The traits of strength and directness so admired and attractive in a man, became demonic in the female form. Expressive arched eye brows, a steely stare aimed at your forehead rather than your eyes, that elecuted low slung emphatic voice… it was Baroness ‘Maggie’ Thatcher’s stock in trade. Much mocked by media pundits, perhaps most memorably in rubberised Spitting Image form, she is not so much iconic as ironic. Indeed ‘Iron’ became her byword and this is the closest to flattering any description of Mrs Thatcher gets!
In the heady days of 1979 Britain was looking for a leader who would dust the cobwebs away from the cosy socialist parlour of 10 Downing Street. Mrs Thatcher stoked the Aga of her imperialist new government in a way that no man had ever done. It took a woman to do this sort of housekeeping. Nothing could deter the bossy head girl come grocer’s daughter from her mission to pack everything up, label everything neatly and tidy it away for good. The trouble is nobody likes an interfering controlling woman – but you can just about get away with it if it’s done with a smile!
Mrs Thatcher never displayed a real genuine sense of humour, unlike her equally powerful female contemporary the Queen who always has a twinkle in her eye, and this, more than anything, sacrificed her humanity. Sadly Mrs Thatcher also didn’t see a need to support the arts and it’s not without that sense of irony that her reign coincided with the birth of a vibrant alternative comedy movement. 30 years ago a raft of disillusioned and clever academics started to choose careers in the media and comedy over politics and have used this very effectively to parody and challenge government ever since.
Part of Mrs Thatcher’s legacy was to send a whole generation off on an opposing trail to political enlightenment only to be picked up and nurtured in an extraordinary display of celebrity worship 20 years later by Tony Blair and his acolytes. Strange how it’s accepted that politicians change the world – when opinion is actually being formed by those brave enough to challenge and question the system. Comedy is always at the forefront of this revolutionary thinking.
Although the lack of laughs in Mrs Thatcher’s life could be excused because she came from a ‘stiff upper lip’ generation, what ultimately would it have cost her to lighten up occasionally?
And as for her lack of interest in the arts, her life is well documented through the medium of film, theatre and literature. Two award winning films have gone on to document Mrs Thatcher’s life and legacy. The stunning Iron Lady celebrates and explores hidden aspects of her life, while the evocative and brilliant Billy Elliot depicts the harsh reality of the miners’ strike which was a huge black mark in her political copybook and did much to demonise her.
Finally, when the time came for her to leave 10 Downing Street after a long, bitter and ill-advised attempt to retain her leadership, she was caught on camera shedding a tear and her country ridiculed her. Laughing like crying is a deeply human emotion and whilst Mrs Thatcher’s unflappable ice queen demeanour appealed to world leaders like Gorbachov and Reagan who played political footsy with her under the table of world economics, she left her people stunned in a haze of carefully coiffed and privatised amenities and shattered dreams from which many of us took years to recover.
Lynne Parker
Baroness Margaret Thatcher born 13th October 1925, died 8th April 2013, aged 87 years. She was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and the Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century and is the only woman to have held the office.
Pictured: Baroness Thatcher sharing a rare laugh with Ronald Reagan, president of the United States of America 1981-1989.
