The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
Our discussion of candidates with personal baggage led Mollie to note the tendency of politicians who are not terribly principled in their private lives to wind up indicted on corruption charges.
I was meditating upon that and thinking of my beloved Margaret Thatcher. She was, famously, tenderly devoted to her husband, to whom she was very happily married. She insisted upon cooking him his breakfast every morning, no matter what the demands of her day as Prime Minister of Britain. His death devastated her.
In the acknowledgements to my book about her, I note the debt historians owe to her:
Lady Thatcher was under no obligation to give her personal papers to anyone. Indeed, she could have sold them to the highest bidder or burnt them had she thought it prudent. She instead donated them to the British people. This is proof of the depth of her commitment to the ideal of an open society, not to mention an extraordinary testimony to her confidence in her own character. You do not hand over to historians and journalists 3,000 boxes of papers, many of which you have not seen since the day they crossed your desk, if you are not certain that you have always conducted yourself with irreproachable integrity. Think about it: Would you?
I can't say I would have the confidence to hand over the paper record of the past several decades of my life to the public in the serene assurance that not so much as scrap of paper would suggest a hint of personal or professional impropriety. I'd at least want to look at everything once to be sure.
Mrs. Thatcher was remarkably tolerant of her ministers' personal failings. She had, however, none of her own.
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Jun '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
And here I thought conservatives were just money-grubbers.
Thatcher saw herself as the servant of the people. The Obama types want the people to be the servants of the state.
Thatcher was a truly extratordinary human being: one of the best of the last century.
Jun '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
tabula rasa:
Thatcher was a truly extratordinary human being: one of the best of the last century. · May 26 at 5:12pm
Hear, Hear!
Dec '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
tabula rasa: And here I thought conservatives were just money-grubbers.
Thatcher saw herself as the servant of the people. The Obama types want the people to be the servants of the state.
Thatcher was a truly extratordinary human being: one of the best of the last century. · May 26 at 5:12pm
Well said tabula rasa, but did you have to put Thatcher and Obama's name in the same paragraph? It looks so wrong.....
I'd also add to that so far Obama's had it much easier than Thatcher. From what I've read in Claire's book and what I remember during the 80's she could chew barbed wire while Obama can barely suck cotton candy.
Mar '11
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
What's with all this use of the past tense? She is still alive, or did I miss something?
She was famously apt to use her handbag on her Wet Ministers, but I guess that's not a failing.
We also have her to thank for British Airways restoring the Union Flag to the fins of their aircraft...
Nov '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
Mrs. Thatcher was a remarkable lady and Britain and the Western world were fortunate that she held power when she did. Your book about her was a delight and an introduction to a new way of presenting a person, a redefination of biography. It gave me several hours of pleasure and instruction.
About her husband, there is a wonderful anecdote (I think in Richard Brookiser's Right Time, Right Place: Coming of Age with William F. Buckley Jr. and the Conservative Movement) about Sir Denis and another of my favorite authors, George MacDonald Fraser, author of the Flashman series. The story gave me a very fine opinion of Sir Denis Thatcher. The anecdote is worth locating because of the account of Mr. MacDonald's speech honoring Mrs. Thatcher: it was a masterpiece, but what else would one expect from the creator of Harry Flashman?
Edited on May 26, 2011 at 6:49pmOct '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
Your honor of Maggie is refreshing. Her treatment in retirement has been repulsive. I am thankful for her and I am grateful that you continue to remind me why.
Jul '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
It's impossible to imagine Lady Thatcher Twittering, Facebooking, appearing in a reality TV show and coming up with asinine phrases such as "Grizzly Momma" and "Going Rogue".
Oct '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
Lady Thatcher exhibited the toughness that created the British Empire. We admire her because she knew what was at stake and did not back down on the fights she had to win. We are now far too soft in America and in Europe to tolerate another Thatcher. She prevented Reagan from going wobbley a few times and Reagn may have been the most centered person to sit in the White House since either Eisenhower or Coolidge.
