The death of Baroness Thatcher yesterday brings to an end one of the great lives in modern British history.
Thatcher was an extraordinary woman who came to power at a most difficult time. The nation was on its knees after Labour and the trades unions, aided to some extent by Ted Heath, had all but destroyed the economy and devastated our society. Margaret Thatcher's government changed much of this, restoring some health to the conomy while ending the stranglehold which the unions had imposed on both industry and the public sector.
Today, some still hate and despise what she did. These are almost all supporters of old style nationalised industry and massive public services who found themselves deprived of excessive wages, protected conditions and easy lives. The 'closed shops', outdated practices and unwillingness to change of many industries are what destroyed them, not Margaret Thatcher. Those for whom Thatcher's legacy is all bad and hateful really should take a long hard look at themselves and the lives they have today - little of it would have been possible without her.
Not everything that she did was right and some people lost out, but most of what was done was essential and laid the foundations for Britain to become a modern, competitive economy. No one else came forward to lead this revolution, though others clung to her coat tails, and she can truly be credited with being both the architect and engineer of the UK's recovery. She was a great woman, human being, Prime Minister and Briton, and we shall be very lucky to see her like again.
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