Thatcher's Britain returns 20 years after she fell

Britain is moving further to the Right after 13 years of Labour, it is disclosed today, as the public’s views on welfare become tougher than when Baroness Thatcher was prime minister. 
 
Only a quarter of people believe more money should be spent on benefits compared with more than half in the mid-1980s, it was disclosed.

A large-scale analysis of social attitudes over three decades also found fewer adults wanted the Government to redistribute income and many believed inequality was down to “individual laziness on the one hand and hard work on the other”.

The disclosure, in the annual British Social Attitudes report, is being seen as evidence that public opinion is “far closer” to many of Lady Thatcher’s core beliefs than it was when she left office in 1990.

After 13 years of a Labour government, the study found more people were against disproportionately taxing the better off. But, in a warning to the Coalition, the report disclosed strong support for increased public spending on education and health, with many believing key public services performed well under the last government.

Penny Young, chief executive of the National Centre for Social Research, which carried out the study, said it highlighted “the scale of the task at hand for the Coalition as it cuts the deficit and drives through its programme of reform”.

She added: “It is 20 years since Margaret Thatcher left office, but public opinion is far closer now to many of her core beliefs than it was then.

“Our findings show that attitudes have hardened over the last two decades, and are more in favour of cutting benefits and against taxing the better off disproportionately. But, just as [Tony] Blair and [Gordon] Brown incorporated key concepts of Thatcherism into New Labour’s ideology, Britain today is sending a clear message to [David] Cameron and [Nick] Clegg that it values the investment Labour has made in this country’s core public services.”

The survey has charted trends in public opinion since the early 1980s. In the 27th annual report, researchers questioned 3,421 people at the end of 2009 on a series of issues including politics, health, education, welfare, transport and equality. The study found widespread concerns over the income gap in Britain. Despite billions of pounds being invested in reforms to improve the quality of life among the poorest children, 78 per cent said the gap was too high, roughly the same as in 1987.

However, the study found an “apparent mismatch” between concerns over inequality and support for redistribution of wealth.

Asked why some people were “in need”, 26 per cent said they were “lazy” and 38 per cent said inequality was simply an inevitable consequence of modern life.

Only 57 per cent said the Government was responsible for reducing inequality, compared with 64 per cent two decades ago, and just 36 per cent said ministers should redistribute income.

The study found that only a quarter of people believed the Government should spend more on benefits, half the number who believed this in the mid to late-1980s.

Mrs Young added: “The survey points to a nation at a political crossroads between Left and Right: it is perhaps little surprise that the election resulted in a coalition.” The Telegraph