. For example, the building of new schools and hospitals using the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and New-Right ideas have led Britain into an enormous financial crisis.
Since the unexpected high financial cost of the Covid19 pandemic, Britain is set for decades of austerity to repay UK borrowing beyond 100.5% of GDP.
Impact on UK Christian Churches.
Decades of Labour-Tory dissent has been so tumultuous, the Church of England was forced to attempt closer ties with the Catholic church.
The Church of England went through massive changes, and subsequently replaced morning prayer with the Eucharist (also known as Holy Communion) since circa 2009; whilst beguiling varying levels of New-age liturgy and plain-English Bible’s. This kind of confusion has seen new religious groups spring up, and some have even resorted to living in remote compounds, by taking over villages, in an effort to close themselves off from what they deem to be too much exposure to modern life, although they themselves have extreme views of Bible culture and lifestyle. Please see our page about the Bruderhof communities. Please note: we believe the Bruderhof communities to be based on Christian_anarchism, here: https://1a3na884d.wixsite.com/wherestheethougone/copy-of-the-jerusalem-bible-1
Due to the impact of enormous levels of dissent and turmoil on UK Churches since at least the 1960's, The_Jerusalem_Bible has become the leading scripture of both the Church of England and UK Catholicism; which is used as a temporary or A-political plain-English Bible. This is because neither the Church of England or UK Catholicism have a central Bible. An excerpt from catholicculture.org (Onlyism) describes this better.
There was a time when the Vulgate could be described as an "official" translation of Scripture for the Latin rite of the Church... But while the Vulgate in its latest edition — the "Neo-Vulgate" promulgated by John Paul II — has a privileged position based on its use in ecclesiastical documents, the law has changed such that there is no "official" translation of Scripture for the Latin rite.
The Jerusalem Bible (TJB) is an Old-testament Jewish-language-bible and plain-English New Testament Bible, which renders God's name in Hebrew as Yahweh rather than as Lord in 6,823 places. It is arguable, that the TJB contains a dubious rehashed-translation of the New-testament, albeit in plain-English, since pronouns were removed. It is also arguable that the TJB as a Jewish language bible is too difficult to comprehend where Jewish terms are not understood. The Jerusalem Bible continues to serve the reticent Church of England's so-called 'Catholic and Reformed' identity, as they continue fraught remodeling of the Church of England; which continues to lack demonstrative Catholic-dogma, such as teaching recognition of the Sins. For example, sins like Fornication and Lust.
Download and read the 1966 Jerusalem Bible, here: Jerusalem_Bible.pdf. Check your Downloads-folder to find the download (No mobiles d/l).
The UK's dissenting road to ruin.
Since Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (aka Thatcherism) cancelled the post-war consensus circa 1979-1990, successive UK political party's in government dissented by invoking dire self-serving financial policies (see below example list). It is arguable, this has led to excessive borrowing, and led Britain into what is now the ostensible post-2020 national debt crisis.
Given the ability to own a home in the UK is dependent on income, market forces may soon overtake the somewhat easy ride of property ownership that many people enjoyed until the Covid19 pandemic, where:
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Bank of England interest rates have remained just above 0% since 2008/9; which coincides with 2008 secret meetings with the Vatican and the Church of England to build closer ties with the Roman Catholic Church; and which also coincides with the roll-out of New-age-liturgy and plain-English Bible's.
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Mortgage interest rates have remained low for a decade, where a variable rate mortgage interest rate now averages 1.75%. This is where variable mortgage interest rates have historically and conventionally tended to be above 4% and even higher than 7% as a 'normal' and accepted variable mortgage interest rate in the UK. Covid19 has led to mortgage payment holidays. The uncertainties of lending will inevitably be passed onto lenders.
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Employment prospects have been damaged e.g. by Covid19 business bankruptcies.
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The UK faces a national debt financial crisis as borrowing reaches 105% of GDP (as of December 2020), which is partially due to the cost of the Covid19 epidemic. The failure to satisfactorily maintain the UK's national deficit, as well as satisfactorily maintain the Bank of England's interest rates and therefore Britain's mortgage interest rates, is now a flagrant mishandling crisis invoked by successive British government's party policies, and whose mishandling is set to damage the misguided expectations of Britain's home owners. The real cost of UK mortgages, in which variable rate mortgages are likely to return to between 4% and +7%, and which may be additional to the announced Income-tax rises, cost of living rises, fuel & energy price rises etc; due to Brexit and the Covid19 crises impact on the UK economy.
By contrast, in 2019 Germany ran a surplus of $290 billion, the largest in the world. Germany's current account surplus is persistently large: from 2011 to 2020, it never dropped below 6% of GDP and remained above 7% for six consecutive years. However, the UK ran an average annual budget DEFICIT of 3.6% of GDP since 1970, having only had a surplus for six years since 1970. Aside from 2020/21 Covid19 pandemic borrowing, large budget deficits occurred in the mid-1970s and early 1990s and more recently after the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Source (3): https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06167/ .
In December 2020 the UK's General government gross debt was £2,206.5 billion, or 105% of Gross domestic product.
In 2020 Germany’s national debt amounted to around $2,634.74 billion U.S. dollar (£1958.60 bn). But German debt by ratio in 2020 is 70.0% of GDP, and has been persistently stable since 2016 including through the Covid19 pandemic, and is set to remain stable through 2026, (see table).
