ABSTRACT
The extent of Margaret Thatcher's influence on British politics in the last quarter of the twentieth century is immense. The New Labour project had its origins in the Tory triumphalism of the 1980s. Thatcher's long period of domination suggested that Old Labour was now unelectable. The weapons Thatcher and Tony Blair used often differed but in their willingness to challenge party custom and tradition the two leaders were remarkably similar. Thatcher, understanding the power of the press, always took a keen interest in media matters. In foreign affairs, also, Blair's leadership generally reflected Thatcher's priorities. Wealth redistribution was championed, with a mixture of courage and cunning, by Gordon Brown. Thatcher believed that it was not the government's business to tackle steadily widening gaps between rich and poor. In opposition, Labour thinkers had frequently concentrated on the growth of a substantial 'under-class' that they considered one of the most malign legacies of Thatcherism.
