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| Margaret Thatcher |
Although I am American, my mother was a British subject until the day she passed, and so, happenings in England, and who was prime minister was a relevant in the home in which I grew up, as whomever occupied the White House.
Margaret Thatcher was a remarkable human being, in many respects. She was not born to particular high station in a time in which one's station of birth was quite important in England. She was the daughter of a grocer, who attended a college at Oxford University (Somerville College) and whose primary degree was first in chemistry. From there, she became a barrister, which is a version of an attorney in England. From there, she went on to become a pivotal leader of Britain's Conservative party, and eventually the only female Prime Minister of England. She was Prime Minister from 1979-1990. When I think about this, I realize that she was the Prime Minister of England through my late high school, college years, and young adulthood. Margaret Thatcher, was also mother to twins Mark and Carol, and a devoted wife to her husband Denis.
I remember hearing a story about Margaret Thatcher visiting Rush Limbaugh. Apparently Limbaugh and her husband Denis were good friends, and they regarded one another highly. This was not well known to most people, and one day, people in Florida were shocked when Rush Limbaugh drove a golf cart at a gold club he frequented, and Mrs. Thatcher was with him, watching a game and then having lunch there.
Margaret Thatcher is credited with having improved the economy of the United Kingdom. She is also credited with demonstrating that Commonwealth Nations will be defended, as was demonstrated with the Falklands War. She stood strongly against the Irish Republican Army, who nearly succeeded in executing her using a bomb.She was a staunch ally of the United States, and a close personal friend of Ronald Reagan, and of Nancy. She did not isolate the Russians, and was able to have meaningful discussions with Gorbachev, to who this day, recalls her fondly. Many of the things she did in England were considered controversial. The village where I attended school in England decidedly slipped badly during the Thatcher years. Many in the North of England disliked her. However, she was an honest and eloquent person. She did not lie, or run from a fight. She was an eloquent debater, yet could be swayed when someone provided a circumstance where her idea might not be best. In some ways, I am reminded of the best of my mother, when I consider her.
We could use world leaders today who honestly express their ideas, and move forward as courageously as she. Mrs. Thatcher was 87 when she passed yesterday.
A detailed portrait of her life and times
