Quelle Surprise!

It's what many have long maintained in the face of widespread scorn & disbelief from "official" circles over the last 30 years. However, the release of the official cabinet papers for 1981 confirms what the Thatcher government thought of Liverpool (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/dec/30/thatcher-government-liverpool-riots-1981 ). Geoffrey Howe, then Tory Chancellor of the Exchequer, told colleagues after the '81 Toxteth riots that "managed decline" should be government policy towards the city.