Margaret Thatcher: Hated for being great. Great for being hated.

I am frequently asked why I think Margaret Thatcher is the best prime minster when so many hate her so passionately. I always answer with a swift sentence about her strong characteristics that reverted England to the strongest stance, i think, since winning World War Two.

But in actuality she was one of the best Prime minsters this country has ever seen, and according to statistics, rather more popular than one might think. So many Tories are known for being the more effective prime ministers in history, but this goes over looked as we are currently on a campaign of hatred for increased university fees, benefit cuts and unemployment. And so many news outlets focus on the negative, when if they took the time to do some research they’d find the following.

Margaret Thatcher is the seventh longest serving Prime minister, serving three terms from 1979-1990.  Only one other of those 7 served in the 20^th century, and of those, 5 were of the Tory or Conservative Party. Winston Churchill, war hero and legend, also a Tory, is the longest serving MP, with 63 years under his belt.

Thatcherism became a strand of Conservatism, focused on economics and free market ideology, how many other Prime ministers left behind an ideology as their legacy? Her time in office saw her enter and leave behind a benefiting economy as net migration increased. It also saw her help to end the Cold War and increase friendly relations with USA, the biggest superpower at the time. In addition she re asserted English power and authority, in a some-what Imperialistic manner, in the Falkland’s and unite Europe. In a time of recession, although unemployment inevitably rose to record highs, she reduced inflation to the highest degrees and there’s direct positive correlation between the state of the economy and her time in office.

Moreover, she flew the flag for Feminism and for a ‘work hard and you shall achieve’ audience, so rare in the Conservative Party. From Grantham, she attended and graduated from Oxford, which she attended on her own merit, and from there changed the world as we know it. Feminists are often heard criticizing Thatcher for a lack of solidarity, failure to help other women and for not acknowledging her debt to feminism, but is it not the greatest thing to see a person of the ‘wrong’ gender and the ‘wrong’ class break the boundaries of middle class, middle aged, white men, politics and to then become the face of that. I also think she did right by not bowing her head to the movement of feminism as this would have subjected her to even more criticisms within her own party. Being a product of feminism is fine until you become a leader because you have to be seen to have gotten there by merit, not political correctness.

 Children of the 80's may have grown up hating her but the fact is after years of growing up to hate men, women were also allowed to be hated. I’m not saying that’s a great thing, I’m saying that’s equal. And that’s what feminism wants right? In the most degrees anyway, equality?

I’ve been taught that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, and Thatcher was horrendously hated for the controversial politics she pursued with such vigor  Her name was everywhere. And there is no such thing as bad publicity... so by being hated, did this do more for Feminism, are we to thank Baroness Thatcher for bearing the brunt of hatred just so a woman would be visible in a position of power? Think on this.

Politics aside...I want to note her passion. Not once have I ever heard a prime minister speak even remotely in the same tone and with such conviction. Ed Milliband struggles to sound like he even knows what he’s saying. He struggles to enunciate or stand with confidence. David Cameron sounds like he’s scared and is daren’t stray from his written speech. And Nick Clegg is just grateful for being around. Margaret Thatcher could argue in an empty room. She made people love or hate her. She was heroic, strong, and powerful. She spoke well, was neither scared nor confused and she above all showed she deserved to be there. Her speeches, like those of Churchill and Harold Macmillan echo through time and are quoted on a regular basis. 

She, like a rare selection of others, said things that shaped the world today and forever more. And yes many prime ministers make changes, shape history and are popular, Tony Blair for example. But Margaret Thatcher had not only the love of the people, but the anger and hatred, and there is no weapon so powerful for the winds of change than that of a furious public. Think of the greatest revolutions, of popular culture, of film even. She did, in my eyes, and a few others, many great things... but it is the controversy that makes her the greatest prime mister that ever was and will be...until my turn obviously.