Margaret Thatcher was an ardent believer in decentralization of control, over theeconomy or deregulation as we call it today. She successfully combated inflation and unemployment, tackling the problems with various techniques. Keynesian Theory of J. M. Keynnes and The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith were constant sources of inspiration to her.
Margaret discovered that every area of the economy was open to reform. Though the rest of Europe was very much into socialism, she set about privatizing the nationalized industries, which were considered incompetent. And miraculously, they worked very well. British Airways, an embarrassingly solvent national carrier, which seldom showed profit, was among the world’s best and profitable airlines after privatization. British Steel, which lost more than a billion pounds and was in death throes, turned out to be the largest steel company in Europe after privatization.
Among her first fights was a struggle against Britain’s out of control trade unions that had destroyed three governments in succession. Thatcher turned the nation’s anti-union feeling into a handsome parliamentary scoring point accepted by majority and also won a mandate to restrict union privileges by a series of laws that effectively ended Britain’s trade union problem once and for all.
Her austere and unsparing governance earned her the title of Iron Lady. People said that Prime Minister Thatcher "does not have discussions. She only has opinions." Her personal political philosophy popularly referred to as Thatcherism was characterized by the resolution to persevere with politics despite objections from critics and doubts from the supporters.
US President Ronald Reagan was one of her greatest admirers. He too began to adopt her policies and to implement them in his country. He had introduced de-regulation, tax cuts and opened up the markets, which yielded the desired results. He always used to say, "I’ll remember that Margaret." This mutual admiration turned out to be a potent foreign policy partnership. Both Reagan and Thatcher applied pressure on the Soviet Union to encourage it to reform. They succeeded in pursuing Mikhail Gorbachev to push Perestroika to its maximum limits and so fatally as to undermine the self-confidence of the Soviet elite.
Margaret Thatcher is however, the only one of her kind in British history to have left an indelible mark so as to influence not only her country and its people but the entire world.
Margaret Thatcher was born Margaret Hilda Roberts to Alfred and Beatrice Roberts on October 13, 1925 at North Parade, Huntingtower Road, Grantham in Britain.
Her Father
Four generations of the Roberts family had been shoemakers in Northamptonshire, at that time a great center of the shoe industry. Her father, who had wanted to be a teacher, had to leave school at 13 because the family could not afford for him to stay on. He went instead to work at Oundle, one of the better public (i.e. private) schools. He had a series of jobs eventually getting the post of manager of a grocery store in Grantham in 1913. When the First World War broke out a year later, her father who was a deeply patriotic man tried to enlist in the army no fewer than six times, but was rejected on each occasion on medical grounds.
Four years after first arriving in Grantham, Alfred met Beatrice Ethel Stephenson, who had her own business as a dressmaker. They were married in May 1917, and their first child, Muriel, was born in 1921. Alfred's business was improving and he opened a second shop in Huntington Road, and four years later, their second child Margaret was born.
Maggie
Margaret, affectionately called Maggie, went to school when she was five. She was educated first at Huntingtower Elementary School and later at the Kesteven and Grantham High School. When Maggie was nine, she won a poetry reading contest at school. The headmistress congratulated Maggie saying, "You were lucky to win!" Maggie retorted, "I wasn’t lucky, I deserved it." As a child Margaret was fascinated by poetry, and once when she was gifted a book by Milton she was thrilled and treasured that book ever since.
Margaret grew up to have varied interests including politics. Margaret would often help her father out at the store. Both Alfred and Beatrice were actively involved in local politics.
Her parents were practical, serious and intensely religious. They were staunch methodists. Her father was considered a powerful preacher and was much in demand as a lay preacher in and around Grantham. Her father never realized that he used to put on a ‘Sermon voice’ while preaching till Margaret pointed it out one day. Albert Roberts also served as Mayor of Grantham in 1945.
The Writings Of Kipling
In 1936, when she was in the final year of primary school, she first read Rudyard Kipling and was very much impressed by his writings. She tried to get hold of all the poems and stories by Kipling. She even asked her parents to gift her a book by Kipling on Christmas. Margaret believed that if a child showed interest in Kipling’s work, it would give a wider perspective of the British Empire, history of England, and the animal kingdom. Margaret read a lot of Kipling and the more she read, the more interest it aroused in her. In fact, she was accused of using the word ‘nostalgia’ from Kipling’s work. Such words came to her naturally and easily as a result of her rich vocabulary developed by reading the works of great authors.
Her Inspiration
Life for Maggie, however, changed when she moved to Kesteven and Grantham Girls School. Though the school was situated in a different part of the town, she used to walk home for lunch. It worked out to be more economical than the school lunch. It was four miles back and forth commuting for her. Miss Williams, the headmistress, was a source of inspiration for Margaret. Her attire always caught Margaret’s attention. Miss Williams advised the children never to compromise on quality and take the best quality stuff from the limited income. The school had about 350 girls and most of them belonged to middle class families. Maggie’s closest friend, daughter of a builder, traveled 10 miles daily from her village. Many times Maggie used to stay at her friend’s place. Soon Margaret realized that their parents’ views were similar. Both the families were concerned about the education of their children. Margaret and her friend’s family used to go for walks, identifying wild flowers and bird species and listening to bird songs.
