Free Republic

The “Iron Maiden." She was the staunch and sturdy leader of Great Britain who once held up F. A. Hayek’s masterwork “Road to Serfdom” and declared “This is what we believe in.” Hayek’s work is a road map for what could go wrong when individual freedoms are lost and central planning becomes the answer for every ill. When truth is bent to meet the moment and government decision making is the proposed cure all, “serfdom” is the destination. Margaret, in believing Hayek’s cautionary, also declared that Socialism cannot sustain itself. Socialism can not last because eventually “you run out of...

The Iron Lady had more cajones than Mitch McConnell and John Boehner combined.

Carly Fiorina, former California GOP senate challenger to Barbara Boxer, emerged at the Conservative Political Action Conference here as the speaker most willing to engage the Republicans' persistent problems with appealing to women. Well, after she spent the first half of her speech denying climate change. Priorities! Fiorina didn't offer a solution, but she did offer some great slogans: "I am a proud pro-life woman. ... I believe science is proving us right everyday!" (Hey, don't knock junk science until you've tried it, right?) She also echoed a feminist line when she said, "All issues are women's issues." I like...

Britain's involvement in the massacre of hundreds of Sikh separatists in an Indian temple in 1984 will be urgently investigated, David Cameron has ordered. Previously secret documents released by the Government have shown that a SAS officer was drafted in to help the Indian authorities with plans to remove dissident Sikhs from the Golden Temple at Amritsar, Sikhism's holiest shrine. The plan was ordered with the full knowledge of then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher the documents say. Hundreds of Sikhs were killed in the attack. Yesterday Sikh leaders said the revelations amounted to the British Government ‘backstabbing” and have called...

The late Baroness Thatcher has topped yet another popularity poll, further cementing her claim as Britain's best post-war prime minister. Members of the UK Parliament (MPs) resoundingly backed the conservative prime minister's tenure, according to polling from February that indicated that despite left-wing rhetoric and revisionism, Margaret Thatcher is still the most revered post-war prime minister that Britain has seen.

Go to 5:55 of the video and the lady speaking sums up Margaret Thatcher, "she stood up for her principles"

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Siv Jensen, the 44-year-old leader of the Progress party who cites Baroness Thatcher as her inspiration, said: "What I have seen that the UK has done is to give in to the claims of sharia councils, and I don't think we should give into that. In Norway we have one law, and that is the Norwegian law." Miss Jensen, who is unmarried, said Britain was suffering the results of earlier mistakes in its immigration policy. "I see some problems arising – You've had problems with riots, you've had problems with radical groups who...

Rush Limbaugh fielded a phone call the other day that even he couldn't answer. "What's happened to the country I live in?" asked the frustrated woman. "And what do we do now?" The Great Rushbo was understandably flustered. Coming up with a cure for what ails America after five years of Barack Obama and decades of bigger and stupider and meaner Big Government in D.C. is not something you can do off the top of your head. The woman's question reminded me of a question Newt Gingrich posed to me about five years ago. "Mike," he said, "how is it...

The first volume of Charles Moore's authorized biography of Margaret Thatcher, covering her life up to Britain's victory in the Falklands, is out. It takes its place among the finest political biographies of all time. Thatcher gave Moore full access to her papers and to all her friends and relatives, on condition that she never see the book. It was a wise precaution. Moore is a conservative, more traditionalist than Mrs. Thatcher (as he always calls her) and broadly sympathetic to her causes. But he was able to get frank responses from relatives, friends, and colleagues that might never have...

The 1980s were a heady time for political and cultural junkies. If the 1960s were an era where the distinctions between the two were blurred, the 1980s obliterated them completely. Perhaps no public figure prior to President George W. Bush was vilified more by pop musicians than Margaret Thatcher. British musician piled on mercilessly from Elvis Costello and Billy Bragg to The Style Council, Genesis and Robert Wyatt. Let’s hope the Iron Lady rests finally in well-deserved peace. She, most assuredly, suffered more than her fair share of the brickbats hurled by Britain’s youth in her day. What did this...

Writing from London, I have to be aware that the Boston Marathon bombs have dominated the news and imagination of America for the last two days. They have received great attention here too. They remind Britain all too ominously of the 7/7 bombings on the London subway in 2005. Even so, Britain’s week has really been devoted to what Ruth Dudley Edwards has called an extraordinary national debate on the achievements or otherwise of Lady Thatcher.She thinks — and I agree with her — that Lady Thatcher has won that debate. You can read Ruth’s very personal account here....

