It's true Thatcher descimated the North and the working class that built Britain during the Industrial Revolution, but the UK could ill-afford propping up of ailing industry constantly. Like I said, until the LABOUR government had to go cap in hand to the world bank for a loan, we couldn't even afford to keep the power on in some regions in the 1970s. All this was due to subsidising increasingly redundant industry which had a penchant for fly pickets. What benefit did strikes do other than benefit the workers in that sector? Was that for the greater good?
Blair's education reforms were to make subjects like "Travel and Tourism" legit. I had a conversation with a girl who told me she had 5 A Levels. General Studies, Travel and Tourism, Drama, Civics [WHAT?!] and Psychology. What use is this in the Modern Age? She went on to do a pretty prestigious course, then dropped out when she couldn't manage anything on it. So there you have in a nutshell some Labour reforms. Make it DEAD EASY to go to University but drop out when you can't fathom the course. But here, it makes the % of School Leavers going onto further education look rosey to the G7. Blair's reforms were watered down Thatcherite at best, to quote Mandelson at the time "we're all Thatchers children now". I can remember the headlines of "Is Tony a Tory?" as well.
Unemployment under Thatcher skyrocketted initially on her implentation of monetarist policy and vastly improved to it's best level towards the end of her tenure. The UK became a power again, could afford it's beloved NHS and people could go to University no matter what they're background.
It's all about spin nowadays, and political careerists. I have a great respect for Thatcher and her reforms, which is uncommon for an Irish Catholic. Her and I have similar backgrounds of grammar school and focus, albeit I'm not Methodist. When Thatcher's reforms of the 1980's are looked at without interpretation by some shitty university humanities department, it's plain to see just how much she benefitted the working class all over the UK, and from this some people got super rich. It's these super rich that Labour like to use as a stick with which to beat the conservatives, despite the Labour party doing it's best to 'woo' tax exiles back to the UK in 1997 with a promise of waived, unpaid income tax.