South West Herts MP with Baroness Thatcher
She was a towering figure who changed the face of Britain. Margaret Thatcher was a true British icon.
Her passing this week prompted tributes from around the world and rightfully so – few people were as influential as Maggie. I wish there were more like her.
When Thatcher came to power in 1979 this country was in a mess. The unions were causing chaos and public sector strikes were choking the economy.
Yes, the Iron Lady was tough and combative but she got Britain moving again. And as a greengrocer’s daughter she understood the importance of small business – a subject very close to my heart.
Internationally she put us back on the world stage. She stood up for the Falklands and is considered one of the architects of the West’s victory in the Cold War.
She wasn’t perfect, the latter period of her time as PM in particular showed up her flaws. She could be divisive and while her stubbornness proved to be, at times, a strength, towards the end of premiership it was a weakness.
Her policies also resulted, unfortunately, in an increase in the divide between the north and south.
But despite this, her legacy is enormous. South West Herts MP David Gauke, who had the pleasure of meeting Maggie, recently described her as “our greatest peacetime Prime Minister” a sentiment I agree with entirely.
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