We have lost a great leader, a great prime minister and a great Briton.
As our first woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher
succeeded against all the odds, and the real thing about Margaret
Thatcher is that she didn't just lead our country, she saved our
country, and I believe she'll go down as the greatest British peacetime
prime minister.
Her legacy will be the fact she served her country so well,
she saved our country and that she showed immense courage in doing so.
And people will be learning about what she did and her achievements in
decades, probably for centuries to come.
The world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and
liberty, and America has lost a true friend. As a grocer's daughter who
rose to become Britain's first female prime minister, she stands as an
example to our daughters that there is no glass ceiling that can't be
shattered. As prime minister, she helped restore the confidence and
pride that has always been the hallmark of Britain at its best. And as
an unapologetic supporter of our transatlantic alliance, she knew that
with strength and resolve we could win the Cold War and extend freedom's
promise.
Our first meeting in 1984 marked the beginning of a
relationship that was difficult sometimes, not always smooth, but
serious and responsible from both sides. Gradually, human relations
developed as well, they became more and more friendly. Eventually we
were able to reach mutual understanding, and this contributed to changes
in atmosphere between our country and the West, and to the end of the
Cold War. Margaret Thatcher was a great politician. She will remain in
our memory and in history.
In government, the UK was turned around under - and in large
measure because of - her leadership. Her reforms of the economy, trades
union law, and her recovery of the Falkland Islands elevated her above
normal politics, and may not have been achieved under any other leader.
Her outstanding characteristics will always be remembered by
those who worked closely with her: courage and determination in
politics, and humanity and generosity of spirit in private.
Margaret Thatcher was a towering political figure. Very few
leaders get to change not only the political landscape of their country
but of the world. Margaret was such a leader. Her global impact was
vast. And some of the changes she made in Britain were, in certain
respects at least, retained by the 1997 Labour government, and came to
be implemented by governments around the world.
Even if you disagreed with her as I did on certain issues and
occasionally strongly, you could not disrespect her character or her
contribution to Britain's national life. She will be sadly missed.
Tony Blair: "I always thought my job was to build on some of the things she had done rather than reverse them"
It is well known that my husband and Lady Thatcher enjoyed a
very special relationship as leaders of their respective countries
during one of the most difficult and pivotal periods in modern history.
Ronnie and Margaret were political soul mates, committed to freedom and
resolved to end Communism. As Prime Minister, Margaret had the clear
vision and strong determination to stand up for her beliefs at a time
when so many were afraid to "rock the boat". As a result, she helped to
bring about the collapse of the Soviet Union and the liberation of
millions of people.
Ronnie and I knew her as a dear and trusted friend, and I
will miss her. The United States knew Margaret as a spirited and
courageous ally, and the world owes her a debt of gratitude.
She will be remembered not only for being Britain's first
female prime minister and holding the office for eleven years, but also
for the determination and resilience with which she carried out all her
duties throughout her public life. Even those who disagreed with her
never doubted the strength of her convictions and her unwavering belief
in Britain's destiny in the world.
Margaret Thatcher was a pioneer, willingly or unwillingly, for
the role of women in politics. It is hard to imagine a part of our
current history that has not been affected by measures she put forward
in the UK at the end of the 20th Century.
She was a wonderful, wonderful person. I believe that history
will honour her for all that she achieved and it has been a great
privilege to have been by her side for the past 35 years.
She will be forever remembered in the Islands for her
decisiveness in sending a task force to liberate our home following the
Argentine invasion in 1982. Our sincere gratitude was demonstrated in
1983 when she was granted the Freedom of the Falkland Islands. Her
friendship and support will be sorely missed. We will always be thankful
for all that she did for us.
Margaret Thatcher was one of the defining figures in modern
British politics. Whatever side of the political debate you stand on, no
one can deny that as prime minister she left a unique and lasting
imprint on the country she served. She may have divided opinion during
her time in politics but everyone will be united today in acknowledging
the strength of her personality and the radicalism of her politics.
Nick Clegg "I think everyone will be united today in acknowledging the
strength of her character and the radicalism of her politics."
She changed our country forever and all of us owe so much to her. A legacy few will ever equal.
Margaret Thatcher's belief in freedom and optimism about the
future overcame all. Her determination is our generation's inspiration.
She will be remembered as a unique figure. She reshaped the
politics of a whole generation. She moved the centre ground of British
politics and was a huge figure on the world stage.
The Labour Party disagreed with much of what she did and she
will always remain a controversial figure. But we can disagree and also
greatly respect her political achievements and her personal strength.
She also defined the politics of the 1980s. David Cameron, Nick Clegg
and I all grew up in a politics shaped by Lady Thatcher.
Labour leader, Ed Miliband: ''Lady Thatcher stirs up deep feelings... but now is not the time for party politics''
We have lost the outstanding peacetime prime minister of the
20th Century. She was the perfect prime minister - she knew what she
wanted to do, and did it. Her 11 years were quite outstanding, and
raised the standing of Britain in the world, and changed the nature of
Britain itself.
It is right that today we give thanks for a life devoted to
public service, acknowledging also the faith that inspired and sustained
her.
She had firm principles but she was also interested in detail
and she, with the help of some of her colleagues, certainly saved the
country from a very, very weak economic condition that may have been
irreversible if she hadn't come along.
