Today, Great Britain, Europe and the world mourns the loss of a great stateswoman, former British Prime Minister Baroness Margaret Thatcher of Kesteven. Former colonies of the British Empire and members of the British Commonwealth will no doubt pay their respects over the ensuing days to this giant of a woman who the Soviets dubbed the 'Iron Lady' for her inflexible political stances.Margaret Thatcher was an indomitable force during her 11-and-a-half-year reign as Britain's first and only female prime minister.
Today, many Britons have mixed feelings about the legacy she left behind, but what many will not deny is that her polices - domestic and foreign, social and economic - changed the course of history for Great Britain and arguably the world forever.Early lifeThatcher was the daughter of a grocer from Grantham, Lincolnshire and a trained research chemist (later barrister) who received her qualifications from Oxford University. Coming from a lower middle-class background, she was not a part of the 'establishment' but rose to the leadership post of the British Conservative Party in 1975 defeating her male opponents.
She was a leader who would gain the support of the middle classes during her tenure in office, but she would also become and inevitably be remembered as a leader who was both admired and disliked in equal proportions.ThatcherismMargaret Thatcher broke the glass ceiling by becoming the first woman to lead a European country when she was elected as prime minister of Great Britain in 1979. She would go on to be the longest serving British prime minister since the early 19th century until she was ousted out of office by her fellow Cabinet members in 1990 - an act that she deemed treacherous.
Her premiership came on the heels of the 'winter of discontent' - a time in which Britain was experiencing challenges.The emergence of Thatcher coincided with an era in the history of the United Kingdom which was plagued by excessive government spending, imprudent management of public finances, unbearable taxes on the backs of the citizenry and industrial unrest led by union bosses who got their way over both Conservative and Labour governments prior to her rule.
Thatcher's policies and response to the challenges facing Great Britain invoked the political philosophy of Thatcherism - a brand of conservative British politics that featured the introduction of free market enterprise and free trade, reduced taxes, opposition to monopolies while embracing competition and a reduced size of government.Her legacyThatcher is credited for restoring Great Britain to its glory days as a world power. Though her premiership was marred by high unemployment and social disorder, she expanded wealth and ownership opportunities among Britons through increased share holdings in state-owned enterprises.
The development and construction of private and council homes during her tenure effectively increased home ownership among the British people.The Iron Lady's term in office was not free of controversies, albeit she confronted them all bravely. Thatcher is seen as having crushed the trade union movement in her days as British prime minister. Her face-off with the trade union movement is believed to have paved the way for a new dispensation in trade unionism.
This has resulted in the passage of what many deemed to be anti-union legislation which, among other things, made strikes illegal activities.Thatcher and many Britons believed that unions continued to hold the country hostage through their demands which at times seemed excessive to the detriment of the country's economic and political stability. Comparing the actions of union bosses to Britain's fight against the Argentines in the War of Falklands, she is quoted as saying, "We had to fight the enemy without in the Falklands.
We always have to be aware of the enemy within, which is more difficult to fight and more dangerous to liberty." At the commencement of her term as prime minister, it was reported union membership stood at around 13 million; however, upon demitting office, the records show that union membership had fallen to less than 10 million.The history books will be generous to Thatcher's accomplishments on foreign policy. She is credited for winning the war against the Argentines over the dispute of the ownership of the Falkland Islands.
In addition, she and her closest political ally, U.S. President Ronald Reagan, are credited with contributing to the end of the Cold War which is evidenced by the fall of the Berlin Wall.Thatcher and PindlingSir Lynden O. Pindling was a political contemporary of Thatcher and they both had several acquaintances during their tenures as leaders. They had certain things in common, as both came from humble beginnings and were patriotic and stately. Thatcher and Pindling both held anti-communist sentiments, but that's as far as their political ideologies and philosophy would meet.
Thatcher was a conservative who believed in free enterprise, less government intervention with strong anti-union sentiments, and was a staunch opponent to Britain joining the European Union based on her feeling that it would encroach upon Britain's sovereignty. Pindling, on the other hand, was a liberal politician whose rise to power involved collaboration with labor leaders such as Sir Randol Fawkes and Sir Clifford Darling. Pindling, unlike Thatcher, facilitated no sale of state-owned utilities to private investors; and in opposition to Thatcher's ideology, embraced regionalism and participation in the Caribbean Community, although still a consummate Bahamian patriot.On foreign policy, it is safe to say that the two leaders rarely saw eye to eye.
The Bahamas and Trinidad were sole Commonwealth Caribbean countries who opposed the invasion of Grenada by the United States, but received no support from Thatcher who initially expressed opposition. Thatcher, however, threw her support behind her biggest ally and political friend at the time, President Ronald Reagan.Pindling would also challenge Thatcher and other Commonwealth heads during the inaugural Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in The Bahamas in October 1985 to advocate for the imposition of sanctions on the South African government, who had engaged in apartheid marginalizing black Africans in South Africa.
Again, Thatcher joined her ally Reagan against the imposition of sanctions. Nevertheless Pindling was able to persuade the heads of senior Commonwealth members like Australia, New Zealand and Canada, working to produce a unanimous statement in favor of sanctions against South Africa which ultimately brought an end to apartheid and ushered in black majority rule in the country.Pindling, by a letter in May 1988, petitioned the British prime minister to lend her support to The Bahamas in the fight against drug trafficking - an issue that would taint Pindling's legacy.
He thanked her for her generosity in entertaining him just a short two months earlier and was grateful for her sympathy toward the plight of The Bahamas at the time. He would also thank the United Kingdom through Thatcher for providing aid for the training of officers and men of The Bahamas' defence force and police force.Tribute to a giantIn the words of British Prime Minister David Cameron: "We've lost a great prime minister, a great leader, a great Briton." Cameron noted that not only did Thatcher lead Britain, but she also saved the country and for this, he believed that Thatcher would go down as the greatest British peacetime prime minister.
Cameron's remarks and belief will no doubt be the subject of debate among Britons for decades to come. Nevertheless, the British will lay to rest in a ceremonial funeral with military rights in the coming days arguably the most influential female leader of our time. Adieu Thatcher, the Iron Lady.o Arinthia S. Komolafe is an attorney-at-law. Comments can be directed atcommentary@komolafelaw.com.
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