I am too young to remember the 70's
Thatcher might have increased the wealth of the country, but it was only at the top of the tree that people saw the benefits. She hated the working classes with venom, and ensured that as little as possible of the wealth created ever reached them. I am fully aware that the unions were there own worst enemy, but the ferocity she used to try and destroy them went far beyond reasonable, and has left Britain with a workforce that is one of the easiest to exploit in the 'old' Europe.
Her term in office also encouraged the 'me me me' attitude. This has helped to create the selfish society we live in today, where people only care about themselves and sod everyone else. It was the rise of the 'something for nothing' attitude. I want my bins emptied, I want police on the beat. I want lots of new motorways. But I want to pay much lower taxes! We want cheap products, we get cheap products, our Civic been a good example of cost cutting
And at the bottom of the tree, her policies also helped create the despair and alienation that is all too prevalent now among the young and poor. She created a generation that couldn't get work because there was no jobs, and had to live on benefits. So when the economy did get better, a whole generation thought, why bother, we have lived off benefits for so long, we may as well continue. They then pass this attitude onto the next generation, and so we find the fodder for Daily Mail stories.
I am not saying she was 100% right in her approach nor in the attitude it created but what she and the tory party did for the 11 years she was PM was to revolutionise the UK into what it is today. Change is painful and sadly that change resulted in many people being unemployed but what were we to do - continue operating national companies at a huge loss thus rendering them uncompetitive in the wider market? Something had to be done and Thatcher did it her way and to a large extent it worked. I am not saying that she was pure and all things holy but she tried to make this country a better place - towards the end of her time she did become a little 'strange' shall we say!
The Tories have tried to change in the last few years, but it all seems to be about PR and image, rather than substance. How else do you explain how a buffoon like Boris Johnson is the candidate for mayor of London. And you definitely can't still label Labour as the Foot/Kinnock era, as the are only slightly left of the Tories now. Tube PPP anyone? Of course you can still label the Labour Party of the Kinnock age because that is where good old Blair and Brown and others learnt their trade. I think Boris Johnson is one of the most misunderstood and wrongly characterised politicians in the country. He has a fantastic mind, great whit and an ability to say what a lot of people are thinking - just at the wrong time!
I am a trade unionist and Labour supporter, but I feel ashamed of the Labour party. Not only because it has failed on too many of it's promises, but also the unending PR bulls**t. There's that phrase again, PR.
There is nothing wrong with being a Trade unionist as long as the TU has the business and the people in their thinking. And some industries need Trade Unions to represent them at the highest level.
I would love to see some consensus politics in Britain, and get away from the childish antics of parliament.
Lets take the best ideas, put them into action, and support the staff that have to make it work. The constant changes to the NHS and the railways is why the management can't actually concentrate on providing services. They are always too busy trying to work out how to get the next re-organisation to work 
Exactly, this is just political wrangling and has nothing to do with business and the continuity of business. I agree with you wholeheartedly.
Although we have differing political views, and very different opinions on Maggie, I agree with most of your list of answers in post 53 of this thread.
I think it basically boils down to 'bring back some confidence, sanity and common sense'
Exactly