Maggie!

Shocked! I have just realised that a woman who inspired and influenced me has not even rated a mention here!  Love her or hate her, she made a difference to the world we live in today... Well it is past time I gave her some well deserved attention....

Margaret Thatcher, a brilliant, clever and determined woman!

I was 14 when Maggie came to power and 26 when they brought about her undignified downfall. Her values and passions were inspirational and I still firmly believe in everything she stood for.   She made us proud to be British, something subsequent Governments have destroyed.

There are some who would argue she lost her way, well perhaps in her last term things could have been different, we can debate that another time.  Should that  override the achievements?

Maggie and The Miners

Arthur Scargill, the trade unionist who was no friend of the miners.  Scargill led the 1985/85 miners strike in a bitter battle with the Government, events that became a defining moment for the British trade union movement.  His personal vendetta almost brought Britain to its knees, how is that something to be proud of?  Ten people dead, including an innocent taxi driver taking a man to do an honest days work in the mines.  Their history spoke for itself, after all, they went on strike during WW2, what did they care about loyalty to their homeland?  Hopes were high, after all, they brought down the Heath Government in 1974!  Maggie stood firm and Scargill was eventually defeated but at such a huge cost to the nation!

Maggie and the Milk

Maggie the Milk Snatcher!  One of her earlier nicknames!  As a pint sized recipient of our little bottles of milk, I have no recollection whatsoever of it stopping.  A defining moment in my life?  Apparently not!  The little bottles of milk were representative of a post war era that was always going to end, Maggie was just brave enough to make that happen.

 

and then...

... there was Maggie & Privatisation, Maggie & Reagan, Maggie & Northern Ireland, Maggie & The Falklands, Maggie & Foreign Affairs and Maggie & the Poll Tax!  And let's not forget Maggie & Malcolm Turnbull locking heads over Spycatcher and so much more....

So many discussion points... but finally let me touch briefly on Maggie & Terrorism... never did she give in to terrorism.  Despite being a target in Brighton, she stood firm and never would Maggie have given in to fear and allowed a mile "no protest" perimeter around the people's Parliament, as implemented by Mr Blair's Government!

I admire Maggie for her intelligence, her strength her sheer determination and her many achievements.  We need her like we have never needed her before...

.... and with her increasingly failing health, I will certainly shed a few tears when the inevitable happens.

photo credit: roberthuffstutter via photopin cc