Thanks Angela Merkel, the new Chancellor of Germany will enjoy crushing Britain's opposition to the will of Germany! So much for the UK's oversight of Germany whilst it was a member of the European Union! This is while Britain hasn't even come to terms that Catholicism is now central to the new pluralistic Church of England order, which strangely continues to fragment despite its so-called popularity? https://1a3na884d.wixsite.com/wherestheethougone 🤣
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Bans on new Petrol & Diesel cars by 2030 is set to impede the UK's economic efforts; and where people may not want to buy new cars; if the cars are soon to be outdated by emissions level laws e.g. in Low Emissions Zone(s) (LEZ); and where the necessity to buy a dual-fuel or fully electric car is more economically viable. Furthermore, it may not be economically or technically viable for the vast majority of motorists to afford electric cars, or even afford combustion engine cars that meet more stringent emissions laws e.g. in the growing Low Emissions Zone(s) (LEZ). There is little contingency for low emissions: HGV Road-haulage-vehicles, (Non electric) Rail-networks, Domestic & freight aircraft, Shipping; (as well as the) Use of oil derivations in manufacturing and chemicals, including the ability to produce massive amounts for heat for e.g. Steel production etc. UK electricity production also remains controversial as over 56% of electricity is produced from: gas, coal, diesel, so called renewable wood & crops, and the controversial burning-of-rubbish as fuel. N.b. Although many aircraft are designed to produce lower emissions, they use a massive amount of fuel compared to other forms of transport, for example trains. This issue is already being tackled in France, as French lawmakers approved a ban on short domestic flights.
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Post-Brexit trading with the EU are liable to pay tariffs. How much £ are EU tariffs? The BBC says - At the moment the EU maximum tariff on cars from outside the EU is 10%, while on some types of clothing and crockery it is 12%. On some types of beef it is 12.8% plus 265 euros per 100kg (agricultural tariffs can be very complicated).
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Scotland is seeking to split with the UK Union, and independently join the EU; with likely divisions set to continue the UK may no longer be a Union, and is set to be further driven from more EU trading zones; encouraging Northern Ireland & Wales to follow Scotland's independence from the UK Union; therefore preventing England trading with more former UK EU zones, albeit preventing England trading outside it's borders within Europe.
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The UK/EU Brexit-agreement may yet be broken, for example: if we are said to break the EU's view of the Brexit-agreement. For example: the current tittle-tattle over Covid19 vaccines.
We ask:
Are Britain's low Bank of England interest rates sleazy?
Is it sleazy for Political-party's to promise to create jobs, prosperity and boost the economy using low Bank of England interest rates?
Will Britain's financial policy ever be agreed along Party lines?
How will Britain succeed; If not an oil led economy based on construction, then what?
Why is it that we are not allowed to die of covid19, but we must endure global warming for longer; due to the extra activity of post-Covid19 (& post-Brexit); planet Earth's temperature is set to rise, perhaps irreversibly, since the worlds glaciers are melting at a faster pace - due to Climate-change!
Lies, overspending and treachery.
Since the Thatcher premiership 1979-1990, the UK saw decades of dissent by successive UK main political party's over consensus agenda, which even saw the UK Liberal Democrats renege on their Tuition-fees manifesto pledge. UK borrowing had been teetering on the brink of exceeding of 85.2% of GDP, when the national debt stood at £1.786 trillion at the end of 2018. Then in 2020, national debt reached £2.004 trillion or 100.5% GDP for the first time; as the Covid19 crisis took the world by surprise, and government spending was hit by virus measures.
We said successive governments, because when the UK Conservative's won the 2010 election, they used their 'Laissez-faire' (from French, Let-do) party political doctrine to continue with the decade-long previous Labour government's dire financial policies. The incumbent UK Conservative government's decision to refuse to change albeit satisfactorily-manage the UK's financial policies, (for example) UK interest rates; has been a self serving method of dissenting with the UK Labour opposition over UK national government financial and consensus agenda standards. The incumbent UK Conservative government are set to continue dissenting with the Labour opposition until the UK's ostensible post-2020 national debt crisis becomes official, due to forthcoming austerity and government spending cuts crises. Presuming that little or no agreement will be made pending the outcome of current dissent between UK Conservatives and Labour party's; Britain is set for decades of austerity and borrowing beyond 100.5% of GDP; while future excessive borrowing is only set to recur or increase due to budget-underfunding and probably dissenting, albeit through UK party politics and politicizing-attempts to gain an advantage in the ratings-polls for re-election.
However, in the face of huge UK national debt attributed to the Covid19 epidemic crisis, Brexit, and the emergency of imminent irreversible climate change - known as the Climate Emergency Declaration, the UK has no other option than to continue its oil led economic model and power-base of house-building, home-ownership and public-projects; albeit while claiming to switch to electric cars and green energy; and where electric cars are set to cost an average of two to three times the cost of combustion engine cars, as seen in our example, where the UK media continues to MISREPRESENT THE COST OF ELECTRIC CARS. For example, the Renault-Zoe was FALSELY said to cost £199 per month on finance, on ITV This Mornings review (on May 5, 2021).
