UnHerd with Freddie Sayers Hitchens & Moore vs. Gove & Ibrahim: The Thatcher Debate
Oct 17, 2025
Join a fascinating debate featuring Reem Ibrahim, a pro-Thatcherism writer from the Institute of Economic Affairs, and Michael Gove, a former Conservative cabinet minister defending Thatcher's legacy. They face off against Suzanne Moore, a cultural commentator critiquing the social impacts of her policies, and columnist Peter Hitchens, who argues Thatcherism damaged British industry. The discussion dives into economic revivals, deindustrialisation, and the lasting effects of her policies as they explore her complex legacy one hundred years after her birth.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Thatcherism As Economic Rescue
- Reem Ibrahim argues Thatcherism rescued Britain from 1970s decline by shrinking the state's economic role and promoting popular capitalism.
- She credits privatisation, lower taxes, and share ownership with driving 1980s growth and innovation.
Market Change, Social Damage
- Suzanne Moore frames Thatcherism as brutal cultural and social change that privileged markets and individualism over collective life.
- She links deindustrialisation, housing shortages, and moral conservatism to long-term social damage.
Thatcherism Restored National Purpose
- Michael Gove celebrates Thatcherism for restoring economic health, weakening union power, and projecting national resolve abroad.
- He highlights the Falklands and free-market reforms as pivotal to Britain’s revival and global stance.
