Ex-Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher dies peacefully of a stroke at 87, her political career had spectacular successes and failures, during the Falklands War she brought Britain together, peace time less successful

Dear All

Today’s big story on the domestic British political scene is that former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher has died at 87 following a stroke.

Margaret Thatcher served as PM from 1979 to 1990 during her time she became both popular and unpopular.

Her legacy in Scotland which destroyed her party north of the border was the hated ‘poll tax’, people in Scotland never forgot that, even today.

A spokesman said:

"It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning."

In the coming days, people will look at her achievements and failures but for now, most people will have sympathy for her family.

David Cameron called her a "great Briton" and Downing Street says Lady Thatcher would be accorded the same status of funeral as the Queen Mother and Princess Diana.

In political terms, Margaret Thatcher had a good run in politics, becoming the Conservative MP for Finchley, north London in 1959, retiring from the Commons in 1992.

She was effectively forced out by her own party, who didn’t believe she could win their next election, John Major took over, his tenure wasn’t as successful, the Labour landslide of 1997 proves that.

The Conservatives lost their way, and had to go, in Scotland, the Scottish Tories have spent 20 years in the wilderness and still can’t grasp the task of coming back in a meaningful way.

One of the good things done by Margaret Thatcher was allowing people to buy their council property.

And several of the disasters involved her government privatising several state-owned industries.  

Britain is all the poorer for that misjudgment.

As her popularity dipped, along came the Falklands war in 1982, that brought the country together.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said:

"The Queen was sad to hear the news of the death of Baroness Thatcher. Her Majesty will be sending a private message of sympathy to the family."

History will make a judgment on Margaret Thatcher and her record, in part it will be harsh, she helped turn society into ‘me me me’, which Harry Enfield typifies by his loads of money character.

She said famously that there was no such thing as society, she was wrong, there is in every community where people from all walks of life do good to make life better for the benefit of all, sometimes in a small way that makes all the difference.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University