Churchill often indicated that statesmanship required balancing the extremes of individualism and collectivism. As I remember it, before Mrs. Thatcher was elected to office the more squalid aspects of socialism coupled with a ubiquitous contempt for private property and individualism were tragically settling in as the norm in British society and culture. Mrs. Thatcher revitalized the exhausted spirit of a nation by checking the excesses of collectivism and restoring the free expression and action of individualism. The nation and the world benefited and moved forward to “broad sunlit uplands”. C. S. Lewis wrote, “We do believe that some of the people to change the moral ideas of their own age are what we call reformers or pioneers---people who understood morality better than their neighbors did.” Both Churchill and Mrs. Thatcher were reformers and this required that gargantuan task of facilitating a change in national, societal, and cultural morality. Churchill worked assiduously to realize change after “crossing the floor” in 1904, albeit, moving Great Britain towards accepting limited state intervention to check the excesses of laissez-faire economics. He continued his advocacy for Old age pensions, unemployment insurance, and other initiatives when he rejoined the conservatives in 1924. Conversely, Mrs. Thatcher’s vital mission was to check the excesses of state intervention that fostered an insidious national lassitude and a cultural condescendant attitude towards national and individual self-determination. During the 70's, I do indeed, believe she was "one of the greatest champions of freedom." Reform leadership is a much tougher road and implies a change in morality. Transforming a society and its existing morality subjects the Reform leader to greater scrutiny and harsher battles. The reformer must at all times maintain proper means to effectuate moral ends. Moreover, they must clearly know and carefully measure the needs and wants of many more vested and influential people and factions to accommodate, persuade, or coerce. At their respective periods in history, Churchill and Mrs. Thatcher accomplished major change and, “understood morality better than their neighbors did.”
Now, however, the idelogues of limited government have gone too far. Keith Thomas Leonard [email protected] On Apr 12, 2013, at 4:09 PM, Stan A. Orchard wrote: > The link for this quote about Margaret Thatcher doesn't seem to work so I > wasn't able to determine who said it. It has a kind of Churchillian flourish > and tone to it but it strikes me as pure hyperbole. I don't see how Margaret > Thatcher could be seen as any more of a help and comfort to Ronald Regan than > Tony Blair was to Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Was she really "one of > the greatest champions of freedom"?...I don't think so. There are many good > reasons to praise Margaret Thatcher's courage as a social and economic > reformer in Britain in the face of intense political resistence. It is my > impression, however, that her positions on the USSR were principally related > to peace and security in Europe rather than the liberation of oppressed > populations. Her views and actions with respect to South Africa appear to be > more in line with Churchill's much criticized views on the independence of > India. Margaret Thatcher was a courageous and sensible patriot who can be > admired for her originality, resolve and grit and the tough love she brought > to her entropy-bound and economically crippled nation. She was a sort of > oddly charismatic tyrannical democrat who worked completely within the system > to radically and successfully reconfigure and redirect it, all to the > astonishment and envy - thence resentment - of the much less capable inert > rump of parliament. She had more than a few Churchillian characteristics. > > Stan > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Editor, Finest Hour > To: [email protected] > Sent: Friday, April 12, 2013 10:14 AM > Subject: [ChurchillChat] Margaret Thatcher 1925-2013 > > "The greatest British friend we have known since Churchill, and one of the > greatest champions of freedom who ever brought help and comfort from the > old world to the new." http://bit.ly/170wpqR > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "ChurchillChat" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat?hl=en. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "ChurchillChat" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat?hl=en. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat?hl=en. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