We can now expose ITV This Mornings claim that an electric car costs £200 a month (over 4 years) as absolutely fake (since they offered no further finance information) - We have evidence to the contrary, which reveals a new Golf 8 (2021) electric car costing £24,000 is fiananced with: £200 a month (over 4 years) - where an £8,000 deposit was paid, followed by a £10,000 final payment (approximate rounded off figures). Therefore Volkswagon are saying £18,000 of the cost won't need financing, and indeed, the majority of their car buyers have this kind of money stashed away, and so on. This is when virtually all electric car marketing is using similar misleading finance formulas on UK media. For example, during TV advertisements the true finance is barely flashed in front of viewers, as small print, with not enough time to read the true finance. Furthermore, we have found electric car financing to be written in confusing formulas on the manufacturers website. This is therefore not a good way to proceed into the banning of petrol and diesel cars by 2030, where electric car financing is not fully understood, and indeed not debated by consumers.
You can view the Volkswagon Golf 8 extracted website page (& URL) here: www.volkswagen.co.uk/finance-offers
In our example: the total-cost of financing a small electric car costing £24,000 is more pragmatically calculated by adding Volkswagens favorable 4.8% finance over 4 years. This comes out at around at around £28,950.
Repayments would therefore be around £600 per month over 4 years. It is therefore arguable; this is not affordable for e.g. families on low incomes.
Electric cars fiasco.
Further to this, it is well known that the majority of the UK population don't drive around in new cars due to economic reasons. The majority get-by on second hand cars, and some old cars on British roads are even 20 years old or more. For example, Britain's low income work force have no option other than to acquire any car they can afford. Many of these cars being 20 years old or more are on their last legs, with high emissions, yet still pass vital government annual safety tests known as MOT tests. It is fair to assume that Low Emissions Zone(s) (LEZ) schemes will be expanded from select UK cities, into more towns and cities. But what will Britain's work force do without access to affordable (essential) transport to work sites, where work sites are often tens of miles away from workers homes?
In a changing world this is difficult to assume. It is thought that the current supply of electric vehicles won't supply the market for the lowest earners (including some graduates). Electric cars could indeed be set for a longer first-owner lifetime, since many of the moving engine parts will not wear out so quickly. Older electric cars will certainly not fail LEZ emissions standards. So, why buy a new electric car if the current one is functioning well?
It could be 10 or 20 years before we see used electric cars available in the price bracket of those on the lowest incomes. Will they still work by then?
There are other options like motorcycling; but electric motorcycles still attract a retail price similar to new petrol and diesel cars in recent years.
Second hand electric cars have issues like: Limited range (of e.g. 50 miles per charge = 25 miles out, 25 miles back - NO BIG HILLS), and batteries that are still under lease from the manufacturer.
Then there is battery life of electric cars to consider. We all know that our mobile phone batteries have limited life. This will also be true with electric car batteries. In some cases a certain amount of reconditioning or renewal of electric car batteries can be offered.
Electric car battery reconditioning and renewal is currently linked to, for example, manufacturer's electric car battery leasing schemes. Where older second hand cars are concerned, electric car battery reconditioning or renewal may not be cost effective, if for example, a new electric car battery costs half the price of a new electric car.
It has also emerged that a typical second hand electric car has a range of 50 miles. This is highly unlikely to meet many people's needs. For example, big hills on a journey could reduce battery life considerably. As could unforeseen events, like being stuck in congestion, again on hills; which of course would wear the battery down considerably.
Britain's workforce is in flux, albeit many British people don't know or appreciate this yet. It could be that Britain's economy is set to be much more rural again; to keep in line with the green agenda. As part of popular green ethics, local rural economies could also be set to become much more cooperative, by producing crops independently, yet part of a cooperative designed to produce food to feed millions of British people.
But we have yet to see the real impact of a totally green society. The green concept is a new and virtually untested theory, in an otherwise industrialized oil dependent economy. It is thought that a fully green economy will involve changes to industry not seen since the introduction of oil based fuel. Whatever the case, and very soon; this is not going to involve the use of gas guzzling 20 year old vehicles pumping out all kinds of pollution. Low Emissions Zone(s) (LEZ) are already operating in select UK cities.
Whether electric cars and some other green vehicles can bridge the second hand domestic car market, has very much yet to be realized.
Although the second hand car market may never provide enough second hand electric cars to provide a complete transport solution for Britain's entire workforce, Britain's entire economy and industry could change to, for example, a much more rural economy in line with green ethics.
Britain's farming industry is paradoxically currently in decline, especially in recent years due to changes in the way the countryside is managed and farming is subsidized. This might point to the extreme difficulties of future green industry, for example, a fully electric farming industry. From electric tractors ploughing fields, to electric crop harvesters. The farming industry poses extreme challenges powering tractors. But these kinds of difficulties were overcome 130 years ago, during the age of steam tractors. Perhaps a fully electric farming industry is not so futuristic after all?
But the short sighted approach to the UK's labour-transport policy by successive UK governments shows poor planning, and has led to an ostensible labour crisis; and since the UK has already legislated itself into a corner, by Banning new Petrol & Diesel cars by 2030; and 2035 for hybrid vehicles.
The UK is set for an ostensible transport crisis in 8 years; after over 75 years of frantic infrastructure construction since the end of World War 2 in 1945.
Used electric cars, with old degraded batteries perhaps over 5 years old, will not provide endless transport solutions in the way petrol & diesel cars did.
