David Cameron was elected party leader to be the Tory’s pre-Iraq War Tony Blair: non-ideological, pleasant and moderate. As his government went south and seemed increasingly headed to the electoral rocks, they have become more belligerent and Thatcherite by the day.Their muse, Margaret Thatcher, has died at the age of 87.
Mrs. Thatcher was a querulous and cranky right winger who was exquisitely packaged by her handlers as detailed by Germaine Greer in this 4 year old piece. When success went to her head, she became increasingly strident and nasty to her own colleagues as well and was ousted by the Conservative party in a coup. She spent her retirement “backseat driving” and making snarky remarks about her successors until vanishing from the scene as her mental faculties faded away.
As an American Democrat with pro-Labour sympathies, I was not a fan of Thatcher’s, but she *was* bloody colorful and a significant political figure. In many ways, except for his geniality, she was Ronald Reagan in a frock.
My favorite quote about Thatcher was attributed to then French President Francois Mitterand who said “she has the eyes of Caligula and mouth of Marilyn Monroe.”
The Guardian has wall-to-wall coverage of Thatcher’s death, check it out by clicking here.