This week, BBC’s new movie examines the fall of Margaret Thatcher. Divisions within the Conservative Party regarding European integration as well as public backlash against Thatcher’s tax policies, which did not take income disparities into account, were the main reasons why Thatcher’s long reign as prime minister (1979-1990) finally ended.
London’s Independent took the BBC dramatization as an opportunity to explore whether a rehabilitation of the iconic Iron Lady is now in order. Judging by the remarks of those interviewed, the answer is “no.” Today, Great Britain is struggling to find its way out of a serious economic crisis which has forced the government to partially nationalize the banking system. In such a climate, memories of Thatcher’s rejection of social safety net programs and her fierce advocacy of free unregulated markets are clearly not conducive to a positive reappraisal of her political legacy.
Of course, it was never just a question of Thatcher’s policies. Opponents and even her former allies criticized a political style considered by them as too abrasive, too combative and too polarizing. Yet, for better or worse, Thatcher’s rise to power became a symbol of the doors open to women if they were better than men in playing what was essentially seen as a men’s game. Almost three decades after Thatcher was elected prime minister, can we really say the game has undergone a transformation to have it any other way?
