A State Funeral For Thatcher?
According to the Mail, she will be given a State funeral when she dies at some point in the future. If this is true, she will be the first Prime Minister since Churchill to be accorded this honour.
This is of course called “no less than she deserves” from some quarters, and “an insult” from others.
Personally, I can see both sides. She was a Prime Minister who achieved a lot - whether what she achieved was good or bad depends on your viewpoint. And on what you emphasise - saving the economy from collapse after the disastrous Callaghan government, or stopping free milk for schoolchildren and ending the tyranny of the trade unions.
Thatcher was the first Prime Minister of the 20th century to have won three general elections with their own party forming their government, and the first female Prime Minister ever. She was chosen by the people as their Prime Minister on three separate occasions, with large margins. Whilst there is no denying that she was a divisive figure, she won 42.7% support in 1987, her final general election.
So she deserves a State funeral.
However, it is just as arguable that Tony Blair - who also won three general elections with a large majority - should have a State funeral as well. And why not? I detest him and what he has done/caused to be done to this country, but I don’t begrudge him that. Why? Because I’m not riven with class hatred like some.
Let’s just hope that neother of them die for a good long time yet, anyway.
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Absolutely agree.
good points- if only some of those vitriolic guardian readers had such a balanced view ;some of them are bloody childish and just plain nasty