Steam tractors were once used to power agricultural farming, showing that farm machinery has adapted and used technology over many industrial ages including the Steam industrial age.
the UK has already legislated itself into a corner, by Banning new Petrol & Diesel cars by 2030; and 2035 for hybrid vehicles.
The UK is set for a total ban on existing petrol and diesel vehicles but a date for an outright ban of all petrol and diesel vehicles from the roads is ambiguous.
By banning new Petrol & Diesel cars by 2030, the UK has told motorists they can only replace petrol and diesel cars with electric cars. The virtually overnight break with petrol and diesel fuels could make fuel prices soar.
We can expect to see people clamoring to get hold of any second hand electric cars, or viable second hand petrol and diesel cars that can pass strict emissions levels MOT's (or government car safety tests). This is going to lead to an overnight dwindling of second hand: electric, petrol and diesel cars.
With the UK set to see a shortage of viable second hand cars. Many existing petrol and diesel vehicles could be removed from the roads early due to the advancement of Low Emissions Zone(s) (LEZ) schemes. This will create even more shortages of second hand petrol and diesel vehicles.
It could therefore be argued that the majority of British people want to stop climate change and want to stop pollution from fossil fuels. But I think most people would say, this requires all kinds of infrastructure which hasn't even been conceived or developed, like charging points for cars, including at people's homes. This has led to a treacherous path to end UK fossil fuels pollution, given the UK government has only allowed 8 years to complete the migration to electric cars, and low emissions cars.
With miles of congestion on Britain's crowded roads, no one really knows if the electric cars project is even feasible, given the lack of electric cars infrastructure. For example, many older electric cars with batteries that hold less charge, will not complete their journeys and will end up being towed to compounds. No one really knows the viable lifetime of electric car batteries. But for example, mobile phone batteries typically last less than 5 years. This is where mobile phone batteries cannot currently be replaced, and this has led the mobile phone industry to start integrating mobile phone batteries into phones.
The Quora website and Youtube were the only places we could find information on the current state of mobile phone battery integration although this issue is becoming commonplace. This reveals a certain apathy surrounding mobile phones, and also a common anomaly that genuine replacement mobile phone batteries don't exist. We can also reveal that mobile phone manufacturers are locking new mobile phones operating systems, so they can't update to new operating systems, and then can't run downloaded apps within 5 years; which is now most downloaded apps (from Google Play). In tests we conducted, the mobile phone battery replacements we put in our phones, damaged the phones irreparably. Our advice, is to just use your mobile phone any way you can without changing the battery, like, using a portable external battery. These are now commonly available in most shops and supermarkets.
Mobile phone battery integration will mean entire mobile phones have to be replaced in under 5 years; and where these mobile phones were otherwise continue to be perfectly viable. Will electric car batteries last more than 5 years? No one knows! Current electric car battery manufacture is specific to new cars, and doesn't currently offer a replacement scheme for second hand cars, unless they are part of e.g. battery leasing scheme ...which is being phased out! Alternative electric car battery replacement schemes for used cars have not yet been devised.
Other issues include overnight charging points for homes. We already know electric car charging is fraught with difficulties. For most households, personal on-street-charging has not been fitted, and some local councils have even banned cables across public footpaths (source ITV This Morning review). Many other difficulties exist, for example, where it is very difficult to predict where parking can be assured outside peoples homes, especially where parking is at a premium, like in e.g. central London. Will charging points be added to all parking spaces, especially in inner-cities like London? Anyone could surmise that even then these could be at a premium!
Regarding existing older petrol and diesel vehicles, we can at least surmise that vehicles over 9 years old will have to pay extra Low Emissions Zones charges, similar to current arrangements such as the London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).
In 2021, drivers of over 9 year old vehicles paid an additional £12.50 ULEZ congestion-charge per day (or £100 for lorries, buses and coaches) for entering the ULEZ if their vehicle doesn’t meet the emissions standards. That’s on top of the £15.00 London Congestion Charge, which currently applies to most cars, so many motorists could have to pay £27.50 per day congestion-charges, also known as Low Emissions Zones charges.
Car drivers would therefore be better off buying an electric car or newer petrol or diesel car, given the total annual cost of the £27.50 per day ULEZ congestion-charge could be as high as £10,037 a year (when driven every day, for 365 days).
This could therefore be unaffordable for low income families.
The Mayor's Ultra Low Emission Zone for London
On 25 October 2021, the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expanded from central London up to (but not including) the North Circular and South Circular roads. The new zone is 18 times the size of the central London zone and now covers 3.8 million people.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Thatcherism in Laymans-terms.
Margaret Thatcher became the first British woman to be Prime Minister in 1979, at the same time, when feminism and women's rights issues were new and exciting high fashions being premiered in Britain; and which coincided with the marriage of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.
Lady Diana came to prominence in 1981 upon her engagement to Prince Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II; and after a brief courtship the wedding took place at St Paul's Cathedral. Lady Diana was immediately elevated by media attention to the worlds most famous woman, and ever increasingly the worlds most famous feminist-icon.
