The Student Room Group

Ranking British prime minister's since ww2

I saw an article looking at the best prime minister's since 1945 and so I decided to make my own. Feel free to let me know yours. (note as this is from post ww2 only Churchill's 2nd term is included). (Also note that I don't think British PM's have been particularly good, with first place being the only one I think actually did a good job as PM).

1. Clement Atlee
2. Harold Wilson
3. Margaret Thatcher
4. Tony Blair
5. Winston Churchill
6. Harold Macmillan
7. John Major
8. Edward Heath
9. David Cameron
10. Gordon Brown
11. Anthony Eden
12. James Callahan
13. Alec Douglas-Home
14. Theresa May

let me know your opinions and what's your list
Original post by Prussianxo
I saw an article looking at the best prime minister's since 1945 and so I decided to make my own. Feel free to let me know yours. (note as this is from post ww2 only Churchill's 2nd term is included). (Also note that I don't think British PM's have been particularly good, with first place being the only one I think actually did a good job as PM).

1. Clement Atlee
2. Harold Wilson
3. Margaret Thatcher
4. Tony Blair
5. Winston Churchill
6. Harold Macmillan
7. John Major
8. Edward Heath
9. David Cameron
10. Gordon Brown
11. Anthony Eden
12. James Callahan
13. Alec Douglas-Home
14. Theresa May

let me know your opinions and what's your list


My list is based on three things:-

(a) Did they achieve their key objectives
(b) Were those key objectives correct with the benefit of hindsight
(c) Were they good for the economy.

Of the bottom half, only Eden was good for the economy and of the top half only Wilson did economic damage.

1 Thatcher +Cold War, Falklands, reshaping the economy, property owning democracy, defeat of unions; - poll tax
2 Attlee + Cold War, British Bomb, Korea, NHS, welfare state, - Indian partition, rationing, austerity
3 Macmillan + housing, prosperity, motorways, transatlantic alliance, decolonisation - sleaze, stagnation, EEC, railways
4 Blair + Economic performance, education, "solving" the Euro, Ulster, early military adventures -Iraq, constitutional vandalism
5 Churchill + Korea, ECHR, "set the people free" - industrial policy
6 Major
7 Wilson
8 Cameron
9 Heath
10 Brown
11 Callaghan
12 Douglas-Home
13 Eden +German re-armament, ITV - Suez, world influence
14 May -Brexit, Windrush
Original post by nulli tertius
My list is based on three things:-

(a) Did they achieve their key objectives
(b) Were those key objectives correct with the benefit of hindsight
(c) Were they good for the economy.

Of the bottom half, only Eden was good for the economy and of the top half only Wilson did economic damage.

1 Thatcher +Cold War, Falklands, reshaping the economy, property owning democracy, defeat of unions; - poll tax
2 Attlee + Cold War, British Bomb, Korea, NHS, welfare state, - Indian partition, rationing, austerity
3 Macmillan + housing, prosperity, motorways, transatlantic alliance, decolonisation - sleaze, stagnation, EEC, railways
4 Blair + Economic performance, education, "solving" the Euro, Ulster, early military adventures -Iraq, constitutional vandalism
5 Churchill + Korea, ECHR, "set the people free" - industrial policy
6 Major
7 Wilson
8 Cameron
9 Heath
10 Brown
11 Callaghan
12 Douglas-Home
13 Eden +German re-armament, ITV - Suez, world influence
14 May -Brexit, Windrush


I agree with quite a bit of your list but I'd put Wilson higher just because of the progress he made socially with acts like the race relation acts, sexual offences act and divorce reforms. I'd also maybe put Churchill lower because while all your points are correct, he was mostly controlled by Butler.
Original post by Prussianxo
I saw an article looking at the best prime minister's since 1945 and so I decided to make my own. Feel free to let me know yours. (note as this is from post ww2 only Churchill's 2nd term is included). (Also note that I don't think British PM's have been particularly good, with first place being the only one I think actually did a good job as PM).

1. Clement Atlee
2. Harold Wilson
3. Margaret Thatcher
4. Tony Blair
5. Winston Churchill
6. Harold Macmillan
7. John Major
8. Edward Heath
9. David Cameron
10. Gordon Brown
11. Anthony Eden
12. James Callahan
13. Alec Douglas-Home
14. Theresa May

let me know your opinions and what's your list


my list is exactly the same as yours :smile:
Atlee was a legend, but I think Blair should come before Thatcher

"Education, Education, Education" had more emphasis to me
Original post by HumbleBee_x
my list is exactly the same as yours :smile:
Atlee was a legend, but I think Blair should come before Thatcher

"Education, Education, Education" had more emphasis to me


yeah definitely Atlee should be on our £5 notes rather than Churchill

problem with Blair is though we can't really gauge whether that education stuff was really effective or not. and also the Tories have ruined the education system so was pointless
Original post by HumbleBee_x
my list is exactly the same as yours :smile:
Atlee was a legend, but I think Blair should come before Thatcher

"Education, Education, Education" had more emphasis to me

Blair was a disaster, his education policy all but destroyed the future of young generations and went a long way to create the current situation where young people have less potential than their parents
Original post by Burton Bridge
Blair was a disaster, his education policy all but destroyed the future of young generations and went a long way to create the current situation where young people have less potential than their parents


in what way? from what I've seen and experienced more people have been pushed towards STEM subjects which have led to better careers. This has also led to an increase in the enrolment of universities which has led to much more people getting degrees especially from working class families in which their parents didn't have the opportunity to get degrees
Original post by Prussianxo
in what way? from what I've seen and experienced more people have been pushed towards STEM subjects which have led to better careers. This has also led to an increase in the enrolment of universities which has led to much more people getting degrees especially from working class families in which their parents didn't have the opportunity to get degrees

And devalued the degree in process, turned education into a business and reduced future earnings of working and middle class graduates, that's 3 things off the top of my head!
1. Me
2. Thatcher.
3. The rest
Original post by Burton Bridge
And devalued the degree in process, turned education into a business and reduced future earnings of working and middle class graduates, that's 3 things off the top of my head!


I agree that incorporating a business model into education was wrong.
but I disagree with degrees being devalued. yes more people do get degrees, I would rather more people get degrees because it means more people are more likely to be successful. but also there have also been an increase in the number of degrees and demand for professionals. therefore more people with degrees are required as shown by the growth in the technology sectors.

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