Answer #7:

Here's the first best answer I've received for Question #7.

Question 7 was:
What is one economic change instigated by the Thatcher or Major governments that was continued by the Blair government and why was it continued?

What is one economic change instigated by the Thatcher or Major governments that was reversed or changed in a major way by the Blair government and why was it reversed or changed?


Anonymous 2's answer is:

"Margaret Thatcher’s programs of neoliberalism were continued by the Blair administration because by promoting competition among businesses without significant government intervention, and by attracting foreign investment, considerable economic growth and stability was achieved. Thatcher’s policies of traditional monetarism, on the other hand, were significantly changed when the New Labuor Party came into power. Monetarism was characterized by reducing social expenditure and privatizing or decreasing the work force of the public sector. Blair increased spending on social policies instead of cutting taxes such as the National Health Service. This change was made because New Labour was a more liberal party than Thatcher that stressed social policy and believed that the government had a more immediate responsibility to provide public services than to decrease taxes."

---

This is a four point question. One point is earned for the identification of an economic policy begun by either Thatcher or Major and largely continued by Blair. One point is earned for the identification of an economic policy begun by either Thatcher or Major and significantly changed by Blair.

Two more points can be earned by accurately and logically explaining a motive for each of the policy choices by Blair.

My rubric describes economic policies that Blair essentially continued as:
• giving more monetary policy independence to the Bank of England
• privatizations of formerly public businesses
• reduction of the power of trade unions
• sale of public housing to residents
• resisting monetary union with the EU

Thatcher/Major policies that were reversed or essentially changed by Blair include:
• Thatcher/Major's reduction of taxes
• Thatcher/Major's reduction of government spending (especially in health and education)
• Blair's introduction of a minimum wage
• Blair/Brown's increases in social security (welfare) spending

---

Anonymous 2's answer to this question identifies Thatcher's general economic policy direction as "neoliberalism" which is correct, but is not a specific policy identification. The supply-side concept of reducing government regulation, described in the answer, played a minor role in Thatcher and Major's economic policies.

Monetarism is defined as "characterized by reducing social expenditure and privatizing or decreasing the work force of the public sector." In fact, monetarism refers to manipulation of money supply and interest rates, which Thatcher did early in her government to control inflation.

The answer argues that Blair continued the policies of "neoliberalism" and "monetarism" because by "promoting competition among businesses... and by attracting foreign investment, considerable economic growth and stability was achieved." Major's government oversaw a rather nationalistic economic policy that discouraged foreign investment and by the end of Major's government, the economy was in trouble. That was a significant reason for Blair's election.

Anonymous 2's answer earns a point for correctly noting that, "Blair increased spending on social policies instead of cutting taxes..."

The answer also asserts that, "This change was made because New Labour was a more liberal party than Thatcher that stressed social policy and believed that the government had a more immediate responsibility to provide public services than to decrease taxes."

The problem with this assertion is the ambiguity of the term "liberal." The Economist, a British publication, might well describe Thatcher's policies as more liberal (in a classical and British sense). The use of a different term, populist, for instance, might have made a difference.

And a second point could have been earned by explaining that inflation, increased costs, and slowly increasing government expenditures on medical care and schools had created widely accepted perceptions of declining quality in both areas.

This essay earns 1 point.

If you're asked a question like this, be very careful how you describe the policy positions you discuss. Be as specific as you can. And keep your explanations as closely tied to the examples as possible.

---