The candidates on view in 2012 are the Anti-Thatchers. For example, Jon Huntsman ensures that Obama will win because he will run as the third party moderate that will hurt the Republicans and help the Democrats.
Thatcher is the antithesis of a David Cameron and remember, it is the Camerons that run the Tory Party. When they had enough of the grocer's daughter, they got rid of her. While I see Palin as a losing candidate in 2012, the comments among tory conservatives in the US towards her have been a bit far too snide and seemingly always made by facile men.
May '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
Yeah, but she's British.
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
Of course she is, but sadly Denis Thatcher is no longer with us.
May '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
but what else would one expect from the creator of Harry Flashman? · May 26 at 6:47pm
Edited on May 26 at 06:49 pm
Pedantry of the day: Flashman was created by Thomas Hughes in "Tom Brown's Schooldays" in 1857. Fraser imagined the grown-up Flashman from 1969 to 2005. He grew the cowardice and bullying of Hughes' character into a fully rounded and compelling rotter.
May '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
The theft of faculties from those who have been intellectually energetic always seems especially cruel. There are a couple of Reagan stories that I love about that:
From "Mark Steyn's Passing Parade", "Dutch Courage":
Ronald Reagan was three years into the decade-long twilight of his illness, and unable to recognize most of his colleagues from the Washington days. But Mr Ravin wanted to express his appreciation. “Mr President,” he said, “thank you for everything you did for the Jewish people, for Soviet people, to destroy the Communist empire.”And somewhere deep within there was a flicker of recognition. “Yes,” said the old man, “that is my job.”
Yes, that was his job.
Edited on May 27, 2011 at 2:44amMay '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
And from Peter Robinson's "How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life":
"There's a particular Secret Service agent, an African-American man," Ron Reagan says. "This guy is a big, burly guy who looked like he played football. When my father was still able to get up and on his feet and sort of be walked to the living room and put in a chair, this guy would be on one side of him and another agent on the other. My father would often not want to let go of his hand."
Once when the agent had helped Reagan to his chair, the former President seemed to want to express his thanks. "He couldn't verbalize anything at thiat point," Ron says. "But he looked at the agent."Then he took his hand and kissed it."
May '11
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
Hear hear. The more years that pass between the Thatcher era and now only highlight the mediocrity of today's politicians, their venality, their utter lack of conviction and reliance on focus groups and this week's poll figures to determine their positions on important matters.
Jun '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
Lady Thatcher is my hero. I wish I had a thimbleful of her courage, intellect, and energy. (I wish our current crop of candidates did, too.)
May '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
Okaaaaaaaay. . .and it's also impossible to imagine Sarah Palin wearing a powdered wig.
Nov '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
Was this really necessary? I have my misgivings about Palin as a standard bearer, but your bizarre obsession with insulting her at every opportunity is growing tiresome.
Sep '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
your bizarre obsession with insulting her at every opportunity is growing tiresome.
Amen.
Jun '10
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
Claire, thanks for holding up Mrs. Thatcher as a hero of the 20th century. I love your last line that she had no failings. I haven't read your book yet but I have read about her for years in the press and also the book by John O'Sullivan (The President, The Pope and The Prime Minister).
Such leaders are anomalies in society but healthy democracies tend to bring them forward when they are needed. I wonder who is in the wings right now for the present crisis whom we will look back upon in the same way as we do Reagan and Mrs. Thatcher.
But perhaps she is unique in history? Golda Meir -- does she make the cut as being great and consequential? Indira Gandhi is often suggested as a great leader, but in my opinion she doesn't measure up, I'm afraid. (She didn't get there on her own and her leadership was deeply flawed in other ways.)
Women in politics have an advantage, too: they don't have the sexual Achilles Heel that men do. But, interestingly, there is also a lack of drive for the highest office. These two things are connected.
Apr '11
Re: The Unimpeachable Integrity of Margaret Thatcher
AngloCon, I am curious about your comment. What are some examples of Lady Thatcher's repulsive treatment in retirement? It's certainly possible that I ought to escape the right wing media bubble (!) more often, but I honestly wasn't aware of large-scale Maggie-bashing. Thanks.