Operation Phoenix

The last time the British people were united in a common aim — the defeat of Hitler — prodigies of organisation, courage and innovation occurred. There were ups and downs during World War 2, but nothing then seemed impossible. No problem was so great that it could not be solved with imagination and drive. Afterwards, naturally, there was a reaction. Following so great an effort attention shifted to more domestic affairs, and Labour's Welfare State seemed a just reward for the sacrifices that all classes had made. But valuable though this has been in reducing inequalities, ‘welfare’ does not rank high in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. It is not surprising, therefore, that the development of a welfare system, even when supplemented by the ‘never so good’ bout of material prosperity, has failed to provide a sense of national fulfilment. There have been grumbles, strikes and frustrations, but no surge of ideas or idealism such as that of 1945. For 30 years, indeed, there was a tacit political consensus about welfare and unemployment, but in other matters the battle between the Ins and Outs artificially polarised opinion and stifled long‐term thinking. And then in 1979 even the limited consensus was shattered.