A Lady Not For Turning

The Old Testament prophets didn't say 'Brothers, I want consensus'. They said "This is my passion, my vision. If you believe it too, come with me! If you want consensus, vote Labour. If you want the passion and vision to get Britain right, vote Conservative. — Margaret Thatcher, Cardiff, 1979


Thirty years ago today, Lady Thatcher became Prime Minister of Great Britain. You can read the Daily Telegraph tribute here.

Margaret Thatcher is one of my political heroes. While I was formulating my political philosophy (and I won't tell you how young I was at that stage), I read her memoirs, The Path to Power and The Downing Street Years . I freely admit that at that stage, I didn't understand much of her economic theory, aside of course from the shocking mismanagement of SOEs (state-owned enterprises, for the uninitiated). But I did understand her values, her pride in Britain, her unshakable resolve to back the workers and not the shirkers, her devotion to duty, hard work, thrift, and the values of a Methodist upbringing.

She said Conservatism was not so much a programme, more a way of life. She said Communism was a godless and wicked ideology. She said Galleitri was a tin-pot General, and a playground bully, who would not tyrannise over the Queen's subjects while she was the Prime Minister. She quite simply, saved Britain from Socialism, and with Mr. Reagan, the West from the Soviet Union. She always gives him the Lion's share of the credit, but it was Maggie he turned to, Maggie who backed him, pushed him, supported him. Maggie deserves at least half the credit.

A tough, passionate, and Conservative Lady, she has changed the world. In her memoirs, she has a number of regrets. But the Iron Lady dealt the death blow to Socialism, crushing Scargill and his malcontent shirkers, saving the economy, she put the Great back into Great Britain. She writes that the challenges facing the West are great. Terrorism, rogue States, the break-down of family, the expansion of the government into family life. Welfare reform, standards in education, the reconstruction of civil society, not to mention that our economic troubles have come full circle once more. These are our challenges, and we could go a long way without finding a better model of solving them than Margaret Thatcher - the "lady's not for turning", we could do with her type again.

Baroness Thatcher, you are a Conservative heroine. The Monarchist salutes you on this, the 30th anniversary of your rise to power. Light the Torch of Freedom!