Margaret Thatcher is a British politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. Nicknamed the “Iron Lady”, she distinguished herself as a tough woman, accustomed to radical and conservative reforms. It has effectively turned the country around, but has also been marked by controversial actions… In her policy towards Ireland, she provoked international indignation following her firm stance in the face of the Provisional IRA’s 1981 hunger strikes.
Margaret Thatcher was born on October 13, 1925 in Grantham, England. Born into a modest family, she grew up in a Methodist household. His father introduced him to politics at an early age, serving for a time as the town’s mayor.
A good student, Thatcher soon entered Oxford University, where she studied chemistry. She then worked in this sector for some time.
Her entry into politics took place between 1950 and 1951, when she stood for election in the Labour stronghold of Dartford. It’s a failure.
She went on to study law and met Denis Thatcher, a wealthy divorcee.
with whom she married in December 1951. She decided to renew her attempts to enter politics and was chosen in 1958 to be the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for the Finchley constituency. She won the election and entered the House of Commons in ’59. This marked the start of his political career.
In 61, she was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Pensions, then Spokeswoman of the House of Commons, before being appointed Minister for Education and Science in 70, Minister for the Environment in 74, and party leader in 75. At the time, it advocated anti-communism and anti-socialism, and made a name for itself by taking very strong positions.
Thatcher came to power in 1979, becoming Prime Minister. She was the first woman to lead the country in this position. At the time, England was undergoing a major economic crisis. Thatcher intends to turn the situation around by undoing Labour’s policies and implementing a series of privatizations. However, it has to contend with a number of strikes as unemployment rises in the mining towns…
In addition, Thatcher had to deal with high tensions in Northern Ireland. The Northern Irish conflict escalates rapidly, IRA attacks multiply in Britain, and the Prime Minister tries to control the violence…
In 1981, members of the Provisional IRA were imprisoned in Maze prison in Northern Ireland for their activities. The latter asked to be recognized as political prisoners, which Thatcher categorically refused. This was followed by a pacifist struggle with his prisoners, who decided to refuse to wear their uniforms, and to live entirely naked, under a blanket: this was the Blanket Protest, a protest that lasted over 4 years… This was followed by a hygiene strike, during which the prisoners plunged the prison into an unprecedented state of filth and insalubrity (excrement on the walls, urine on the floor, food spread all over the place… etc.).
But the struggle seemed to have little effect, and one of the movement’s leaders, Bobby Sands, decided to organize a hunger strike, pledging to starve himself to death until Thatcher reversed their status as political prisoners. If the latter dies, another will take his place, and so on, until Thatcher gives in.
Unfortunately, Thatcher did not budge, and remained impassive, leaving Bobby Sands to die in excruciating agony, along with 9 other members of the Provisional IRA. Her firmness will make her unpopular the world over.
However, the latter did not finally grant them political prisoner status until later, when it signed the Hillsborough Agreement between Ireland and the UK. But these measures remain insufficient and will not put an end to the violence.
In 1990, Thatcher introduced a new tax that sparked public anger. Riots and strikes followed, and his refusal to integrate the UK into Europe sparked controversy. She was then in a minority within her own party, and saw her minister Geoffrey Howe resign in protest against her party.
Michael Heseltine offers his condidature to lead the Conservative party, becoming Thatcher’s direct opponent. The latter won, and Margaret resigned herself to a second round, and resigned as Prime Minister.
Since then, the Iron Lady has made a few rare public appearances, as Thatcher is currently suffering from Alzheimer’s disease…
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