by JULIE BISHOP
Baroness Margaret Thatcher is a towering figure in 20th century global politics and will remain an inspiration for men and women around the world for generations to come.
As Britain’s first female Prime Minister she blazed a trail for aspiring women. It is doubtful that she intended to be a feminist role model, but she was, and only those determined to view her achievements through a partisan political prism could fail to be impressed by her courage and determination and the strength of her convictions.
Baroness Thatcher’s economic and political philosophies and her uncompromising approach to policy so profoundly changed the United Kingdom that it was dubbed ‘Thatcherism’.
While her critics used the term to denounce what they regarded as an extreme approach, many of her pro-market and privatisation policies were subsequently adopted by governments around the world.
Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in 1979 at a time when her nation had struggled to overcome the impact of its post World War II embrace of democratic socialism.
The Cold War still had a decade to run. Britain had endured a ‘Winter of Discontent’ throughout 1978, marked by militant industrial strikes that had crippled vital industries.
Thatcher’s vision was for a more vibrant society that offered more freedom, choice and opportunity for future generations. After decades of creeping socialist ideals, this required a challenge to entrenched vested interests and to the established order. This inevitably led to conflict, controversy and rapid change.