Margaret Thatcher death: Why Margaret Thatcher was one the most hated yet amongst the most admired prime ministers in British history

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.