Turning the UK around
I said in my paper ‘Broken Britain’ of November 2024, that most things in the UK don’t work properly. This applies to health, education, policing, transport and public infrastructure and many other areas. One might think the country is beyond repair, and some commentators think so. But in a very short time in the late 1970s and early1980s, a demoralized and broken country was transformed and regained its confidence and its belief in itself.
Margaret Thatcher’s government achieved a dramatic transformation of the UK’s economic and industrial climate in the early 1980s through a series of radical, often controversial, reforms. It is clearly evident that she took swift, bold action rooted in a coherent ideological framework. For a modern government aiming to raise national prospects, efficiency, and morale, a strategy must be adopted to deal with today's very different context.
Modern leadership must define a compelling national mission, as she did, whether it's becoming a green tech superpower, a hub for AI and innovation, or a model for rising prosperity. The vision must be coherent, consistent, and relentlessly communicated.
Reforms are needed to unblock productivity. Much of today’s malaise stems from structural bottlenecks. Key actions could include planning reform to unclog housing and infrastructure projects, especially in cities where productivity is highest.
The skills and education sector needs to be overhauled to align training with tomorrow’s sectors - AI, renewables, biotech, cybersecurity.
Tax and regulatory simplification could play a big part. Bureaucracy must be streamlined to reduce friction for businesses and entrepreneurs. Efficiency and transparency could be uprated by modernizing public services and investing in digital infrastructure.
Part of it is psychological. We need to restore national confidence. Thatcher was bold and unapologetic. Today, confidence can be built with leadership by example, with competence, accountability, and moral clarity from leaders.
We should celebrate national achievements and reinvest in civic pride in areas such as infrastructure, the military, arts, and science.
We must reform outdated systems that create public cynicism, like slow justice, poor transport, or mismanaged benefits.
Morale could be addressed by creating opportunities. A modern approach should offer real housing access for younger generations, and with supply-side reform, not just subsidies. We could restore dignity to professions like teaching, policing, and healthcare through better leadership and less politicisation.
Thatcher’s advances pushed withdrawal from outdated industries and embraced finance, today's equivalent might lie in promoting the AI and green transitions.
Many feel today that we are in a gridlock culture where nothing gets done. Thatcher tackled entrenched interests, sometimes brutally. A modern version would require civil service reform to make departments more agile and performance-focused. Politics needs to be more performance-led and less of a slanging match
Government can raise national prospects, efficiency, and morale by setting a bold, optimistic national vision, removing productivity barriers, restoring confidence via strong, competent leadership. It can promote fairness and opportunity to lift morale.
These things do not require replicating Thatcherism, but they do require similar levels of clarity, courage, and execution. And Thatcher turned the nation around from failure to success and self-confidence in only a handful of years. With the right vision, it could be done again.
Madsen Pirie