I've always believed that the real reason that Thatcher got elected was because she appealed to a really rather sick aspect of British culture - that aspect composed of snobishness and envy. In my local paper I remember endless letters from those who believed that their perceived 'social inferiors' were 'getting more that they deserved'. Immigrants, the unemployed, manual workers etc., etc. were all 'spongeing' off of 'respectable' people and it was believed that (rightly or wrongly) Thatcher would punish the 'spongers'. I still regularly meet people who think like that today - and that is as far as their 'politics' ever goes! That is the real reason that she got elected and re-elected and probably why the Tories will get in again.