Nigel Lawson (1932 – 2023)

“My golden boy”

~ Margaret Thatcher

Nigel Lawson, famously a Chancellor of the Exchequer in Margaret Thatcher’s government, has died this week at the age of 91.  Many people would quarrel with his values, but  he did not care what others thought.  He was a Piscean, normally a sign that cares too much, but also a sign that can live in a world of their own.

Birth Chart

Nigel had Mars, the Sun, North Node and Mercury in the 12th House (a world of his own).  His Sun in Pisces was exactly trine Pluto, born to take power (in tribute, Keir Starmer called him “a powerhouse”).  Politics and Conservatism are shown in his Capricorn Midheaven (Careerpoint) with Saturn in the 10th House of Career.  But his strongly and strangely individualistic stances are shown in his placement of Uranus in the 1st House.  He was resolute about not following the herd, but enjoyed leadership (Ascendant in Aries).  He helped to shape Thatcherism, and as such the karmic economic path of his day, with the Sun conjunct his North Node.

His aptitude for finance and economics are shown by Mercury in Aries (accountancy) and a conjunction of the Moon and Venus in early Taurus (the financial sign), together with a problem-solving conjunction of Chiron and the Part of Fortune, also in Taurus, in his 2nd House of Finance.  He also had the Entrepreneur Archetype, in the shape of Jupiter trine Uranus.

Life and Career

Nigel was born into a non-Orthodox Jewish family in Hampstead, with his mother coming from a family of stockbrokers, while his paternal grandfather was a merchant from Latvia. From Westminster School, he won a mathematics scholarship to Oxford University, where he obtained a first class degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

He initially pursued a career in journalism, starting on the Financial Times, and then moving to the Sunday Telegraph, and then to The Spectator.

In 1972 he wrote a book entitled “The Power Game” with Jock Bruce Gardyne, about power and decision-making.  According to the Guardian obituary by Julia Langdon, its conclusion was that “so often it is pure hazard which tips the scale of decision in the end”.

In February1974, he entered parliament as MP for Blaby in Leicestershire, a position he held until 1992 when he retired.

When Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister, she appointed Lawson to the post of Financial Secretary to the Treasury.  In June 1983 she promoted him to Chancellor of the Exchequer, a post he held for the unusual length of six years. In this period of influence, he is said to have helped shaped Thatcherism, which he once defined as a:

“mixture of free markets, financial discipline, firm control over public expenditure, tax cuts, nationalism “Victorian values” (of the Samuel Smiles self-help variety), privatisation and a dash of populism.”

He had a strongly reforming aspect in his birthchart of Uranus square Pluto, and set about privatising British Airways, British Telecom and British Gas, paving the way for numerous other privatisations and deregulation.  He declared “We are seeing the birth of people’s capitalism”.

During his years of tenure, tax rates went down, as did unemployment, so for a time his policies seemed to be working.  In 1986 the City of London financial institutions were deregulated, and Lawson conceded in 2010 that this may have had repercussions in the 2008 financial crash.  Towards the end of his years serving under Margaret Thatcher, she began to favour a different economic approach, from Alan Walters (an advocate of the floating exchange rate) which ran counter to Lawson’s vision.

He resigned in October 1989, this relinquishing of power being shown by the transit of Pluto to square his natal Jupiter.  The Guardian obituary recounts that after his resignation William Whitelaw wrote to him:

“that Thatcher could not bear to be on the losing side of any argument and added: ‘That failing may ditch us all.’.”

The Uranus rising in his chart had a lot to answer for in some of his later involvements, as a Contrarian.  He campaigned for Brexit (arguably not controversial), and then for the denial of Climate Change (definitely contrarian).  He argued long, hard and passionately for both; they were not fleeting whimsical ideas for him.

He also tackled the issue of weight, Moon conjunct Venus in Taurus being a prominent factor in that necessity, and wrote “The Nigel Lawson Diet Book” in 1996, a book which sold well.

Family

Nigel Lawson had six children altogether, depicted in his chart as Jupiter early in his 5th House of children.

His first marriage was in 1955 to socialite Vanessa Salmon.  They had four children together, including Dominic Lawson, firstborn, who followed his father into journalism (a Sagittarian depicted in Nigel’s chart as Jupiter at the beginning of the 5th House); and the domestic goddess herself Nigella Lawson, known for her unctuous cooking.  I wrote in 2013:

“Nigella was born into a political family: indeed her father Nigel Lawson is graphically portrayed in her chart as Sun in Capricorn (politician father) conjunct Saturn (accentuating the politics).  She did not have a good relationship with her mother, who did not treat her well.  She describes her as depressed, but as she is depicted in Nigella’s chart she comes over as fiery and volatile (Sun in Aries trine Mars and Jupiter)… She has a highly entrepreneurial exact trine between Jupiter and Uranus.” Note that her father handed down that trine.

Nigel had two more children with his second wife Therese Maclear, a marriage which lasted until 2012.  He later formed a relationship with Tina Jennings, a visiting fellow at Oxford University.

He has a unique place in history: hardly palatable to left-leaning climate-upholding remainers, but it was the life of his choice.   We all have that prerogative.

Aspects

In the early hours of Tuesday (11th), Venus enters Gemini.  Although Venus is most at home in the sign it is just leaving (Taurus), there is a lightness and freedom of heart with the new placement.  It brings a more mental focus to relationships, and increasing communication around love, art and money. Your diary is likely to be full of engagements during the period that Venus travels through this sign, which takes us up to 7th May.  We’ll all be social butterflies, deftly spinning plates in social circles!

Mid-morning on the same day, Venus will be trine Pluto in Aquarius.  This aspect can settle your deepest feelings into a more comfortable psychological context.  It helps us through changes and transformations on a human level.  Venus in harmony with Pluto benefits both love and money.

Late on Tuesday brings even more benefit(s), with the Sun conjunct Jupiter, one of the most favourable aspects of the year.  It takes place at 21 degrees Aries.  It is an aspect of hope, or even celebration.  It will certainly be lucky for some.  Focus on what makes you happy, and make more of that.

The mood dips a little towards the end of the week, with the last aspect, on the afternoon of  Friday (14th) being a square between Venus and Saturn.  Perhaps your concerns are about close relationships and money, both of which are ruled by Venus, and under constraint by Saturn.  Maybe you felt let down by someone or you disappointed yourself in some way.  Forgiveness could be a solution, in that case.  We need a great deal of patience in our human interactions, and some may be dealing with rejection or sadness.  We need to acknowledge those feelings before we can move on.  Try and look at things differently.

Something may be salvaged later in the day with a sextile between Saturn and the North Node.  This is a chance to stabilize your karma, or listen to what is required to right things.  The answer may come during a spot of meditation, or while taking a power nap.  Allow your left brain to rest, and allow your right brain to provide the next constructive step on your path.

The week in bullet points:

  • Tuesday – lightness of heart; deep feelings and meanings; luck and hope
  • Friday – acknowledged sadness; constructive karma
Date: Apr 9th, 2023 · Comments RSS · Tags: News · Obituary