Dancing on Margret Thatcher’s Grave: by Donovan Reynolds Blogger and Independent Writer

 

Dancing on Margret Thatcher’s Grave: by Donovan Reynolds Blogger and Independent Writer

The name Margret Thatcher is like a sorcerer’s curse to the ears of most left leaning working class British Citizen. She is like the rain- loved by some and loathe by others. The announcement of her death on Monday of this week sparked some of the biggest street party from her birthplace in Grantham to Brixton who lined up maliciously to dance on her grave. It’s not my style to dance on people’s grave so when the invite came for me to attend a central London Party this Saturday I politely declined.

The last time I did something vengeful to a dead person was at the age of 27 out of share unadulterated anger -let’s say for politeness sake -I became overwhelmed with alcohol and unresolved childhood anger when I foolishly emptied my bladder on my physically abusive dad’s grave. So as a rule ,feisty as I am I don’t to the murky business of dancing on my enemies grave-at least not anymore. The revelation of it in a burdensome confession to my family I have regretted to this day. As most of my first divorce I had to endure the emotional pain by sulking to myself in private without the emotional support of my avenging family members as pay-back. But let us offer a sober assessment of the late Baroness life and legacy before the lingering hatred for her boil over in the days leading up to her funeral.

Twenty three years after demitting office as Britain’s first woman Prime Minister demitted office at Number 10 Downing Street she died earlier on this week at the Ritz Hotel in London at the age of 87 yrs. from a stroke after a long period of illness. Born in Grantham England the daughter of a local grocer became the first woman leader in British politics. She took over the helm of the conservative led Government in Briton in 1979 when the United Kingdom was considered as the sick economic man in Europe and carried out a number of social and political reforms that were both decisive and divisive. By 1999 when she left office because of the introduction of a deeply unpopular implemented poll tax although she had left the economy in a much healthier position she had by then become the most conflict-ridden leader of post war British Politics. Thatcher’s claims to promote low inflation, the small state, and free markets through tight control of the money supply, privatisation and constraints on the labour movement has been both her success as a leader and her demise. She was loved by US President Ronald Regan at that time for her conviction capitalism and was his key ally with the US in the Cold War and earned her name as the Iron Lady by the Russian press following one of her speeches criticising the USSR.

The Iron Lady earned her hatred because of her determination to reduce the power of the trade unions over plans to close 20 state owned mines and cut 20,000 jobs .She won the dispute at a price tag of 1.5 billion pounds and the loss of thousand s of job in rural Britain leaving to untold hardship on a scale that was unimaginable and closed the door to future female British Prime Ministers. News of her death sparked a feeding frenzy of coal miners across Britain dancing unsympathetically in the streets to the music of Morrissey’s hate fuelled song about the Baroness. While all of this was happening Republicans on the other side of the Atlantic in the US led by Nancy Regan showered praise on her and worshiped at the altar of her macro-economic legacy.

At home in Britain she was accused by comedian Alexi Sayle of making a conscious decision to run down manufacturing and concentrating on selling arms and growing the financial services. Former Labour Prime minister called Lady Thatcher a towering figure while others cynically commented that he was the main success of her Legacy as she bequeathed her crony capitalism him to so much that it seem at times during his premiership he was reading joint right wing hawkish foreign policy document give to him by Gorge Bush.

Margret Thatcher was by far the most masculine Woman among men in British politics: with the exception of Baroness Young, no women were promoted to the Cabinet or to junior Minister. Novelist Lionel Shiver hailed her as a feminist not for what she said but what she did. That compliment coming from a man is hardly comforting when she did so much to undermine women such as freezing child benefits and accused women during her premiership of raising a “crèche Generation”.The only bold feminist statement that she made was by way of a gaffe in 1989 when she declared “we are a grandmother “shortly after the birth of her grandson Michael in 1989.She once disclosed to a personal adviser in private that she reviled the feminist movement yet she was admired by women for her steely determination and her astute and firmness as a leader and she had the beauty and aura of a Hollywood film star. She held a squeaky clean image in her public life yet her son Mark was charged in 2004 with an alleged plot to overthrow the Government of Equatorial Guinea in Africa and he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of f helping to finance the plot and was given a tap on the wrist in order to preserve his ailing mothers dignity. In 2009 her daughter attracted controversy when she was sacked from the BBC by describing a black tennis player as a ‘golliwog’.

In all of this she was extremely successful in government. A historical sweep of Margret thatcher life in politics reads like the story of an extremely successful but reckless male formula one driver who has won the grand prix. However in doing so- have wreaked a lot of havoc along the way and made a few friends and many enemies on his way to pole position. In all of this the honourable Baroness deserves a measured and dignified state funeral with her family, friends and foes sobbing over her casket. Not the ugly spectre a few right wing zealots ready to snort her ashes or vengeful left-wingers waiting to dance on her grave to the wizard of Oz song “Ding Dong! The witch is dead”.

Donovan Reynolds is a Blogger and Independent Writer. He is a British based Social Worker and Human rights Activist. He has an interest in Politics, Culture, and Human Rights. Readers may comment on this blog or email feedback at dannygerm63@hotmail.co.uk