Saturday, January 14, 2012

The Legacy of Margaret Thatcher - & Her Take On Class Warfare

The grocer's daughter who grew to be Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, aka The Iron Lady, aka Attila The Hen, the lady famously described by French President Mitterand as having "the eyes of Caligula and the mouth of Marilyn Monroe" - is in the news this week as a movie documenting her life, The Iron Lady, hits the theaters. This from the Heritage Foundation via Nice Deb:

As moveigoers head to theaters this weekend, many will want to compare the person they saw on screen to the real woman. As we explained this week, there is no resource better than the Iron Lady’s own words. Our new video attempts to shine a spotlight on her important legacy—one that continues to inspire.

Like President Ronald Reagan, her political soulmate, she came to power at a desperate time in her country’s history, when real leadership and bold ideas were most needed. And by applying conservative principles to the challenges she faced, she was able to achieve real and lasting success. Then, as today, she faced an extraordinary set of challenges and a chorus of voices saying her country’s best days were behind it. Thatcher’s successes are a comforting reminder of the power of a bold, conservative vision at work.




You can find a thoughtful review of the film at Diogenes' Middle Finger.

And now for some bonus footage. As noted above, Thatcher led her nation to an improving economy that saw the incomes of all citizens, from poorest to richest, rise. Yet she was attacked on class warfare grounds during "Question Time" near the end of her term because the income divide between rich and poor had widened.



How's that for hitting the nail on the head.

(H/T Althouse)

As an aside, let me add that I think the British political system is screwed for a number of reasons, but the one thing they do right is Question Time. Every Wednesday when Parliament is in session, the Prime Minister makes an appearance on the floor of Parliament and fields questions from the members of Parliament. It is healthy debate and high drama. It also explains why the average Prime Minister is, in terms of speaking and debating skills, head and shoulders beyond our average President. If there is one British custom we should take from Britain, this would be it.

1 comment:

Ex-Dissident said...

Aesop's tale of 2 cubs trying to divide up a melon between them. First cub tried to cut the melon into 2 halves and the second cub complained that he was not cutting it equally. Then the second cub was given the knife and asked to cut, but before making this cut the first cub complained that the portions are not equal. They argued with each other for some time, until a fox passed by and offered to cut the melon for them. They agreed and the fox swallowed the whole melon herself. They were left with exactly equal portions of nothing.

Communism/socialism described by Greeks in 600 BC.