Conservatism has nothing to do with free markets, it's a philosophy of preserving what exists, rejecting all change. Conservatives end up tacking on a "pro free market" position because it helps them in the polls. If you take a look at the policies that a "liberal" and a "conservative" make, with regards to the economy, they're mostly the same (this is especially true with regan[1][2]).

Neither democrats nor republicans care about what the people think or how free they are, if they did, they would repel the mass of regulations that they have decided are for the peoples "well being." A bureaucrat or politician centralized in D.C. can't know what's "good" for an individual in Washington, Alaska, or any other state. No one knows better what they want and need better than them self.

[1] http://mises.org/daily/5010
[2] http://mises.org/daily/5011 

I said neo-conservative I meant neo-liberal...

It's late and I can't sleep okay :p 

Also the reason both parties make similar decisions is simply down to the fact they're both essentially the party of wall street. They aren't necessarily pro-free market because it's popular with the masses, it's because that's what those funding them want, and that's what they are selling, so they won't have anything said against it.

I still think it's interesting to wonder what their internal thinking is...
Thatcher was obsessed with Churchill and saw herself as a modern version of him, trying to preserve England and it's power, and this new form of economics seemed to be the way to do it. She quite possibly does think she was doing the best thing at the time, certainly that's the excuse that is trotted out... she did what had to be done.

Whether she believed it herself in the end... actually, given the fact she'll be surrounded by people who adore her, she probably does think she did great things. 

We thought we escaped it. And! For a few centuries, it looked like we did.

But alas we are returning to class rule. But on the up side, we have a little bit of wiggle room with the idea of class mobility.

I guess you take what you can get. 

Rather judge me by being impatient and not adequately reviewing my spelling. I spelt it wrong. Thanks and goodnight!