Thatcher recreated Britain as a country with a future. Throughout my childhood Britain was the sick man of Europe, crippled by strikes, suffocated by corporatism and frankly without belief in itself.
She changed all that. In doing so she had to take on vested interests and stir things up a bit. Not everything she did was right, not everything worked but the country was changed for the better overall in a way no one else has managed in peace time. A truly remarkable woman. RIP.
Mrs Thatcher dominated my youth politically. I first heard of her from my Uncle Vic, a Mancunian engineer. He said that if she was elected he was going to emigrate. His objection was not to her politics, he objected to having a woman as a boss - it was the late 70's.
I never voted for her, being a Lib/SDP voter, but also recall when she fell from power. I was staying in a cheap hotel in Borneo, on a long holiday before starting a career in medicine. The owner of the guest house came into the lounge where I and a group of other Britons were chatting. She announced ashen-faced "Mrs Thatcher has resigned" She was astonished and bewildered at our spontaneous cheer.
It was the "wet" Francis Pym, who commented that big majorities make for poor governments in 1983, and earned her wrath. I agree with that thought, a working majority of 50 or so would have moderated both her govt, and Blairs one of 1997, and had a more coherent opposition to criticise the more objectional policies.
I did not like her politics, but recognise the need for what she did, what I disliked most was her desire to crush and extinguish the opposition. She had a certain rather unpleasant ruthlessness that seemed quite un-British, and that we do not see in our current political munchkins. We shall not see her likes again.
First of all, my condolences to the Thatcher family.
With the passage of time, I look on things very differently in some ways now from how I viewed things in their immediate aftermath. But one thing that will never be denied will be the colossal impact she had and how many seemingly insurmountable barriers she overcame. One truly remarkable woman.
One thing I'm very glad which has come out of today is the difference between her legend and the reality. So many forget the pragmatism of the early years - beating a tactical retreat from taking on the miners in 1981, the main trade union legislation only being post 1983, and not least the moderate nature of the 1979 manifesto itself. And I'm also glad that the whole 'rolling back the frontiers of the state' legend has had the record put straight. Yes public spending as a % of the economy fell slightly over the 1979-1990 period, but it was hardly dramatic!
On my specialist subject - economics, here too the record is fascinating and often mis-portrayed, both from critical and praiseworthy polemics. For instance, the bleak unemployment figures of the early 1980's were exacerbated by the demographics of the birth rate peaking in the early to mid-1960's. Sterling's rise at the time, and implementing the Clegg public sector pay awards, bequeathed by the Callaghan government didn't help matters either. These days though, I do reflect that some of the downsides of the economic record - the growing inequality between rich and poor, the increasing availability of credit and debt - were the early warning signs for the great problems that afflict our economy today. And (arguably) I believe much of that would have happened anyway, irrespective of who was in power.
I still don't think many of the changes - overhaul of the trade unions, economic reform, Ireland etc could have been done without much of the strife involved, plus the small matter of the Falklands - after the setbacks of the the 1970's from the heady days of the 1960's, it simply was never going to be like that. There are so many counterfactuals too - what if Leon Brittan hadn't resigned over Westland, and Kinnock not made a rambling speech, self acknowledged as the greatest mistake of his 9 years? The Falklands? Brighton? The Miners Strike? Things with a little nudge here and there, could easily have been very different indeed.
And we saw her human side too - yes the great 'successes' of the early years went to her head - I could say that about many people, especially in sport about that human frailty. Like Nick Palmer said earlier today, its a shame she had nothing outside of politics to consume her later years post November 1990. Did she have one truly happy day in the last 22 and a bit years?
I also found her 'all the solutions come from the English speaking peoples' speech very sad indeed, even allowing for WW2 coming in her teenage years. On Europe, it still seems out of character for her, that she signed the European Single Act without realising the implications, and joining the ERM in October 1990 ( I thought that was late 1989 before looking it up!) in retrospect was confirmation of being worn down by senior cabinet colleagues. To this day, I still find it amazing that she espoused the poll tax, which as I think Douglas Hurd aptly put it, 'went against all her principles'.
Finally I'm glad there won't be a state funeral, even over 22 years later, that would have been far too devisive.
I've just been watching a video from another date on that speaking tour (Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire) they seem to be making an overt pitch for the 'Old Labour' vote.
2 comments from others which have sprung to my mind 1."Thatcher says there is no such thing as society."1988. Society says there is no such thing as Thatcher" 2013 That one is from Occupy Chicago-not bad within 240 characters. 2nd is this one. Hate the sin, love the sinner. Mahatma Gandhi Indian political and spiritual leader (1869 - 1948)
Comments
I'm merely giving you what the considered verdict of history will be, in advance.
