For someone who polarised opinion possibly more than any modern politician, she in reality was more complex than the myth of the unwavering Iron Lady.
Those that love her and those hate her buy into the myth that they choose, but I would be interested in how many of us realise the extent that realpolitik shaped her actions and altered her prinicples.
All politicians have to do this, and a career like MT's by it's longevity at the highest levels of power means that there were by necessity compromises.
Defining episodes like the Poll tax, Hunger Strikes, Miners strikes, Falklands etc seem to be headline indications of her character and resolute principles yet within them there are also grey areas.
Regardless of policies and whether you support them or not , it would be great to get a few reasoned comments on the below before it descends into the predictable
What do you think of the contradictions in her actions? Does it make her more interesting than the lazy caricature?
The contradictions in her decisions seem to me to undermine the conception that she was resolutely principled. Some were unashamedly politically expedient (such as the Westminster gerrymandering) Some counter productive (hunger strikes swelling support for PIRA)
Some were necessary for her to reach her goals.
- A ‘free marketer’ selling off council housing below market rates
- Ditto selling off state assets (and Norman Tebbit picking up directorship of BT etc)
- A ‘defender against Europe eroding UK sovereignty’ signing the SEA
- Ditto leading ‘Yes’ campaign to stay in EEC
- Ditto wanting to widen the EEC to include more countries
- ‘Freedom for individuals’ yet centralising power
Ditto on councils
- ‘Small state’ but increased spending (modern lowest as % of GDP was Lab c.2001)
- Ditto expanded welfare state massively
- ‘Champion of democracy’ opposed to German reunification
- Ditto supporting Pakistan Regime
- Ditto arming Mujahidin
- Ditto defending SA
- Ditto telling Catholics if they didn’t like it there, to move out of NI
- Ditto supporting Pinochet
- Ditto abolishing GLC
- ‘Staunch anti terrorist’ engaging in secret talks with PIRA
- ‘Defender of Falklands’ in talks with Argentina about handover pre conflict
- Quoting Assisi but relishing discord
- ‘Champion of British interests’ that gave away Westland
- ‘Housewife’s balanced budget’ that relaxed credit regulations
- ‘Lady not for turning’ U turning on early monetarist stance
- Ditto on Poll tax
- ‘Upholder of traditional British Values’ deriding the concept of society
- ‘Tax Cutter’ opposing Chancellor’s income tax cuts
Those that love her and those hate her buy into the myth that they choose, but I would be interested in how many of us realise the extent that realpolitik shaped her actions and altered her prinicples.
All politicians have to do this, and a career like MT's by it's longevity at the highest levels of power means that there were by necessity compromises.
Defining episodes like the Poll tax, Hunger Strikes, Miners strikes, Falklands etc seem to be headline indications of her character and resolute principles yet within them there are also grey areas.
Regardless of policies and whether you support them or not , it would be great to get a few reasoned comments on the below before it descends into the predictable
What do you think of the contradictions in her actions? Does it make her more interesting than the lazy caricature?
The contradictions in her decisions seem to me to undermine the conception that she was resolutely principled. Some were unashamedly politically expedient (such as the Westminster gerrymandering) Some counter productive (hunger strikes swelling support for PIRA)
Some were necessary for her to reach her goals.
- A ‘free marketer’ selling off council housing below market rates
- Ditto selling off state assets (and Norman Tebbit picking up directorship of BT etc)
- A ‘defender against Europe eroding UK sovereignty’ signing the SEA
- Ditto leading ‘Yes’ campaign to stay in EEC
- Ditto wanting to widen the EEC to include more countries
- ‘Freedom for individuals’ yet centralising power
Ditto on councils
- ‘Small state’ but increased spending (modern lowest as % of GDP was Lab c.2001)
- Ditto expanded welfare state massively
- ‘Champion of democracy’ opposed to German reunification
- Ditto supporting Pakistan Regime
- Ditto arming Mujahidin
- Ditto defending SA
- Ditto telling Catholics if they didn’t like it there, to move out of NI
- Ditto supporting Pinochet
- Ditto abolishing GLC
- ‘Staunch anti terrorist’ engaging in secret talks with PIRA
- ‘Defender of Falklands’ in talks with Argentina about handover pre conflict
- Quoting Assisi but relishing discord
- ‘Champion of British interests’ that gave away Westland
- ‘Housewife’s balanced budget’ that relaxed credit regulations
- ‘Lady not for turning’ U turning on early monetarist stance
- Ditto on Poll tax
- ‘Upholder of traditional British Values’ deriding the concept of society
- ‘Tax Cutter’ opposing Chancellor’s income tax cuts