In Britain, over the last few years, a form of Margaret Thatcher nostalgia has been developing. The release last Friday of The Iron Lady, and the frankly disturbing promotional campaign that features images of Meryl Streep as Margaret plastered on buses and advertising billboards across Britain, has of course made...

The first thing that struck me when I got to the Job Centre to sign on for the first time was how busy the place was - the queue was out of the door. It is easy to read the rising unemployment figures without really understanding them. When...