Thatcher poll: worst or best

sabretoothtigger

Just an anonymous straw poll to gauge general forum consensus, north or south.

This is not if you would (have) vote for that party but just on their record after the fact; was this leader one of the worst in 40 years or one of the better ones

purch

As a Leader and PM, I doubt there has ever been a better example.

She was strong both at home and on the international stage.

She forced her Cabinet to deliver, and those that didn't were dispensed with swiftly. She didn't micro manage, and allowed her Ministers to do their jobs.

The actual policies are irrelevant in this assessment IMO as the Q is about the job of PM, and in the job description for that role I doubt there has been a better candidate.

angrypirate

I dont know any other prime minister since (Im not old enough to know about ones before) that cared less about image and just did what they thought was best for the country. All prime ministers since have always done what they thought the most popular - not necessarily what was the best for the country.

I thought it was interesting she criticised David Cameron only months ago for not being unpopular enough - Tories were rating too high in the polls for mid term.

Being Prime Minister isnt about being popular - its about doing whats right and thats what Maggie was all about

MacMickster

She was neither the best nor the worst, but you haven't given a "mediocre" option in your poll.

grizzly1911

One quality of a good leader is to listen and accept when you are wrong.

She was no doubt a strong, decisive leader, personally driven but doesn't mean everything she pursued was right, balanced or the best policy.

Perhaps there should have been a not better or worse option.

wymondham

She had a term of two halves really. The first part of her premiership was spot on and what Britain needed. The last year in office was different in that she lost the plot a little with the poll tax etc...

Strange how many people now only seem to be reflecting on her worst bits in Westminster - maybe they feel uncomfortable giving her praise especially when they know they will never reach her stature.

grizzly1911

wymondham wrote: »

maybe they feel uncomfortable giving her praise especially when they know they will never reach her stature.

What is stature? Unfortunately she still became a frail old lady and exited life as we all must surely do.

I do genuinely wonder how much she missed out on in life with her single mindedness. Before you know it life passes you by.

sabretoothtigger

MacMickster wrote: »

She was neither the best nor the worst, but you haven't given a "mediocre" option in your poll.

I delibrately missed out any third option.
That is the point of the poll, the idea she divided the country or 'poll-erised' it even

I thought everyone could agree she was not a 'do nothing' leader biding her time at the top, hence a marmite poll

Graham_Devon

I can't answer.

Reason being, as a leader....she was committed, knew what she wanted and DID it. No fumbling around. I admire that greatly.

As a person, she seemed somewhat clouded by this and stood to her guns no matter how wrong she was, which led to unneccesary suffering.

Thatcher would have been everything you could have wanted in a prime minister in difficult times where difficult decisions NEED to me made and actioned.....

.....IF she had worked on her humility.

That let her down. Therefore, it's difficult to answer as I feel I need to say she was the best and the worst dependant on where you are coming from.

MacMickster

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Therefore, it's difficult to answer as I feel I need to say she was the best and the worst dependant on where you are coming from.

Exactly. Some good points. Some bad points. Overall mediocre.

Graham_Devon

One thing I have thought over the past couple of days...

Pasty tax.

Can you even imagine thatcher spending any of her time, let alone allowing her cabinet to spend time at taxpayer expense fumbling, backtracking and generally being stupid about such a thing?

Theres been so must wasted time and effort over the past decade in politics. Thatcher would have had none of it, and would have protected the taxpayer from having to pay for this party politics bun fight.

That's the sort of thing I admire her for.