ABSTRACT
I would like to pursue two themes in this chapter. The first is to address the hypothesis of this book that the nature of the implementation process and the variation in local circumstances raise questions about the importance of Thatcherist ideology. To what extent does the research into the details of policy implementation show a divergence from the expectations raised by the ideology? Does this ideology fade into a blurred ghostly mirage when confronted with the facts about the nitty gritty actions of planners? The second theme, also raised by the editors in their introduction, is whether there were any significant changes when Mr Major took over. Mrs Thatcher’s reign may have died but did the ghost of Thatcherism live on to haunt planning activity? In addressing these issues I will draw partly on some aspects of my previous work (e.g. Thornley 1993, 1996) and an analysis of the formulation of a planning agenda for London during the 1990s which I undertook with Peter Newman (Newman and Thornley 1997).