It is immensely sad that we have lost one of the greatest
political figures of the second half of the 20th Century. I was proud to
have served in her government and to have worked with her in those
years. We could do with another one like her right now.
I am sorry to learn of Lady Thatcher's death. The illness of
her last years has been cruel and very difficult. I send my deepest
condolences to Mark and Carol Thatcher.
We have not seen each other for a long time and it does come as
quite a shock. She was a remarkable person with tremendous qualities -
hard-working, intelligent, a very good leader.
Mrs Thatcher was very persistent. She would not let go. She
went on and on and on until through sheer exhaustion and exasperation
others gave her most of what she wanted.
I recognise and admire the great distinction of Baroness
Thatcher as the first woman to become leader of a major UK political
party and prime minister.
Watching her set out to change Britain for the better in 1979
made me believe there was, at last, real purpose and real leadership in
politics once again. She bestrode the political world like a colossus.
Margaret Thatcher freed millions of people to buy their own
homes and buy shares in British companies. She ended the defeatism and
pessimism of the post-war period and unleashed a spirit of enterprise.
She fought against the clubby, cosy, male-dominated consensus of both
main parties - and she won. Her beliefs - in thrift, hard work, and
proper reward for merit - were not always popular. But her legacy is
colossal.
She did have weaknesses and they showed up from 1989 onwards.
Refusing to change her mind on the poll tax was one of her biggest
mistakes.
Margaret Thatcher was a truly formidable prime minister whose policies defined a political generation.
Margaret Thatcher was a major force in British political life
who undoubtedly had a significant influence on the political, social and
economic landscape in Wales and the UK.
She shaped modern Great Britain as few have before or since.
She was one of the greatest leaders in World politics of her time. The
freedom of the individual was at the centre of her beliefs so she
recognised very early the power of the movements for freedom in Eastern
Europe. And she supported them. I will never forget her contribution in
overcoming Europe's partition and the end of the Cold War.
Throughout her public life, with conservative beliefs she fully
assumed, she was concerned with the United Kingdom's influence and the
defence of its interests. She maintained a relationship with France that
was frank and honest.
She was an inspirational leader who stood on principle and
guided her nation with confidence and clarity. She is a great example of
strength and character, and a great ally who strengthened the special
relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States.
Like so many others, I respected the conviction and
self-determination she displayed throughout her remarkable life as she
broke barriers, defied expectations, and led her country.
A great European personality has gone from us. For Germany,
she was not always an easy partner but always a reliable one. Many of
her beliefs were influenced by her childhood in World War II, more so
than through the challenges of the post-war period. It is this world
view which may have been the reason for her hesitation about German
reunification.
Margaret Thatcher did great hurt to the Irish and British
people during her time as prime minister. Working class communities were
devastated in Britain because of her policies. Her role in
international affairs was equally belligerent whether in support of the
Chilean dictator Pinochet, her opposition to sanctions against Apartheid
South Africa; and her support for the Khmer Rouge. Here in Ireland her
espousal of old draconian militaristic policies prolonged the war and
caused great suffering.
While her period of office came at a challenging time for
British-Irish relations, when the violent conflict in Northern Ireland
was at its peak, Mrs Thatcher signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement which
laid the foundation for improved North-South co-operation and ultimately
the Good Friday Agreement.
She will be remembered not only as one of Britain's greatest
prime ministers but also as a leader whose policies and approach had a
significant impact on politics throughout the world. Although she was
always a steadfast critic of apartheid, she had a much better grasp of
the complexities and geo-strategic realities of South Africa than many
of her contemporaries.
Above all else, she had the courage of her convictions, she led
from the front and ensured Britain enjoyed the respect it deserves
overseas.
It's very difficult now looking back to try and convey the
intensity of the feeling against Margaret Thatcher at that time. I mean
one doesn't want to speak ill of the dead but she was despised in many
many homes across the coalfields of Britain, not just south Wales of
course. She had a very definite agenda. She wanted to change the country
and a bit like war theory and Clausewitz she realised that sooner or
later you had to confront the main enemy and she saw the main enemy,
rightly or wrongly, as the National Union of Mineworkers.
Her legacy was all the great problems we face today. Her
strategy was wrong. She destroyed the trade unions by allowing our
manufacturing to collapse.
Margaret Thatcher described Nelson Mandela as a "terrorist". I was there. I saw her lips move. May she burn in the hellfires.
Tories believe in division and inequality. Thatcher defined
that and Thatcherism continues today as bad or worse than her period in
office.
She's a figure of myth. And I mean by that everybody for
hundreds of years will know if you say, she's a real Margaret Thatcher,
they'll know what you mean. An ism has been named after her. Her
character's very strong, her beliefs are very strong and this has been
an enormously important part in the history of freedom in the western
world and it's seen and admired, and often criticised but never the less
strongly admired across the world.
Thatcher will only be fondly remembered by sentimentalists who
did not suffer under her leadership, but the majority of British working
people have forgotten her already, and the people of Argentina will be
celebrating her death. As a matter of recorded fact, Thatcher was a
terror without an atom of humanity.
We now live in a country in which John Major is our greatest living politician.
Source Link :
www.bbc.co.uk
