An interesting assessment by the prominent historian of post-war Britain, Peter
Hennessy :
Exit the tigress
Margaret Thatcher, 1925-2013
The Tablet, 13 April 2013
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/article/164050
Professor Antoine CAPET, FRHistS
Head of British Studies
University of Rouen
76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan
France
[email protected]
'Britain since 1914' Section Editor
Royal Historical Society Bibliography
Reviews Editor of CERCLES
http://www.cercles.com/review/reviews.html
===================
From: Keith Leonard
Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2013 12:33 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [ChurchillChat] Margaret Thatcher 1925-2013
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
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