Margaret Thatcher, Obituary !

So this is my way to say bye bye to THE IRON LADY

 

  Margaret Thatcher, The Lady who never stepped back

Margaret Thatcher known by many as “The Iron Lady” was a central figure in the British politics during the 20th century. Her toughness, radicalism and arrogance divided the opinions in British politics like never before. Among the people she was known for triggered the most intense passions, either total admiration or extreme hate and rejection.

Thatcher who died on Monday at 87 aged, from a fatal stroke, was a British symbol that revolutionized the social order in her country and transformed the problematic British economy into a capitalist monster by selling big sectors of the State economy to private owners.

She was the first woman named prime minister in the U.K. and carried three consecutive electoral victories for the conservatives between 1979 and 1990; the longest period a British minister have ever had since the beginning of the XIX century.

Thatcher was not the first neither the last working class person to reach the top of the conservative party. Before her Edward Heath had already reached the Primer Minister office and after John Major did the same. However her leadership in the “tory” party brought an undeniable revolution. With her regular oratory, debatable attractiveness and a classic fashion style she was a genuine representative of the conservative party. “Maggie” who stopped the elitist hegemony in the government, believed in the nucleus of family, in Christ and progress through hard work and individual achievements. She was loyal to the idea that everyone should get what they deserved according to their personal merits and not according to their necessities.

She was definitely a true “tory” with a life philosophy of individual effort and responsibility. So when Thatcher came to power in 1979 the she did not wasted any time and implemented a very radical economic plan in which many national industries were privatized and big cuts on social related issues like health, arts and public transportation were made. The iron lady also challenged the already established power of the unions and closed problematic businesses. The economic change was hard to swallow. Unemployment increased above three millions but latter the inflation went down by a 4% relieving some of the British discomfort.

However one of her most memorable and controversial contributions to history was her leadership role during the Falklands War. When Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982, Thatcher barely hesitated before sending a 25,000-strong military task force to reclaim the colony. A war that could have been avoid, ended up being a total disaster and many lives were lost unnecessarily. Maggie then became a myth and her military victory gave her enough support to win again the general elections in 1983.

Strong and powerful, she was definitely an indefeasible leader that introduced the British  island into a new age full with innovative ideas and a philosophy of her own “thatcherism”.

Perhaps this  philosophy is her biggest legacy because after mining protests were smashed in Wales, the “thatcherism” became the new British political philosophy by excellence. In fact the labour party decided to never again support a leftist political agenda full with social programs and instead they moved towards the center of the political spectrum. Thatcherism deleted the major differences between left and right in British politics and nowadays we can observe a party system that mostly show’s different shades of the same believe.

In her years of glory The Iron Lady did it all. She challenged and opposed communism, contributed with Reagan for the debacle of the Soviet Union and at the same time had a good relationship with Gorbachev.

Her downfall came because of her constant rejection of European integration and the introduction of a poll-tax that punished those who did not pay it with the denial of their suffrage. Finally it was her  own party who voted her out in 1990.

We can't ignored that apart from politics Margaret Thatcher was also a great wife and mother, always committed to the ones she loved the most; but for history is the strong political tools she used the ones we will not forget.  

Reviving the life of such an icon it is not an easy task but perhaps there is one phrase told by Thatcher herself that sums everything up about her life, “I have only one thing to say: You turn if you want to. The lady’s not for turning.” and indeed she never did.