Faithful Catholics and Christians of the United Kingdom owe Margaret Thatcher our lasting gratitude for attempting to protect our children from homosexual propaganda being taught in schools and for stopping local councils promoting homosexuality through Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 until its tragic repeal in 2003.Section 28 contained the following provisions:Prohibition on promoting homosexuality by teaching or by publishing material (1)The following section shall be inserted after section 2 of the [1986 c. 10.] Local Government Act 1986 (prohibition of political publicity)—“2AProhibition on promoting homosexuality by teaching or by publishing material (1)A local authority shall not—(a)intentionally promote homosexuality or...

An estimated quarter of a million people lined the streets to St Paul’s to bid farewell to Margaret Thatcher. We turned up mainly, of course, to pay our final respects to one of the greatest political leaders of the western world. But we came also, I am sure, to demonstrate how the tiny minority of bile spewing ersatz “revolutionaries”, eagerly sought out by the well heeled chattering class hacks from planet BBC/Guardian did not speak for the ordinary folk of all ages and from every walk of life who came into London today.

Lady Thatcher, Britain's first female prime minister, was borne to St Paul's Cathedral for a ceremonial funeral as thousands lined central London's streets to witness her final journey. With full military honours, the coffin bearing the body of one of Britain's most divisive politicians of modern times was escorted by members of all three armed forces to a service before a congregation of 2,300 from across the globe and led by the Queen. Although not officially a state funeral, as accorded to Sir Winston Churchill, the event was conducted with a level of pomp and ceremony not witnessed in London...

Tennessee Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn will lead a House delegation to Britain to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on Wednesday. Announced by House Speaker John Boehner’s office Monday, the trip marks a culmination of Republican accolades for Thatcher following her death last week. Thatcher’s conservative policies and close relationship with President Reagan won her widespread support within the GOP. “Margaret Thatcher was one of the greatest champions freedom has ever known, and her funeral gives Americans and friends around the world an opportunity to pay final respects,” Boehner said in a statement. The delegation also includes...

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez is holding up a vote in the U.S. Senate on a resolution honoring Margaret Thatcher, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom who died last week after suffering a stroke, multiple sources tell The Daily Caller. While the House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring Thatcher last week, Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, objects to some of the language proposed by Republicans in the Senate’s version, sources said. A copy of the proposed resolution, which would be offered by Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, honors “the life, legacy, and example...

Friends and allies of Baroness Thatcher expressed ‘surprise and disappointment’ last night as it emerged President Obama is not planning to send any serving member of his administration to her funeral. Whitehall sources have revealed that the U.S. delegation at tomorrow’s service in St Paul’s Cathedral will be led by two Reagan era secretaries of state: James Baker and George Shultz. Though President Obama himself had not been expected to attend, there had been speculation that he would be represented either by Vice President Joe Biden or wife Michelle. The Queen’s decision to attend Lady Thatcher’s funeral has effectively elevated...

The news today is that a group of supporters of Margaret Thatcher are pushing a plan to establish a museum and library as a permanent memorial to her. It is clear that the plan, which would establish a first in British politics, has been long in the making and that it not only had Thatcher’s approval but she herself largely instigated the idea. This is another clunker from the Iron Lady – a final terrible idea from a woman who, pace all current hagiography, will be remembered as one of the worst British political leaders of modern times.

Judging by some of the recent coverage, Thatcher’s enemies have successfully spread a series of damaging myths about her. Many of these sound plausible, and are even accepted by some of her supporters, but few stand up to proper scrutiny. Take the myth that Thatcher was deeply unpopular. The truth is that she won 43.9 percent of the vote in 1979, 42.4 percent in 1983 and 42.2 percent in 1987—landslide results of which contemporary politicians can only dream. … It has also become fashionable to blame one of her greatest triumphs—the sale of council homes to tenants—for today’s horrendous housing...

An amazing example of the power and possibilities of social media. Thatcher haters in England have made the "Wizard of Oz" classic song "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" the number one selling single in the country. And the "munchikins" who appeared in the film are none too pleased: Ruth Duccini, 94, and Jerry Maren, 91 -- who sang the ditty -- said: "It's terrible." Saddened Munchkins said it was monstrous to hijack the song -- as the BBC fudged a decision whether to play it. Ruth, among those who sang the song in 1939's Wizard Of Oz, believes the...