Miss Harding, her history teacher, inspired Margaret to cultivate interest in history. Though Margaret could not develop taste for the subject, she recalled Miss Harding’s account of the Dardanelles campaign years later when she walked over the battlegrounds of Gallipoli as a Prime Minister.
But it was Miss Kay, her chemistry teacher whom Margaret admired. Her interestin the subject inspired Margaret to opt for chemistry in her later years. Her interest in science and chemistry in particular grew with the contemporary breakthroughs, which made newspaper headlines. For example the splitting of the atom and development of plastic motivated her to get into the field.
An Academic Attitude
Margaret also won a scholarship to Kesteven Grammar School. Later she was accepted at Oxford University, but unfortunately for Maggie, as she had not opted for Latin she could not qualify. Her father hired a tutor to help Maggie qualify for Oxford. Finally she entered Oxford in 1943. An extremely industrious girl, Maggie studied on scholarship and worked her way to Oxford and graduated in Chemistry and Law. She was educated at Somerville College, Oxford and received her BA degree in 1946, B.Sc. in 1949 and MA in 1950. Later, she also got a chance to read for the Bar and specialized in Tax Law. She also became the first woman president of the Oxford University Conservative Association. She used to teach mathematics, chemistry and general science when she returned home for her summer vacations.
Her Marriage
Launching her political career, she stood for parliament for the first time in 1950but lost though she increased the local conservative vote margin by about 50 per cent. Meanwhile, working as a research chemist, she got married to Denis Thatcher at the age of 26, in 1951. Denis Thatcher served as a Major in the Royal Artillery during World War II. A former director at Burmah Castrol, Denis was also on the directorial boards of several reputed companies. He was made the Baronet in December 1990.
Margaret believed that marriage had changed her life entirely. Denis and Margaret enjoyed themselves. They visited theatres, took holidays to Rome and Paris, hosted and attended parties.
A Popular Party Speaker
Life was pleasant after marriage. Margaret managed to take out enough time fromhousework to pursue a long-standing intellectual interest in law. Though her father was not a magistrate, he got to sit on the bench as Mayor of Grantham in 1945-46. Many a time Margaret accompanied her father to the Quarter Sessions where minor criminal offences were tried.
Times changed for Margaret after her article appeared in the Sunday Graphic on the position of women, At the Dawn of the New Elizabethan Era. Soon she was on the list of much sought after party speakers and received invitations from constituencies throughout England.
Auntie Beryl
In 1952, Margaret decided to step into the political arena with the full support ofDenis. Margaret visited Beryl Cook or ‘Auntie Beryl’, the area agent, who too promised her support and directed her to John Hare the Conservative Party vice chairman for candidates. Though being warned about the pressures of a political life, Margaret remained steadfast. She announced her intention to fight a marginal or safe seat in the next round. And as per her request she was allowed to contest for a parliamentary seat from Canterbury.
Mother Of Twins
Now, life had something more in store for Margaret – she was going to be a mother. One night, some six weeks before ‘the baby’ was due, Margaret developed labor pains. Earlier that day, Margaret had visited the doctor and he had advised her to come the following Monday. Monday seemed ages away, and she had to be immediately shifted to a hospital. It was a sedative that put Margaret to sleep through the night. Friday morning, the X-ray reports revealed a surprise, Margaret was going to be the mother of twins.
But this was not all; the situation required a Caesarian operation on Saturday. The two babies had to wait for a while before they saw their dad.
A mother’s love and attachment towards her children is perhaps the strongest and most instinctive emotion. Margaret was not one of those who regarded being ‘just’ a mother or indeed ‘just’ a housewife, as second best. Though, being a housewife and a mother was considered to be a vocation of a very high kind, she somehow felt that it was not her whole vocation. She wanted her career too. However she also believed that the home must be the center of one’s life, and not the boundary of one’s ambitions.
The House Of Commons
In 1959, Margaret was elected to the House of Commons as a representative of Finchley. It was in 1961 that her first ministerial appointment came through. She became Parliamentary Secretary to the then Minister of Pensions and National Insurance and remained in that position till 1964 when the government changed.
Victory against Argentina served as a morale booster to Thatcher’s tottering government. She led the Conservative Party to a victory at the sweepstakes in the parliamentary elections of June 1983. She narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when a bomb planted by Irish extremists exploded in Brighton’s Grand Hotel during a party conference in 1984.
With her thumping victory in June 1987 at the hustings, she became the first British Prime Minister in the 20th century to serve three consecutive terms.
She had to resign following a controversy and infighting, which followed as an aftermath of her opposition to full monetary and economic union with Europe. When she resigned on November 28, 1990, and left 10 Downing Street for the last time after 11 successive years, 6 months and 24 days after first setting foot there as Prime Minister, Margaret was tormented by a whirl of conflicting emotions. Mixed feelings filled her heart as she walked away from the limelight she had enjoyed for more than a decade.
