The debate over the Westland affair has gone through many phases over the past few months. Yet little or no clarity has been achieved about the underlying pressures and political connections which produced it. Henk Overbeek takes a step back from the popular imagery of the affair and looks at what the affair can tell us about the interlinkages between defence policy and the wider socio-economic context which underlies the Thatcherite project. Far from being a mere takeover battle, he argues, it represents a deep question about the present and future direction of British politics.
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