The Iron Lady - the last honest politician there was

Now, I am not a Thatcherite by any stretch of the imagination (I am a proud centrist / centre-left who yearns for a moderate Labour government to tackle the inequalities our society face today – unlike Thatcher I think the state can be a force of good, rather than something from an Orwellian novel). However, she was undoubtedly the last honest politician. She had unpopular policies but never shied away as to what she believed was right. I disagree enormously with Thatcher on Europe; no doubt had she been alive in the referendum she would have campaigned for Leave (Ken Clarke was right - she would have been leading the European Research Group) even though she was a huge proponent and creator of the Single Market. That all acknowledged, politicians from across the political spectrum would do well to emulate Thatcher’s honesty. If they had there probably would be no tuition fees, no Iraq war and certainly no Brexit. Thatcher would have campaigned for Brexit on a sovereignty issue rather than lies based on the NHS.

 Since studying Thatcher for my level 6 module at KCL and having studied her papers at the archives in Oxford and Cambridge I have come to the conclusion that she wasn't the person her fans and critics deem her to be. She wasn't a champion and nor was she the devil either. She was tremendously loyal to those she cared about and could be a bully to those she disliked (my heart breaks every time I see Geoffrey Howe in 'The Iron Lady' being belittled by her). I neither like nor dislike Thatcher which is unusual for me. However, the period in which she governed is fascinating and is essential for modern historians to understand the present today.