For me, three letters sum up the situation in 1982... Y.O.P. youth opportunity programme. £25 per week for a first foot the door job. Really liked the firm I was told to report to, but it was far from my choice. Still with about 250 kids (minus about 20 or so doing 6th form) leaving from my year in secondary school, I think only about 5 lads got apprentiships and the rest had to go hang. In one lads case he really did just that... Gassed himself in the family car.
No, the real failings of the Tory government were not just at Thacher's door but rooted in the collective belief that the market economy is king. Not just rampant right wing ideals, but more basic ignorance that people matter, and not just those who pay money to the Tory party.
The toffs are still there today... just with different name tags.