The combined power of populism contrived from a broad spectrum of women's rights issues and feminist idealisms made Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher extremely popular to supporters from all social origins, who embraced her ideas of POPULAR CAPITALISM and the "feel-good-factor"; which was formed from the once frowned-upon but now widely available world-of-credit, which became available to many people for the first time. Ordinary people were encouraged to obtain finance; from overdrafts and personal-loans, to mortgages that led to the GOLD RUSH OF PROPERTY OWNERSHIP and the subsequent hysteria for GET RICH QUICK INVESTMENT SCHEMES.
In 2021 the late Princess Diana is still continuously portrayed on television, film, stage and books due to her iconic feminist status connected with popular culture and religion.
Above: The new 'Princess Diana statue' - ...said to represent the “universality and generational impact” of her work, according to statement. (Not William and Harry then?)
Beneath The Crown: The True Story of Young Diana on Netflix in 2020.
'Diana the musical' will be streamed on Netflix before it makes its Broadway debut.
Diana at Sixty (2021) - A new documentary about Lady Diana's life, loves and imaginative story about where she might be today.
It could be argued, that 'Popular-capitalism' (a term which Thatcher coined) led to Britain's house-price-fixing cabal (or secret organisation); which is driven by matriarchal lifestyle idealisms since Thatcherism, and who continue to develop societal house-buying expectations of young adults; who are also driven by financial-speculative-hysteria that property prices will soon again rise and provide superb dividends after relatively short periods of ownership.
Thatcher's premiership was tumultuous, partly due to defiance of male political dominance, but also due to things like: the destruction of Trade-union-governance, and the cancellation of the Post-war-consensus. Thatcher was gifted a power boost after winning the Falklands war, and would surely have continued as prime minister for at least another term. But due to turbulence from things like the highly unpopular Poll Tax, and political male dominance, she dropped out of a leadership challenge during the second round; after discussions with her cabinet, in which many stated that though supporting her, they doubted she could win.
The Conservative leadership and premiership was continued by John Major, a serving cabinet member during Thatcher's premiership. Major's mild-mannered style and moderate political stance contrasted with that of Thatcher. Major's task became even more difficult after the election of the modernist and highly media-savvy Tony Blair as Labour leader in July 1994, who mercilessly exploited Conservative divisions whilst shifting Labour to the centre, thus making Labour much more electable.
Thatcherism was continued (as Blairism) under the Labour Premiership of Tony Blair's rebranding of the UK Labour Party as neoliberal New-Labour. After Tony Blair's resignation, Blairism was adopted by PM Gordon Brown as Brownism 2007–2010 under a similar ideology to Thatcherism or New Right consensus.
Britain's successive New Right governments have led to a fragile UK economy dependant on things like extremely large house building and public construction projects nationwide. To aid the economy, albeit provide more workers, and to fuel the UK housing market, successive UK governments adopted New_Labour's Multiculturism programme to increase economic-migration; This alleged conspiracy became known as the sobriquet Neathergate.
New_Labour's Multiculturism programme and cross party consensus was finally halted by Brexit when Free-movement of EU citizens stopped international migration under new immigration-system rules.
Thatcherism's Legacy.
Thatcherism has become the UK's property price-fixing-cabal. The hysteria of price-obsessed prospectors has created a grossly inflated housing market. Fast forward to the Covid19 pandemic, and house prices have developed an almost supernatural buoyancy in Britain, although virtually no housing-market exists. The exposure of the apparent buoyancy of the UK housing market reveals the UK's price-fixing-cabal. This exposure may toll the end of the (1979-2021) "feel-good-factor" and gold-rush for property ownership, that was followed by decades of massive property construction booms that typically doubled the size of existing towns since 1979 and even created New Garden-cities. All this was fuelled by successive government policy, greedy property developers and things like economic-migration.
UK housing developments are set to dramatically increase, as New homes are set to get 'automatic' planning-permission in a UK housing construction industry shake-up by the government.
During the early years of Margaret Thatcher's premiership, when mortgage interest rates hit 17%, home-owners sought any means to control house prices and stabilize mortgage rates. The endless hysteria of property-prospecting combined with the explosive power of the internet from the early 1990s created the UK's house price-fixing-cabal which grossly inflated house prices. Continuous buoyancy gave home-owners the "feel-good-factor", when they compared their property prices to their credit-score etc. Home-ownership obsession with house prices worked its way through every citizen and business connected with the housing market, not less every bank and financial business that would gain great dividends from stakes in the UK's sycophantic cabal of economic growth. To aid this, the UK government offered financial schemes to first time buyers, e.g. loans of 20% of the purchase price from the UK Government.
Climate-crisis & looming international green energy economic crises.
After World War 2, massive rebuilding of Britain's housing and infrastructure construction began circa 1945, and continued through Thatcherism 1979-1990 when HYSTERIA FOR THE GOLD RUSH OF PROPERTY PROSPECTING redoubled the size of Britain's towns and cities by 2020; and was still going well until the Covid19 epidemic crisis stopped virtually all construction in the UK.
Construction is set to continue in 2021 at an accelerated rate, now that new homes are set to get 'AUTOMATIC PLANNING PERMISSON' https://youtu.be/7x8mUrEcyAE, with no alternative green UK-economy-plan available other than the underlying oil led economic conventions of e.g. large housing and public construction projects, and for example, oil led motor-vehicle sales & services; especially with a view to the creation of manufacturing jobs.
This is while the UK was warned by scientists about the severe prospect of global warming, from increases in population and settlement growth; where evidence shows human activity and our use of fuels like petrol, diesel, gas, and coal is highly likely to be the main cause of global warming.
