MikeLigalig.com

8 April 2013

Margaret Thatcher, who has died following a stroke, was one of the most influential political figures of the 20th Century.


Baroness Thatcher, 1925-2013

Her legacy had a profound effect upon the policies of her successors, both Conservative and Labour, while her radical and sometimes confrontational approach defined her 11-year period at No 10.

Her term in office saw thousands of ordinary voters gaining a stake in society, buying their council houses and eagerly snapping up shares in the newly privatised industries such as British Gas and BT.

But her rejection of consensus politics made her a divisive figure and opposition to her policies and her style of government led eventually to rebellion inside her party and unrest on the streets.

more at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-10364876

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(philstar.com) | Updated April 13, 2013 - 4:03am

 
LONDON (AP) — The BBC is in a bind after opponents of Margaret Thatcher pushed the song "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" up the British charts in a posthumous protest over her divisive policies.

The online campaign to drive the "Wizard of Oz" song to the No. 1 spot on the U.K. singles chart was launched by Thatcher critics shortly after the former prime minister died Monday of a stroke at age 87.

As of Friday, the song was No. 1 on British iTunes and was within striking distance of the top spot elsewhere.

Still, many people say the campaign — which aims to see the song played this weekend on the BBC's Official Chart Show — is in bad taste. Some have called on the BBC to promise it won't broadcast the song.

John Whittingdale, a lawmaker from Thatcher's Conservative party, told the Daily Mail tabloid that many would find the ditty "deeply insensitive."

"This is an attempt to manipulate the charts by people trying to make a political point," he said.
 
In a statement, the BBC said it had not yet decided on whether it would feature the song on its show — which normally plays all the week's best-selling hits.

"The Official Chart Show on Sunday is a historical and factual account of what the British public has been buying and we will make a decision about playing it when the final chart positions are clear," the taxpayer-funded BBC said.

Not all Tories agreed that the song should be yanked.

"No song should be banned by the BBC unless its lyrics are pre-watershed," said former Conservative lawmaker Louise Mensch, referring to British restrictions on adult content.

Mensch, a prominent Conservative voice on Twitter, said in a message posted to the site that Thatcher, famously known as "the Iron Lady," would not have wanted it any other way.

"Thatcher stood for freedom," she wrote.

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A government source told Reuters that every country with whom Britain enjoys "normal" diplomatic relations was being invited to Wednesday's funeral, but Thatcher's family had objected to Fernandez attending.

"It's about adhering to her family's wishes," the source said. A government spokesman said Argentina's ambassador to Britain would be invited, and that was in keeping with protocol.

The Daily Telegraph newspaper, without citing its sources, reported that Thatcher's children Mark and Carol said they felt it would be "inappropriate" for anyone from Argentina to be there after government officials floated the idea.

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FALKLANDS THEME

Members of parliament from Thatcher's ruling Conservative party have hailed Britain's victory in the Falklands war as one of her greatest achievements and her funeral is expected to follow a Falklands theme.

More than 700 armed forces personnel will take part in the ceremony and the 10 coffin bearers will be drawn from regiments and units that played a pivotal role in the conflict.

The war boosted Thatcher's flagging political fortunes at the time and cemented her image as a patriotic defender of what was left of Britain's Empire, helping her win a landslide victory at a general election in 1983.

In a ceremonial funeral with military honours and attended by the Queen, Thatcher's coffin will be drawn on a gun carriage by six horses through London to a service at St Paul's Cathedral, a format that has drawn criticism from some politicians and commentators for its pomp and public expense.

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