The Right Honourable The Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven LG, OM, PC, FRS; Margaret Thatcher (1925 – 2013)
She cleared our rat-infested streets and she beat the unions. She taught people that “anything was possible” and redefined the role of the state in our lives. Britain’s first female Prime Minister stood firm in the Falklands and she came of age there. “No surrender” was her guiding force both in that war and in Europe and to this groundbreaking pioneer “rights” were inextricably linked with “responsibilities”.
Baroness Thatcher was indeed a lady who divided our nation. She got it wrong with what she did to our mental health system and the Community Charge was ultimately her undoing. She was human after all but unlike the majority, here was a lady who was prepared to face the criticism that went with her visionary changes.
Struggle, indeed, dominated her premiership both economically and with those who so furiously opposed her. Whether you liked or loathed her, remember this: We will not know another like Margaret Thatcher for many years to come.