After more than 70 years of frantic construction, the UK is paradoxically seeking a virtual overnight ban on petrol and diesel cars from 2030, (Sky News clip here https://youtu.be/j1mno5vKVaY) albeit a ban on the use of petrol and diesel shortly after this.
This is while no credible economy plan exists, for example, for green fuelled HGV-vehicles, shipping, planes & trains etc.
However, in the face of huge UK national debt created by the Covid19 epidemic crisis, the UK has no other option than to continue its oil led economic model and power-base of house-building, home-ownership and public-projects; albeit while claiming to switch to electric cars and green energy; and where electric cars are set to cost an average of two to three times the cost of combustion engine cars, which are vital to the UK's economic aims.
It is therefore paradoxical that the Covid19 epidemic has superseded the importance of global-warming, which is set to damage human life on planet Earth beyond its ability to sustain humans ability to produce food etc.
The virtually overnight ban on fuel after over 75 years of frantic construction will also lead to tension in the world, due to the world's economies withdrawal-symptoms from: all kinds of fossil fuels like: petrol and diesel but also coal and gas.
The short sighted approach to the UK's economy and green energy is likely to lead to severe economic crises in the UK, that could also be duplicated internationally.
Britain's oil led construction economy is therefore unsustainable in the face of the Climate Emergency Declaration; as constant construction of settlements increases population and settlement growth; where evidence shows human activity and our use of fuels like petrol, diesel, gas, and coal is highly likely to be the main cause of global warming.
Some things never change - in Britain's long time Labour-Tory love story.
Butskellism - a 1950's analogy to the common satirical term Labour-tory's.
"Butskellism" was a satirical term used in British politics to refer to the indistinguishable economic policies of successive Chancellor-of-the-Exchequer', Rab Butler of the Conservative Party and Hugh Gaitskell of Labour Party (in the 1950s).
"Butskellism" was the economic policy of Richard ‘Rab’ Butler, Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer (1951–5), regarded as largely indistinguishable from that of Labour's Hugh Gaitskell, his predecessor in the post (1950–1) and later Shadow Chancellor; advocacy of this policy.
Later, also more generally: the centrist attitudes and policies of both Labour and Conservative parties during the post-war period, which led to an unexpected measure of agreement on such matters as law, education, social policy, and defence. https://www.lexico.com/definition/butskellism
Professional thesis on -
Thatcherism & the end of the Post-War Consensus.
by the late Dennis Kavanagh emeritus professor of politics at Liverpool University.
and also here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/thatcherism_01.shtml
Consensus
Britain emerged from the 1939-1945 world war triumphant, but economically exhausted. It was one of the top three superpowers, although in reality a distant third behind the United States and the Soviet Union. Nonetheless, its political system and the British state had been vindicated by success in war, and over the next few years Britain emerged as a model social democracy, combining planning and collectivism with civil liberties.
U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Soviet Leader Joseph Stalin in Yalta, Crimea, Soviet Union in February 1945
The 1945 Labour government was largely responsible for what is called the 'post-war consensus'. However, some of the key elements can trace their origins to the war-time coalition government and the influence of Liberals like William Beveridge and the economist John Maynard Keynes.
The major features of domestic politics included:
1. Governments accepted a commitment to maintain full employment by Keynesian techniques of economic management. Ministers would use their levers, such as cutting taxes and boosting state spending, to increase the level of economic activity.
2. Acceptance and some encouragement of the role of the trade unions. In contrast to the pre-war years, governments recognized and consulted them regularly on workplace relations and economic policy. The unions’ access to government was increased partly by full employment and partly by governments turning, post-1961, to income policies as a way of curbing inflation.
3. The mixed economy, with a large role for state ownership of the utilities (such as gas, electricity, coal, rail, etc) and intervention and planning in the economy.
4. The welfare state. The object of the national insurance system and the National Health Service was to provide an adequate income and free health when a family’s income was hit by, for example, sickness, old age, unemployment or death of the main breadwinner. The services were provided out of general taxation, or insurance, and represented social citizenship.
5. There was a belief that government could play a positive role in promoting greater equality through social engineering, for example, by progressive taxation, redistributive welfare spending, comprehensive schooling and regional policies.
Abroad, the parties agreed on: the transition of the empire to the British Commonwealth, an association of independent states; British membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO); nuclear weapons, (regarded as a mark of being a major power); and, on balance, that Britain should join the European Community.
These policies were pursued by both Labour and Conservative governments, the latter because they thought it was necessary to gain working class support to win general elections and gain the consent of the major interest groups.
Consensus is not an ideal term because it may be read as suggesting that there were no differences between the parties. In fact, the above ideas and policies were often challenged by the left of the Labour party and by the free market or right wing of the Conservatives. But much of the political elite – the media, civil service and the leaderships of the parties, particularly when they were in government - shared many of these ideas.
Economic decline
During the 1960s and 1970s, the main parties competed to reverse Britain’s relative economic decline. There was a growing awareness that the economic league tables showed that Britain was at the wrong end for figures regarding strikes, productivity, inflation, economic growth and rising living standards.
