I was born five years before Margaret Thatcher became Britain’s first female Prime Minister. At the time, the country was in disarray. Trade unions were running companies, shortages were afoot. Change had to happen. But change, change that creates a seismic shift, is not always universally consented.

Thatcher’s government made changes that not only altered the make-up of the country, they re-dressed the design of politics entirely.

Thatcherism, as it became known, became synonymous with radical change. The abolition of the power of trade unions. The sharp, deep cuts made into the heart of Britain’s mining communities. The irrevocable dismantling of Britain’s manufacturing base. And the deregulation of public transport.

On 26 October, 1986, bus services were privatised. Under the Transport Act of 1985, bus services were tendered out to private companies to run. The results fatally injured our public transport system. Along with the privatisation of the national rail network, the deregulation of buses saw the introduction of new bus services that made profits. Commercial operators ran routes that made money, no longer required, as they were, to cross-subsidise. And so, if a bus route was not turning a profit, they were under no obligation to run it.

And so to 2013. Last week we saw the announcement of the cancellation of the 311 bus service between Thornbury and Dursley. The impact has been immediate and devastating. Local people use the service and are stuck now at what to do. Even local businesses are being affected. And why?

Because the private, for-profit company that runs the service has said that the 311 route has ‘become commercially unsustainable’. This is the legacy of Thatcherism. A bus service, a deregulated public necessity that is driven not by people, not by social need, but by profit.

When Margaret Thatcher sadly passed away, David Cameron, in tribute to her, tweeted that ‘she gave Britain back its self-belief.’

Many would agree with him. She helped turn the UK from the laughing stock of Europe into a global, respected force. But, she also created a country where it was okay for every man to be out for himself, one where the rich got richer and the poor, well, they struggled.

Yes, Margaret Thatcher was the first woman Prime Minister and that is an amazing legacy. But the deregulation of buses? That is not a legacy. It is a shambles.

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