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Thatcher Fucked the Kids’: a Reflection on Gender, Generation and Trauma

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Thatcher Fucked the Kids’: a Reflection on Gender, Generation and Trauma JOMEC Journal Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies ‘Thatcher Fucked the Kids’: A reflection on gender, generation and trauma Heather Nunn University of Roehampton, London Email: [email protected] Keywords Thatcher Thatcherism Gender Generation Misogyny Trauma Abuse Abstract This essay is a reflection on Thatcher and Thatcherism and the ways in which both the persona and the political ideology have been linked into accusations of cross- generational social damage through an articulation of gender, trauma and childhood. In short, it considers how ongoing political and social damage becomes rendered as psychic and sexualised abuse and the problems inherent in this transposition. In doing so this essay aims to offer a pointer for future debate and analysis; signalling how political culture and social damage can be critiqued, assertively and even with the language of invective, but without the unhelpful demonising and sexualisation of the political persona. This essay makes the case that the current difficult experiences of living through an economic period of neoliberal failure and the ensuing exigencies of austerity require us to deploy something more considered than the easy jibe or joke and the deflection of blame to the recently deceased Prime Minister. Overall the essay argues that while Thatcherism should be critiqued and so should Thatcher herself for her part in the launch of the neoliberal project we should also bear in mind that over the long haul the neoliberal project is one in which we have all played our particular parts. If we are to move on we should perhaps consider not only our resistance to neoliberalism but also our complicity. Contributor Note Heather Nunn is Professor of Culture and Politics at the University of Roehampton, UK, where she is a Director of the Centre for Research in Audio-visual Cultures. Her research interests include political communication, formations of class and of gender, and representations of the child, childhood and young adulthood. She has written widely on class, gender and politics. She is the author of Thatcher, Politics and Fantasy (2002). Her co-authored publications with Anita Biressi include Reality TV: Realism and Revelation (2005), The Tabloid Culture Reader (2008) and most recently Class and Contemporary British Culture (2013). She is currently writing a new book with Anita Biressi called Politics Interrupted. cf.ac.uk/jomec/jomecjournal/3-june2013/Nunn_Thatcher.pdf Mrs. Thatcher arrives at Hell and is inherent in this transposition. In doing so greeted by Jimmy Savile who says to her this essay aims to offer a pointer for ‘Now then, you’re here for screwing future debate and analysis; signalling 1 minors too?’ how political culture and social damage th can be critiqued, assertively and even Margaret Thatcher died on 8 April 2013. with the language of invective, but She was the first female British Prime without the unhelpful demonising and Minister and will probably be the only sexualisation of the political persona. The female PM in Britain for the foreseeable essay makes the case that the current future. A strangely unsettling story difficult experiences of living through an appeared in the Daily Mail newspaper economic period of neoliberal failure several months before Thatcher’s demise th and the ensuing exigencies of austerity (Ellicott 28 Dec 2012). The headline require us to deploy something more declared: ‘Censored, Savile's private considered than the easy jibe or joke letters to Mrs. Thatcher: Files edited two and the deflection of blame to the months ago … AFTER child abuse claims recently deceased Prime Minister.2 surfaced’. The article was supported by Overall the essay argues that while photographs of Thatcher and Jimmy Thatcherism should be robustly critiqued Savile together, brandishing a cheque and so should Thatcher herself for her donation and campaigning for the part in the launch of the neoliberal children’s charity the NSPCC. Also project we should also bear in mind that included was a scanned copy of a hand- over the long haul the neoliberal project written ‘gushing’ letter from Savile to is one in which we have all played our Thatcher written subsequent to a lunch particular parts. If we are to move on we with her in early 1980. Taken together should perhaps consider not only our these artifacts and facts aimed to weave resistance to neoliberalism but also our a slightly dubious and somewhat complicity (Biressi and Nunn 2013: 1-22). prurient conspiratorial connection between the former Prime Minister and Thatcher’s election to the highest office the then deceased Jimmy Savile, a represented a powerful shift in the former DJ and high profile popular sometimes iconic status of political entertainer who had lately and leaders in Britain. It also represented a posthumously been denounced as a flawed and dreadful disappointment for serial child molester. What to make of those women (and also some men) who this chain of associations, if anything, had hoped that she would signify and forms the matter in hand. This essay is a even trigger a positive shift in reflection on Thatcher and Thatcherism parliamentary power for women. At the and the ways in which the persona and very least it was hoped that she would the political ideology have been linked take women of all parties with her via a into cross-generational social damage different representational inflection of through an articulation of gender, trauma political power. Despite this disap- and childhood. In short, it considers how pointment and many subsequent ongoing political and social damage becomes rendered as psychic and 2 This more nuanced critique is happening in sexualised abuse and the problems alternative groups. One example is the story unfolding in After Neoliberalism? The Kilburn Manifesto, see 1 See http://sabotagetimes.com/funny/25-of- http://www.lwbooks.co.uk/journals/soundings/m the-best-margaret-thatcher-jokes/ anifesto.html 1 www.cf.ac.uk/JOMECjournal @JOMECjournal disappointments there is still a case to citizen’ has returned as an exemplar for be made for liberal feminist models of our times (Giles 2004: 132; Biressi and citizenship and politics which demand Nunn 2013: 184-87). This return to new rights for women and their inclusion woman as mother-citizen, careful in the spaces and corridors of consumer and unpaid home-worker is institutional power. There is also much one powerful (often deeply conservative) still to say about the possibilities of an prop to the argument for a new intimate alternative to this conception of morality set against the political realm of historical and current political models of abstract disconnected mainstream power as ‘masculine’.3 Sometimes this politics which now pervades much alternative is accompanied by a call for a public sensibility. It is this form of feminist ‘ethics of care’ which can be co- idealised but sometimes troubled opted to oppose masculine/liberal middle-class feminine life that is ‘ethics of justice’. But while these endorsed so often in the Daily Mail and arguments are rigorously made in think in lifestyle reportage more generally. tanks, campaigning organisations and Some of the historical roots of this feminist scholarship, they are very far model of privatised political citizenship from the being dominant in contem- actually originate from the 1980s (and porary media discourses about gender, before that in the post WW2 austerity politics and the public realm. years), which contradictorily deployed both the superwoman and the For running alongside these historical homemaker as icons of aspiration; with and ongoing rather marginalised the latter situating the mother at the arguments about the paucity of women centre of a treasured family life. The in power, their mistreatment in the Thatcherite argument was made that media and their potential to change desiring more, wanting more for your political practice is a far louder directive family and striving to make that happen, and a frequent call for, and celebration was in effect a ‘caring’ desire and for of, the specificity of women as women, most women this ethos could be mothers, carers; that is, as social actors affected inside the home. Despite her whose contribution to the political field is own developing public image as an ‘iron best enacted in the private domain.4 This lady’ and as a superwoman it was this set of representations is dominant in portrait of maternal authority which both political and consumerist forms as Thatcher deployed for herself (especially women are prompted to return to the in the early years) and praised in other home, become prime targets for women and which she promoted for redundancy, part-time work or down- other women as the obvious life choice. sizing initiatives and who also arguably bear the ongoing burden of the But now, in the Mail, there appears, albeit maintenance of the ‘good life’ in the face fleetingly, a quite different image of a of austerity measures. The ‘housewife powerful female Prime Minister, a member of the institutional elite, who is 3 See for example, somehow complicit with the abuse of http://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/activity/women children. The Mail article contends that -and-power/) Thatcher had a warm relationship with 4 For a related debate within the context of Savile and their released correspond- postfeminism see Diane Negra’s What a Girl ence reveals his fond or even over-keen Wants?: Fantasizing the Reclamation of Self in Postfeminism (2009). affection for the Prime Minister. Savile’s 2 www.cf.ac.uk/JOMECjournal @JOMECjournal reprinted letter to Thatcher becomes a comedian Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown was prompt for reflections on his close allegedly run off stage in Middlesbrough connections to ‘the establishment’ which, for opening his show by saying ‘I'm it has been argued, somehow shielded surprised there are so many of you here him from the scrutiny of the law and – I thought you'd all be at home fucking allowed his predatory actions to the kids’.
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