ABSTRACT
In the aftermath of the French Revolution of 1789 its gradual democratization was viewed, notably by the British themselves, as a vastly superior alternative to revolutionary upheaval in many parts of Europe. At the level of specifics, a number of the Thatcher government's actions operated to focus about the state of British democracy. The Scottish demand for greater Scottish control of Scottish affairs, and the general demand for democratic participation in government structures which remain strongly centralized. In the minimal state, the domain of politics is narrow, and the frontier of democracy is correspondingly reduced. No legal democrat is likely to support the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) list of social and economic rights, which includes rights to an adequate standard of living, to enjoyment of the highest possible standard of physical and mental health. The post-war economic and social consensus which was launched by the various individuals and institutions associated with the Thatcherite project.
