After the recent death of a world famous politician, I was disgusted to note that the old adage of ' Don't speak ill of the dead' had been laughable tossed aside. People who have no interest in politics brandishing torches in an illogical witch hunt. This woman was the son of a grocer who went to Oxford, she was a research chemist who later retrained to be a Barrister. This was what a single woman achieved in 1954, a time typical of extreme sexism and stay at home wives. To come from such humble beginnings to world wide fame, and the ignorant chose to dance on her grave.
Everyone has their own opinions, and that makes the world a beautifully crazy place, but to show such little respect for a grieving family honestly disgusts me. How would the average Joe feel if their parents were barely cold and people were crawling out of the wood work to offer abuse and disdain. Obviously having a famously opinionated parent makes it much tougher, they have grown up with daily criticism, surely in this time of mourning they deserve peace.
It is of course Margaret Thatcher: first woman to lead a major political party, the first female Prime Minister, the longest serving Prime Minister of the 20th Century. It can be assured that she will be lambasted for stopping school milk (for 7-11 year olds) and her stance against the Unions will also stay fresh in peoples minds. Ironically most of the Union striking and damage to the economy was done in the 1970's, however the fact that she stood her ground against the Unions (who had as much power as the government and were all but attempting to run the country at the time) determined to prevent the nation being crippled again will always reflect poorly on her politics.
But for most people that is the extent of their knowledge.
She fought to end selective education ushering in over 3000 Comprehensive Schools in her time as Education Secretary and introduced the National Curriculum to guarantee that all were taught to the same level. She put in place the policy of giving council tenants the right to buy their homes at a discount, which was seen by many as a blessing until recently when the lack of housing stock has become a massive concern. She reorganized the NHS and introduced privatisations of Utilities which made millions of people shareholders, improved services and freed up more Government money.
She overruled MOD advice that the Falklands couldn't be re-taken after Argentinian invasion, and proceeded to win the war. She was firmly uninterested in joining Europe, a fact many are now coming to agree with. She dealt with Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan without backing down and held her own despite ongoing tensions.
She ran this country for over 11 years and like every other leader of people made unpopular decisions and who could honestly say that they could have done better or worse
The public as a whole are so fast to judge, and usually over inconsequential things like the latest non celebrity, but who are they really to judge. My Facebook page has been awash comments of 'Thatcher parties' and all the doctored photos, even claims hat she doesn't deserve a State funeral, which every serving Prime Minister is entitled to! I could understand a couple of jokes but most of them are from those too young to be born or even remember anything from her policies. I am not a fan of all of her policies, but I am a fan of common-sense decency and respect.
I honestly hope that the family issue a statement expressing how disgusted they are with our 'Humanity', because I know I can't be the only one!
No comments:
Post a Comment