Cheney- The Iron Lady

I was interested to read in Sunday Times about Liz Cheney contemplating a political career, and her comments about Britain in the 1970s. For, it is clear she is fairly knowledgeable about this.

Cheney suggests that the USA is in a "pre-Thatcher" phase at the moment, arguing that:

...we may get to the point where we have the American equivalent of British socialism in the 1970s. The Obama administration is moving so far left on economic issues, there may be some very direct parallels between the circumstances which allowed Margaret Thatcher to come to power and put Britain on the track to have a successful economy.

Of course, a "pre-Thatcher" phase is also a "post-Heath" phase. The Labour Government of March 1974 to May 1979 (when Thatcher became Prime Minister) did indeed follow a left-wing path, but this was a continuation with what it replaced.

Edward Heath became the Conservative Prime Minister in June 1970. Now, to be fair, he was a conservative at the start, following some policies which would now be called Thatcherism. But, once economic problems arrived, Heath did the classic policy U-turn (to those who hoped that Thatcher would do the same when she faced economic problems, there was her famous comment "U-turn if you want you. The lady's not for turning."), and there was the situation of a Government elected on a conservative platform turning to socialism.

Hmm, a conservative leader deciding to implement socialist measures when the economy goes bad, and then being replaced by a left-wing leader. No direct parallels there, are there?