Whilst I agree with a lot of what Book has posted regarding MT and the unions none of it addresses the simple fact that had the unions behaved responsibly during the 1970s it is highly unlikely that MT would have been elected on the mandate she was. http://www.conservative-party.net/manifestos/1979/1979-conservative-manifesto.shtml

Our five tasks are:

1)To restore the health of our economic and social life, by controlling inflation and striking a fair balance between the rights and duties of the trade union movement. nope - but one tick for inflation control.

2)To restore incentives so that hard work pays, success is rewarded and genuine new jobs are created in an expanding economy .3 million unemployed

3)To uphold Parliament and the rule of law.does not apply to police

4)To support family life, by helping people to become home-owners, raising the standards of their children's education, and concentrating welfare services on the effective support of the old, the sick, the disabled and those who are in real need. coffee-spray

5)To strengthen Britain's defences and work with our allies to protect our interests in an increasingly threatening world.by withdrawing HMS endurance which ultimately led to the Falklands conflict

She failed on all 5.

There's lots of external factors which influenced outcomes & perceptions – Iranian oil crisis, the most adverse weather in decades, rise of Murdoch’s influence and jingoism etc. Equally, you have to ask why unions became so powerful - 13 years of Conservative rule had rigged the game in favour of bosses. This is one of the problems of FPTP back then imo – it helped polarise the UK's political discourse along cold war lines away from consensus and created extremes - thus making negotiations more confrontational.

Barbara Castle was the best leader Labour never had imo. Fiery, passionate, an inspiration to millions of women. She got the Equal Pay Act through in a parliament full of misogynists. She was not frightened to make unpopular decisions and carry the can for them (Beeching). She was defiant towards unions when they were being silly, but negotiated well with them when they weren't.  Despite possessing hawkish traits, unlike Thatcher, she had compassion and a conscience. If Labour had got behind her and fully supported "in Place of Strife", I dare say the 1979 would have worked out much different:

"Now, more than ever, we need Labour's traditional values of cooperation, social justice, and fairness. This manifesto restates these Labour principles in an action programme with a strong sense of the future. They appeal to all our people - young and old.

The world is changing rapidly. New industrial nations are rising to challenge our key industries on which British jobs and living standards depend.

The Labour Government is taking firm action to equip Britain to adapt to these changes and to seize new opportunities. And we will take great care to protect working people and their families from the hardships of change.

But although the 1980s will present a tough challenge, this country will have many things in our favour. North Sea oil offers a golden prospect as do our reserves of natural gas and coal. We must use these resources wisely to plan our future to create new wealth, new jobs, and to look after the family, the elderly, and those in need"

http://www.labour-party.org.uk/manifestos/1979/1979-labour-manifesto.shtml

Unfortunately, this was spend on tax cuts for the wealthy, a mini housing bubble, and "subsidising" the very industry that "holds us to ransom" today. We could have got Norway - what we got was Canary Wharf, a side-supply timebomb, and a nation where a large section of individuals don't give a stuff beyond their own front door.

MT was only re-elected thanks to a split opposition, an avoidable war (due to her own govt’s incompetence/shock doctrine), and a gullible section of the populous willing to fulfil the Sun’s guide on how to belch the national anthem. She could also have also been removed in 87, but that’s when the oil & mini property bubble really kicked in, as well as the “selfish generation” being wrapped up in their own little bubbles oblivious and indifferent to the devastation she had caused elsewhere.  

The blame game can be deflected towards Scargill, Labour, the unions, the SWP, Kinnock, Owen, Leon Trotsky, Citizen Smith, yet the arguments only implicate how they were indirectly responsible.  This does not excuse the damage Thatcher directly caused.. It wasn't unwashed loony leftie hippies protesting against the EEC, globalisation, and nuclear arms who spunked the "trickle down" from the oil money on military coups, cocaine and hookers.