A Woman Of Substance
In December 1990, she was awarded the Order of Merit by her Majesty, the Queen of England. She was elevated to the House of the Lords to become Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven. April 1995 saw her as member of the noblest order of the Garter.
Margaret Thatcher was a great daughter, a good wife, and an excellent mother. As a mother she was always by the side of her children whenever they needed her help and support. She was always concerned about their upbringing even though she had a hectic schedule as Prime Minister. As leader of the Conservative Party she had done her best to win laurels for her party and wholeheartedly supported her party. As Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher was conscious about reforming the economy and empowerment of the people of Great Britain.
MARGARET DENIS THATCHER
Born to a Grantham bookstore owner, Margaret Thatcher led Britain to economic freedom and superpower status.
Appropriately called the Iron Lady, Margaret as the British Prime Minister deftly handled wide ranging issues like unemployment, the Falklands War, the labor union strikes and kept the opposition always unsettled.
Her astute leadership led Britain in the world’s Real Politik where along with major superpowers like USA and the erstwhile USSR established the foundations of world peace through negotiations. Lets try to have a glimpse of her persona and lift the veil of the Iron Lady, who undoubtedly was one of the most influential women of the 20th century.
October 13, 1925
Born Margaret Hilda Roberts at Grantham.
1947
Graduated from Oxford University.
1950
Married Denis Thatcher.
1953
Became a tax lawyer after studying for the bar.
August 15, 1953
Twins, Mark and Carol born to Margaret.
1959
Elected to the House of Commons.
1960
Gets first ministerial appointment as Parliamentary Secretary.
1964 – 1970
Remained as a front-bench spokesman for her Conservative Party.
June 1970
Became Secretary of State for Education and Privy Counselor.
1975
Was appointed the Leader of the Opposition Party.
1979
Became the first ever woman Prime Minister of Britain.
1982
Recaptures Falkland Islands from Argentina.
June 1983
Elected as Fellow of the Royal Society.
1984
Survives assassination attempt at Brighton.
June 1987
Became the first British Prime Minister to serve three consecutive terms.
1990
Resignation after losing support from the Conservative Party over differences on European Community Policy.
December 1990
Awarded Order of Merit, by Her Majesty, The Queen.
1992
Awarded title of Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven and nominated to the House of Lords.
Books & Laurels
• The Downing Street Years 1993.
• The Path to Power 1995.
• President of Oxford University Conservative Association (while an undergraduate).
• First Lady Prime Minister of Great Britain, 1979-1990.
Was made Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, elevated to the House of Lords in 1992.
• Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end; it is not a day when you lounge around doing nothing, it’s a day when you’ve had everything to do and you’ve done it !
• Pennies do not fall from heaven; they must be earned down here on earth.
• Where there is discord may we bring harmony, where there is error may we bring truth, where there is doubt may we bring faith and where there is despair may we bring hope.
• People think that at the top there isn’t much room; they tend to think of it as an Everest. My message is that there is tons of room at the top.
• You may have to fight a battle more than once in order to win it.
• It may be the cock that crows, but it’s the hen that lays the egg.
• When hecklers stand up… I get a mental jump for joy. It gives me something to get my teeth into – and the audience loves it.
• Thinking realistically never got anyone anywhere; be true to your heart and aim for your dreams.
• I fight on, I fight to WIN !
• My job is to stop Britain going red.
• The very special relationship between us and our transatlantic cousins has foundations too solid to corrode.
• I’m NOT handing over, I’m not handing over the islands now !
• I am not a consensus politician. I’m a conviction politician.
• The lady’s not for turning.
• Consensus ? Consensus is the negation of leadership.
• This country belongs to the courageous, not the timid.
• We should back the workers, not the shirkers.
• If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.
• …his own overwhelming belief in himself is sufficient…
• I told him we all have to accept second best sometimes; this applied as much to me as it did to him.
• There is no such thing as ‘society’.
• If you put your money in a sock, they’d probably nationalize socks.
• I don’t mind if my ministers talk, as long as they do what I say.
• We had to do what we had to do; Britain is great again.
• It will be years and not in my time, before a woman will lead the Party or become Prime Minister.
• But for those of you waiting with baited breath for the favorite media catch-phrase, the U-turn, I have only one thing to say – U-turn if you want to, the lady’s not for turning.
• One only gets to the top rung on the ladder by steadily climbing up one at a time, and suddenly, all sorts of power, all sorts of abilities, which you thought never belonged to you – suddenly become within your own possibility and you think, "Well, I’ll have a go, too.
• Of course it’s the same old story. Truth usually is the same old story.
• Platitudes ? Yes, there are platitudes. Platitudes are there because they are true.
• To wear your heart on your sleeve isn’t a very good plan; you should wear it inside where it functions best.
• It is not the creation of wealth that is wrong, but the love of money for its own sake.
• Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous, you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides.
• If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time and you would achieve nothing.
• Success is having a flair for the thing that you are doing; knowing that is not enough, you have got to have hard work and a certain sense of purpose.
