Where are today’s titanic Cabinet battles?

Reading Norman Fowler’s recollections of the Thatcher years in the Telegraph, whose coverage this week has been simply superb, is to be reminded of how much debate there was in her Cabinet. Take Fowler’s account of the pre-Budget Cabinet in 1981:

“Jim Prior described the proposals as ‘disastrous’, adding that they would do nothing for growth and send unemployment figures above three million. He was supported by the so-called economic ‘wets’, such as Ian Gilmour and Peter Walker, who on this occasion were joined by Francis Pym and Christopher Soames. Even Keith Joseph had his doubts as he argued for more private investment in public industries. Seldom can a Chancellor have gone into battle – and battle it was – with such little encouragement from his colleagues.”

This did make me think how odd it is that we haven’t had anywhere near this kind of level of dissent in the coalition Cabinet. To be sure, there have been arguments about growth policies, spending priorities and immigration. But all of these have, by all accounts, been relatively small beer. There has been nothing that is comparable to the early Thatcher years.

To some extent this is because it is a coalition; the most contentious issues tend to be thrashed out by the quad before they reach Cabinet. There is also a sense that the two sides don’t want to air their dirty laundry in front of each other. I remember one Tory Cabinet Minister saying to me after one of Osborne’s growth grillings, ‘I just wish he wouldn’t do it in front of the Libs.’

But it is also testament to the remarkable stability of this government. We’re now almost three years into the coalition and the economic road has proved to be far tougher than they expected. But still no one expects it to collapse anytime soon.