Virtually all European countries, except for Britain, had so-called 'economic miracles'. Britain was often described as the 'sick man of Europe'. The targets for blame included: failure to invest in new plant and machinery; restrictive working practices and outdated attitudes on the shop floor ('us and them'); amateurish management; loss of markets; and rise of competition.
Britain appeared to be the weak link in the international liberal capitalist economic system, plagued by high inflation, low growth and irresponsible trade union power.
Governments of both parties turned to incomes policies as an answer to inflation.
They tried to agree a 'norm' for annual wage rises with the unions. This was always difficult for the unions, for their purpose is collective bargaining. This policy managed to keep prices down for a time, but collapsed when powerful groups broke the 'norm'. They failed dramatically with the Edward Heath government in 1973-1974 and again with the Labour government in 1979.
Prime Minister Edward Heath in 1971 .
Measures to boost economic activity and reduce unemployment sucked in extra imports, thereby worsening the trade balance, and seemed to lead to unacceptable rises in inflation. The financial markets’ loss of confidence meant a sharp slide in the value of sterling, which in turn led to the International Monetary Fund's 'rescue' in 1976. The IMF granted a loan to the British government in return for spending cuts and continued anti-inflation policies. That this happened at a time of high unemployment seemed to signal the end of the era of following Keynesian economic policies.
The 'Winter of Discontent' in 1979 was a key event. The rash of strikes in crucial public services against the Labour government’s income policies seemed to show that the country was ungovernable and that no government had an answer to inflation. It destroyed the government’s reputation for prudent economic management and its ability to gain the cooperation of the unions.
Thatcher's 1979 TV speech describes measures to dismantle UK unions (stupid male power); hinting at a Liberal future for Britian led by the influences of feminism.
Just as the Heath government had come to grief following the miners’ damaging strike against its incomes policy and subsequently lost the February 1974 general election, so the Labour government lost office in 1979 on pretty similar grounds.
There were two responses to this failure. From the right, the new ideas of economists Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman - advocating monetarism, a greater scope for markets and limited government - won out over the ideas of the left for more state ownership and protection of industry following a withdrawal from the European Community.
Thatcherism
Much of so-called Thatcherism actually evolved as circumstances allowed, and was helped by the failures of the opposition. For example, privatization, a flagship policy, was not mentioned in the 1979 manifesto. At the 1983 general election, in spite of unemployment doubling to some three million, the government won a landslide victory thanks in large part to Labour’s divisions and its left-wing policies.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at the Conservative conference in 1982.
It is interesting to consider the fate in the 1980s of the five features of the post-war consensus outlined previously.
1. Trade unions now operated in a tighter legal framework, including: the requirement for pre-strike ballots; the end of the 'closed shop' (union membership as a precondition of employment in a specific industry); and making unions liable for damages incurred in illegal strikes. They were hardly consulted by the government and their influence waned in part because of the abandonment of income policies and rising unemployment.
2. The spread of privatization of the major utilities altered the balance of the mixed economy. Gas, electricity, telephony, British Airways and later British Rail were all privatized. There was also a huge sale to tenants of council housing.
3. The government abandoned its commitment to full employment, stating this was the responsibility of employers and employees, and accorded priority instead to keeping inflation low.
4. Welfare state benefits were increasingly subject to means-testing.
5. Government insisted that it could no longer be a universal provider. More should be left to the market, the voluntary sector and self-help.
Thatcher's mandate
There was no great endorsement of Thatcherism in 1979. As late as October 1978, Labour was still ahead in some opinion polls, but the 'Winter of Discontent' turned the public against Labour and the unions. The election was more of a rejection of Labour than an endorsement of Thatcherism.
The recapture of the Falkland Islands from Argentina in 1982 was important for the success of the Thatcher project. It coincided with an improvement in the public standing of the government and of Thatcher herself. The victory seemed to vindicate her claims in domestic politics that she could provide strong leadership and stand up for the nation. The war rhetoric could now be turned against the enemies within - particularly the trade unions.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher celebrating the recapture of the Falkland Islands with UK troops.
There are academic disputes about the extent to which military success boosted Conservative chances in the 1983 election. There were signs of a revival in the polls and greater economic optimism even before the capture. But what if the Falklands had been lost? Would the government have survived?
Thatcher was respected but not liked by the British public. For all the talk of sweeping election successes, government only gained an average of 42% of the vote at general elections. But the peculiarities of the British electoral system and the split of the non-Conservative vote between the Labour and Liberal-Alliance parties meant that the government was able to win over 60% of seats in the House of Commons.
Surveys showed limited support for many of Thatcher’s values. Professor Ivor Crewe’s 'The Crusade that Failed' noted the lack of support for Thatcher’s policies on 'tax-and-spend' and replacing the dependency culture with an enterprise culture. And there was greater approval for a more equal society and for social and collective provision of welfare as against Thatcher's vision of people looking after themselves.
But Labour could not exploit this dissatisfaction, because it was not trusted on the economy or defence and was widely seen as weak and divided.
Labour conversion
Successive heavy general election defeats gradually convinced Labour to accept much of the new settlement. From outright repudiation of the policies at the 1983 general election, Labour steadily came to accept successive tranches of Thatcher's policies.
Some of these policies, including sales of cheap shares in privatising utilities, cutting direct taxes, and trade union reforms, were widely popular.
Globalization also meant that there were international pressures for national governments to pursue ‘prudent’ economic policies. Labour gradually accepted the need to prioritize economic stability, low inflation and borrowing, and encourage private enterprise.
