There is much that could be said about Margaret thatcher
from her personality to her policies when she was in power, but what cannot be
denied about the former prime minister is that she has left an indelible mark
on British politics that has yet to cede its influence. Thatcher was Britain’s
first female leader yet she lead with a brutal toughness rarely seen in her
male predecessors as well as her successors.
It is a credible argument to suggest that in the last 100
years only two governments were truly revolutionary, the post war Atlee
government that introduced a number of social reforms including the NHS and the
Thatcher government that largely hacked its way through of the Atlee’s government’s
achievements.
While Thatcher will always divide opinion as much in death
as much she did in life, a statement all sides can appreciate about the former
prime minster is that she held firm to her convictions, even in the face of
serious opposition and social consternation caused by her policies.
There will always be conflict as to what is to made of her
political legacy but what all sides can admire, regardless of political
position or affiliation, is that she was a woman of ideas, a quality that must
be appreciated in an modern age bereft of any as powerful as hers.
Politics has always been the playground of irony, few more
poignant than the fact that British society saw it one of its greatest social,
economic and indeed cultural changes during the 80’s thanks to a woman who
believed it didn’t exist. She believed in the individuals above all else and
sought to individuals to encourage private enterprise and innovation.
However, this innovation played into the hands of financiers
and speculators in the city, which would come back to burn the Iron lady and
her successors ever since. It is not far stretch to suggest that many of
problem that modern Britain were instigated by Thatcher namely unrestrained
banks and an ingrained ambivalence towards the working class and the poor.
The real winners under Thatcher’s rule was a middle class
who fell hook, line, and sinker for Thatcher’s powerful pitch that only
individual achievement and aspiration will drive Britain into the future.
However there were many losers under Thatcher who have been disenfranchised in
her absence by successive governments who have largely gone farther than Thatcher
ever did in shredding the public sector through spending cuts.
In sum, rarely does a prime mister really preside over a paradigm
shift that is still in place and is largely unchallenged by both Labour and Conservatives
long after they leave power and eventually pass away is exactly what makes
Margaret Thatcher a revolutionary force in British politics.
As a consequence of her convictions, which many of her
fellow citizens disagreed with, she never back down a political dogfight with
unions or any other vested interests, even those of business friendly nature.
Finally, the world has been the last real politician with real ideas and
current British politicians, regardless of political affiliation should take
note of her conviction, and more importantly, her willingness to enter a political
dogfight because of it.
