Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, died yesterday. She was 87.
It will surprise no one who knows me even a little bit that I hold Margaret Thatcher up as one of the giants of the 20th century. It is sad indeed that disease robbed her of a lot of the thoughtful reminiscence to which she was entitled at the end of her incredible life. In this she is tragically similar to her fellow Cold War general Ronald Reagan.
(But I’m sure they’ve shared a wonderful dinner by now.)
Margaret Thatcher was a populist, with the courage of her convictions. She delivered hope and renewal to a stagnant Great Britain, eventually making it the fourth largest economy in the world. She suffered no fools gladly, rhetorically jettisoning them with formidable skill.
With apologies to John Mellencamp, she didn’t need to look over her shoulder to see what she didn’t like.
And, she was instrumental in winning the Cold War “without firing a shot.” (That was her construction, remember.)
This is what we need to be leading with—not “wow, what a great woman she was.”
Thank you, Baroness Thatcher. RIP.
photo credit: roberthuffstutter via photopin cc
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