AHC: Make Britain a Thatcherite's Nightmare

[Gosing]

Note: I know next to nothing about 1980s British politics, so this is a step into the dark for me.

Note 2: Don't turnt his into a flame war.

Well, I have heard quite a bit of debate about Margaret Thatcher in my time on this board. And, time and time again, talk will turn to the unions, Thatcher's smashing thereof, and Thacherites claiming that the unions would have grown wild and undemocratic, and would have ended up running an oligarchy.

So, with a PoD no earlier than January 1st, 1970, your challenge is to, by 2010, make Britain resemble as mucha s possible the Thatcherite nightmare: ridiculously powerful labor unions that have pretty much given up on democratic pretexts..

Bonus points for extending the Post-War Consensus.

[Polarity]

Ensure the government cannot build up reserve and strike-proof supplies of coal and gas in the late 70's / early 80's and bring about the ability for the police force to strike.

The Miner's Strike of 1984 must go forward with fair balloting of all members, workers must be shown to want to work and hey presto, we have the beginnings of super-powerful unions smashing their way through normal day to day business from that point.

Thatcher f**king hated the idea of even one man picketing out of principle, and I'm no anti-Thatcher boyo, she was a bad egg.

BUT... Thatcher also knew that the unions had to fall, or they'd simply rule the mainland on a whim. Even I agree to an extent.

[von Adler]

I am guessing a true tacherite nightmare would be a Swedish-Nordic style social democracy - that is actually doing very well economically. Nothing grates you the way that the economic ideals you oppose bringing good times do.

The unions can be very powerful, but non-confrontative and responsible, like the Swedish ones are. An example of Swedish union power recently is when Toys'r'us established themselves in Sweden. They have a policy of not working with the unions and only hired non-union-members. The union for shop workers put Toys'r'us on a blockade, which Toys'r'us laughed at - there were no union members among their employees. Then the transport union declared a sympathy blockade, meaning no goods would be transported to and from Toys'r'us stores. All employers' and business organisations told Toys'r'us that they would not support them in bringing conflict to the unions, so in the end, Toys'r'us had to sign an agreement with the union.

That kind of power I think would be a nightmare for Tatcherites, while still not very damaging to the economy - since all have to pay the same and all companies are subject to the same treatment.