...Prime Minister of Great Britain, a patriot, a Parliamentarian, one of the most remarkable women of our era: Margaret Thatcher.
When she became Prime Minister, Europe was locked into the Cold War, Communism looked as though it would be a fixed and miserable part of the landscape for the foreseeable future for millions of people on half the continent, Britain was stuck in a mindset of economic and political stagnation.
She restored to Britain a robust belief in enterprise, gave Eastern Europe a vision of freedom, won a war, and wrote history.
Unlike so many of today's politicians, she entered Parliament with real convictions and beliefs. She was not a professional politician but had worked in industry (research chemistry) and was a qualified barrister. She honoured her parents and the Christian values they had taught her - and spoke about this with frankness and sincerity. She was very happily married. She loved Britain and had a deep sense of its heritage.
And she was a woman of kindness and courtesy. I was a very, very junior person working in the Conservative Research department in the exciting months of 1979. I remember the whirl of excitement as she came into the busy room where we were beavering away on items for the first day of the election campaign. She was efficient and breezy and exuded confidence, but there was also a sense of quiet authority and of efficiency. We talked over the project on which I was preparing a brief - she was competent and knowledgeable. You felt you were part of a team that was going to do something useful and of value. And she was polite and disarmingly downbeat. I honestly do believe she saw politics as public service. And she served her country - and the cause of peace and the betterment of the human lot - well.
May she rest in peace.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
She was a consistent supporter of abortion on demand and of the culture of death generally, sent many young men unnecessarily to their deaths in the pointless Falklands war which nearly scuppered our chances of having the visit of Blessed Pope John Paul II to our country, and promoted the selfish economic individualism carried on by her heirs Major, Blair, Brown and Cameron.
Patricius, I interviewed her in 1987 and she was then in favour of reducing the abortion limit from 28 weeks to 24, which is not great but better than some of her contemporaries. I have some other reminiscences on http://www.alenkalawrence.com/2013/04/maggie-and-me.html
And while we're on the subject of the culture of death, there was no system that enshrined that better than Communism, against which Thatcher,alongside Ronald Reagan and yes, Blessed John Paul ll, made such a decisive and world-changing stand. As for the Falklands War being pointless, you might like to ask the islanders (and other denizens of small, vulnerable states) if they agree.
I was saddened by her death. She was a truely great lady. I didn't know her position on abortion, but if what Patricius says is true, then that does bring her down a notch in my eyes. Nonetheless, she was a remarkable woman who turned the tide of British decline and helped win the COld War. May she rest in peace.
U.S.Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush drew strength from Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She had the intelligence to know what to do, and the courage to do it.
Sheila A. Waters
Bronxville, NY USA
Many of things you say are true but she was also a very divisive figure. Some of her policies had a devastating effect on social cohesion and there often seemed to be a wilful disregard for the impact of some policies on individuals and communities.
Unfortunately, she was also a conviction politician who was convinced that the unborn didn't have a right to life. If she had been a racist or sexual abuser or anti-semitic she would (rightly) not be lauded - but it seems acceptable to overlook her support for the 1967 legislation that has resulted in the deliberate killing of millions of unborn children, as well as the shameful Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act promoted by her own government in 1990.
May God have mercy on her soul, but please spare us the eulogy. I doubt if the unborn would be joining you in singing her praises.
The country was in a terrible mess when she came to power and no other politicians had the bottle to tackle the problems head on. She was brave and determined. She didn't seek to be liked, but to do what she felt was right. I have never really liked the Tories since her downfall. And she never fiddled her expenses either.
Clare A
Amfortas: If you wish to detract from MrsThatcher's reputation could you,at least,give examples please? What you have written above is really rather silly.
There are blots on her record. The 1980s saw sexual promiscuity become mainstream, with only a few Christians, Muslims, and eccentrics remaining virgins until marriage. Were now beginning to pay the price of that - a failing school system because of all the unfathered children, feeding through to an economy which can no longer grow.
But whilst we can blame Mrs Thatcher for not making a stand, she wasn't to blame for the trend itself.
WakeUpEngland, I wasn't answering an exam question, just offering a passing observation. I'm sorry if you disagree with my observation.
Post a Comment