I Heart Maggie

The Telegraph is running quotes from various influential public figures about Margaret Thatcher. These quotes, from the 25-years later perspective, are meant to be a thoughtful critique of Thatcher, and, occasionally it lives up to that billing.

And then there are the fun comments.

Here's part of one from fashion designer Katharine Hamnett:

I think one of the bad things about Thatcher is that Tony (Blair) has taken the worst aspects of her dictatorship - like her high-handedness - and made them his own.

She ran the Cabinet like a dominatrix. She was very sharp-tongued, and I'm sure she had some kind of sexual hold over the Conservatives then.

Now, that's what I call useful critique.

Then there's Billy Bragg's revisionist commentary:

I think it's terrible that, at a time when we are about to commemorate the anniversary of D-Day, the generation that lived through that and won it for us are - well - not so much being mistreated as just not getting the benefits of the things they fought for.

What they fought for was a society with free health care, with decent, affordable housing and free education for all. That was all attacked by Margaret Thatcher - and the governments that followed her haven't done enough to put that right.

I hadn't realized that Churchill had rallied the UK to give "blood, sweat, and tears" just so that they would all get free health care and decent, affordable housing. Apparently, the real fight in World War 2 wasn't with the National Socialist party, but the struggle to build a lasting welfare state.

Stick to singing, Billy.

Read the rest.

Posted by zombyboy at May 3, 2004 12:37 PM | TrackBack