In addition, de-industrialization and the decline of the working class and trade union membership meant that Labour’s traditional electoral base was being eroded. Gaining the support of an increasingly middle class electorate was crucial for electoral victory as Britain underwent demographic and economic change.
Legacy
Despite British membership of the European Community, Britain's relationship with the US remains dominant. Forced to choose between the two, the first 'New' Labour prime minister, Tony Blair, followed Thatcher in allying Britain with the US, particularly around the issue of going to war.
The first 'New' Labour Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
And Thatcher may have actually helped 'New' Labour (the name given by Blair to his resurgent party to distinguish it from the discredited policies associated with 'old', weak, divided Labour) by weakening some of the more electorally unpopular interests Labour was associated with.
In terms of political style, Thatcher made the case for a strong premiership. Blair and his successor Gordon Brown have both sought to equip the prime minister's office to intervene more directly in the departments of government, and as a result the institution of the cabinet has continued its long-term decline. England (which missed out on devolution) is also more centralised.
Tony Blair's successor as prime minister, Gordon Brown.
Local government has continued its post-1945 decline. Since its election victory in 1997, Labour has continued to cap local expenditure and allows local government to raise only 30% of its own funding. In the provision of public services, there are even more constraints on local autonomy via targets and reviews.
For this reason, the journalist Simon Jenkins claims John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are ‘Sons of Thatcher’.
But the Thatcher era also meant a massive under-investment in infrastructure, particularly railways, roads, schools and universities. Inequality increased. The winners included much of the corporate sector and the City, and the losers, much of the public sector and manufacturing.
A new consensus?
The Labour and Conservative parties continue to differ over the role of the state, particularly regarding spending, legislating and regulating, and society, particularly regarding the roles of families and voluntary groups.
But the convergence of many policies between the parties has occurred in two stages. Firstly Labour accepted the Thatcher settlement. This encompassed: making the control of inflation a priority, but not having income policies; giving a greater role to markets, including privatization; flexible labour markets, but with a place for the minimum wage and the 'social chapter' (part of the 1991 Maastricht Treaty on European Union relating to workers' rights and other social issues); lower direct rates of tax; means-testing for some welfare benefits; and not restoring the up-rating of old age pensions and wage rises.
The result has been, to quote The Times' political commentator Peter Riddell, that an economist from Mars 'would conclude that the same government had been in charge throughout the second half of the 1990s'.
Secondly the Conservatives accepted the Blair settlement. This has involved: accepting the government’s planned public spending totals, notably for health and education; Bank of England independence; and many of Labour's constitutional reforms.
In effect, the two main parties have accepted a neo-liberal model of policy as a means of coping with the constraints and opportunities of globalization. Both also accept the need for reform of public services and for greater value for money if taxpayers are likely to be resistant to increasing the share of the national income much above 40% devoted to public spending
Conclusion
Some of the major social changes over the past 50 years include the loss of empire and of world power status, a weaker sense of collective British identity (devolution as both cause and consequence), an increase in immigration, first from the newer Commonwealth countries and now from new EU states, and the growth of multiculturalism and changes in the balance of the population ( the decline of manual work, the increase in the number of women in the workforce and rising numbers of the elderly)
There has been a shift from the 'old' politics of parties and elections as reflected in falling membership and turnout. This may be a consequence of the decline in ideological divisions between the main parties, but there is still public interest in political issues. Prominent recent examples have been the mass demonstrations against the Iraq war and in defence of the countryside.
Society has also become more individualistic, as seen in the passion for home ownership and in Blair’s emphasis on choice in the public services. Britain's one-size-fits-all, post-1945 pubic services are seen to be less responsive to consumers. There remains a north-south (more accurately, London and the south east versus the rest) divide in terms of economic wealth and opportunity.
London has gained greatly from the globalizing economy, while the north remains heavily dependent on public spending for jobs and economic activity.
And despite rising living standards and greater opportunity for many, society has become more 'broken' and an 'underclass' has emerged. Indicators of these trends are divorce, which has increased twentyfold, the prison population, which has increased sevenfold, and the fact that Britain has more births outside marriage and teenage mothers than any other European country.
Further reading:
Thatcherism and British Politics: The End of Consensus? by Dennis Kavanagh (Oxford University Press, 1987)
The Blair Effect 2001-2005 by A Seldon and D Kavanagh eds (Cambridge University Press, 2001)
The Road to 1945 by P Addison (Pimlico, 2nd ed 1975)
Consensus. A Debate Too Far by A Seldon (in Parliamentary Affairs, 1994 2440 words 30/11)
About the author
The late Dennis Kavanagh was the emeritus professor of politics at Liverpool University. Before joining Liverpool in 1996 he was professor of politics at Nottingham University. He has written or edited more than 30 books, most recently 'The British General Election of 2005' with David Butler.
Underlined text are links to relevant information.
The article was transcribed because a HTML-iframe could not be created. Here is the original article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/thatcherism_01.shtml
Now go here, to please see Part2: Our protest about: University-tuition-fees, and the link to: New-wave-religion & new plain-English Bible revisions, and how this led to: Massive-housing-developments UK wide albeit Worldwide (here:) https://1a3na884d.wixsite.com/wherestheethougone/home
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