BoJo’s response to the pandemic has been a bit chaotic, because, well, BoJo has a chaotic brain. That led me to ask the question: how would Thatcher have dealt with the virus?
It’s an interesting question, because the evidence can take you in two completely different directions. On the one hand, Thatcher was driven and competent, listened to technical experts, and certainly was capable of imposing authority on her people when necessary. On the other hand, she obviously believed in economic freedom, and would have had issues with running up deficits to compensate people for enforced inactivity. Which of these trends would have prevailed?
My best guess is that Thatcher would have understood that her usual philosophical tool kit wouldn’t work in a pandemic, and would have reacted accordingly. We’ll never know.