Thatcher never rules Britain

cumbria

Banned
When inflation is running at over 20% and wage rises are capped at under 6% you are going to get a lot of strikes.
A lot of what the unions did in the 1970's was justified however many did go to for for political reasons or just to demonstrate their power.
 
In 1979 The Tories got about 44% of the vote while Labour got about 36%.

I am just about old enough to remember this time. Thatcher was seen by most people as a terrible Prime Minister who was leading the country down the toilet (79-82). Unemployment shot up month by month and the government changed the method of counting the unemployed to hide the true disaster. Her economic policies were seen as crazy and would lead to a wasteland with a few rich people hiding in fortresses protected by a semi fascist police force state.

Then the Falklands happened and suddenly she was seen as a strong leader that had restored pride to Britain. The economy appeared to recover and so the Thatcher era got going.

In 1978 Labour could have won. One opinion poll put Labour on 48%.

If Callaghan had been re elected then You would have had maybe 2 years of falling unemployment (as OTL) followed by a recession.

Biggest difference is that the rich don't get big tax cuts and large sectors of manufacturing industry aren't butchered. The country is saved by North sea oil (as OTL). However Labour lose the next election in 1983/84 because of higher unemployment and fatigue with a decade of Labour crisis management.

The Falklands war wouldn't have happened. The Argentines attacked because in 1981 the Tory government had decided to almost scrap the surface fleet and concentrate on Trident and other weaponary designed for a War in Western Europe. Argentina got the message that a Britain already in rapid decline AND LED BY A WOMAN had turned its back on any reponsibilities outside the NATO area.
 
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