Wets

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In the United States, "wet" was also a slang term for opponents of Prohibition.

A Wet was a political term much in use in the 1980s, describing Conservative Party members in Margaret Thatcher's government who opposed monetarist policies and supported increasing public spending.

The term was originally applied to supporters of Thatcher's predecessor, Edward Heath, as well as Heath associates such as James Prior and Peter Walker. It came into common use by "Thatcherites" as a way to label opponents of her policies. Post-Thatcher, it has commonly been used as a disparaging term for liberal or left-wing ideas.

Previously, the term "wet" was English public school slang for someone judged to be weak, feeble or "soppy." It was used both as a noun and an adjective: "wets" espoused "wet" policies. The term's adoption was followed by creation of the "dries" -- those who opposed the "wets," and supported "dry" policies. These dry policies included: reducing public spending on the NHS, education and other areas; cutting taxes, especially for the wealthy; keeping down inflation; lowering interest rates; tightly controlling the money supply; and reducing the regulatory power of the state -- all policies associated with Margaret Thatcher.

In Canada, the domestic equivalent to the "Wets" are called Red Tories. The closest comparison in the US could be Richard Nixon, practicing "Tory Socialism."

In Australia, the term "wets" never gained much currency, but "dries" was widely used to refer to supporters of economic rationalism.