I don't hate Thatcher. She was a remarkable personality. But she was bonkers, nevertheless...
https://mobile.twitter.com/suttonnick/status/321338840105234432/photo/1
Thatcher recreated Britain as a country with a future. Throughout my childhood Britain was the sick man of Europe, crippled by strikes, suffocated by corporatism and frankly without belief in itself.
She changed all that. In doing so she had to take on vested interests and stir things up a bit. Not everything she did was right, not everything worked but the country was changed for the better overall in a way no one else has managed in peace time. A truly remarkable woman. RIP.
I never voted for her, being a Lib/SDP voter, but also recall when she fell from power. I was staying in a cheap hotel in Borneo, on a long holiday before starting a career in medicine. The owner of the guest house came into the lounge where I and a group of other Britons were chatting. She announced ashen-faced "Mrs Thatcher has resigned" She was astonished and bewildered at our spontaneous cheer.
It was the "wet" Francis Pym, who commented that big majorities make for poor governments in 1983, and earned her wrath. I agree with that thought, a working majority of 50 or so would have moderated both her govt, and Blairs one of 1997, and had a more coherent opposition to criticise the more objectional policies.
I did not like her politics, but recognise the need for what she did, what I disliked most was her desire to crush and extinguish the opposition. She had a certain rather unpleasant ruthlessness that seemed quite un-British, and that we do not see in our current political munchkins. We shall not see her likes again.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/anger-on-the-left-anxious-labourmainstream-moves-to-distance-itselffrom-hardliners-celebrations-after-margaret-thatchers-death-8565095.html
With the passage of time, I look on things very differently in some ways now from how I viewed things in their immediate aftermath. But one thing that will never be denied will be the colossal impact she had and how many seemingly insurmountable barriers she overcame. One truly remarkable woman.
One thing I'm very glad which has come out of today is the difference between her legend and the reality. So many forget the pragmatism of the early years - beating a tactical retreat from taking on the miners in 1981, the main trade union legislation only being post 1983, and not least the moderate nature of the 1979 manifesto itself. And I'm also glad that the whole 'rolling back the frontiers of the state' legend has had the record put straight. Yes public spending as a % of the economy fell slightly over the 1979-1990 period, but it was hardly dramatic!
On my specialist subject - economics, here too the record is fascinating and often mis-portrayed, both from critical and praiseworthy polemics. For instance, the bleak unemployment figures of the early 1980's were exacerbated by the demographics of the birth rate peaking in the early to mid-1960's. Sterling's rise at the time, and implementing the Clegg public sector pay awards, bequeathed by the Callaghan government didn't help matters either. These days though, I do reflect that some of the downsides of the economic record - the growing inequality between rich and poor, the increasing availability of credit and debt - were the early warning signs for the great problems that afflict our economy today. And (arguably) I believe much of that would have happened anyway, irrespective of who was in power.
I still don't think many of the changes - overhaul of the trade unions, economic reform, Ireland etc could have been done without much of the strife involved, plus the small matter of the Falklands - after the setbacks of the the 1970's from the heady days of the 1960's, it simply was never going to be like that. There are so many counterfactuals too - what if Leon Brittan hadn't resigned over Westland, and Kinnock not made a rambling speech, self acknowledged as the greatest mistake of his 9 years? The Falklands? Brighton? The Miners Strike? Things with a little nudge here and there, could easily have been very different indeed.
And we saw her human side too - yes the great 'successes' of the early years went to her head - I could say that about many people, especially in sport about that human frailty. Like Nick Palmer said earlier today, its a shame she had nothing outside of politics to consume her later years post November 1990. Did she have one truly happy day in the last 22 and a bit years?
I also found her 'all the solutions come from the English speaking peoples' speech very sad indeed, even allowing for WW2 coming in her teenage years. On Europe, it still seems out of character for her, that she signed the European Single Act without realising the implications, and joining the ERM in October 1990 ( I thought that was late 1989 before looking it up!) in retrospect was confirmation of being worn down by senior cabinet colleagues. To this day, I still find it amazing that she espoused the poll tax, which as I think Douglas Hurd aptly put it, 'went against all her principles'.
Finally I'm glad there won't be a state funeral, even over 22 years later, that would have been far too devisive.
https://twitter.com/ukipwebmaster/status/321277664990220289
1."Thatcher says there is no such thing as society."1988.
Society says there is no such thing as Thatcher" 2013
That one is from Occupy Chicago-not bad within 240 characters.
2nd is this one.
Hate the sin, love the sinner.
Mahatma Gandhi
Indian political and spiritual leader (1869 - 1948)