Nigel Lawson, the controversial tax-cutting chancellor under Margaret Thatcher, has died aged 91. To Tories he was and is a ‘titan’ and a ‘transformational’ figure, who cut taxes and rolled back the state, leading the privatisation drive that put swathes of the public sector under the control of private companies.
His policies turned the City into the world’s leading financial centre, but the “Lawson boom” ended in the deep recession and economic misery of the early 1990s and contributed later to the financial crisis of 2007-8. After he fell out with Maggie and helped force her fall from grace, in his retirement in the House of Lords he became a leading proponent of Brexit (from his home in France). He helped to force David Cameron into calling the 2016 referendum and became a prominent climate change dissenter, challenging what he called the propaganda of global warming “alarmists”.
Pretty much on the wrong side of history at every turn.
He was born 11 March 1932 7am (from memory) London and was a 12th house Sun Mars in Pisces with a maverick Uranus just below his Aries Ascendant in a status-quo-upsetting square to Pluto. Plus an entertaining and grandstanding Jupiter in Leo in his performing 5th house in a lucky trine to Uranus.
The surprise is not that he fell out with Maggie Thatcher, the surprise is they survived together as long as they did – for his six years as Chancellor. His Uranus opposed her Libra Sun and her Uranus was conjunct his Sun – not designed for cooperation. His Saturn was also conjunct her South Node, dragging her into the past – when she finally resigned the transiting Node was also conjunct her natal South Node.
Their relationship chart had an irritable composite Mars Saturn conjunction, suggesting one had the upper hand; plus a needs-space composite Sun opposition Moon square Uranus.
More to the point since Maggie is long gone and the UK is still standing and bearing the scars of his decisions – his Uranus is conjunct the UK’s 7th house Aries North Node which was pivotal to the Brexit decision in the referendum. He played on the UK’s resistance to cooperative partnerships and with his Saturn in opposition to the UK’s 10th house Jupiter, arguably dented the UK’s status and success.
His relationship chart with the UK is chained together and festering with resentment; as well as destabilizing.
Transformational cuts two ways.
I am bemused that there have been so few comments re this controversial but influential figure, can it be that we are is still trying to process the results of his policies, I am baffled by his decision to live in France whilst supporting Brexit. Can someone please enlighten me.
Virginia, Thank you. Moi aussi. Mind you I nearly did not write him up since on first glance he seemed boring until I looked down the list of disasters he had set in motion. A trailblazer of the wrong variety.
March 11 1932 – 1 year to the day younger than rupert murdoch. hmmmm