Pneumalithos: Farewell to a Great Leader : Baroness Margaret Thatcher.

" You know, if you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything, wouldn't you, at any time? And you would achieve nothing ! "

- Baroness Margaret Thatcher .

Baroness Thatcher, LG OM PC FRS (née Roberts ),

13 October 1925 – 8 April 2013)

Margaret Hilda Thatcher was Britain's first female Prime minister from 1979 to 1990 and the L eader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990.

Born on October 13, 1925 in Grantham, England, she was the younger daughter of Alfred and Beatrice Roberts. Her father was a greengrocer and respected town leader, serving as lay-leader with their church, city-alderman and then as mayor.
He taught Margaret never to do things because other people were doing them.
"..... do what you think is right and persuade others to follow you ", he told his daughter.

She attended Oxford University from 1943 to 1947 and earned a degree in Chemistry, but it was clear from early on that politics was her true calling.

The same determination and courage which made her to achieve her academic and professional laurels propelled her even to greater heights in her political career.

She stood as a Conservative candidate from Dartford in the 1950 and 1951 elections.

She practised tax law for a time in the 1950s, but was elected to Parliament from Finchley in 1959.

Two years later, she was appointed to the cabinet as Minister of Pensions.

Edward Heath appointed her Secretary of State for Education and Science in his 1970 government.

In 1970, she was appointed Minister for Education and earned the title "Thatcher the Milk Snatcher", for eliminating free milk for schoolchildren in a round of budget-cutting.

In 1975, Thatcher defeated Heath in the Conservative Party leadership election to become Leader of the Opposition and became the first woman to lead a major political party in the United Kingdom.

She became Prime Minister after winning the 1979 general election. She was Prime Minister from 4 May 1979 – 28 November 1990 .

She was the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century and is the only woman to have held the office. As Prime Minister, she implemented policies that have come to be known as Thatcherism.

The Poll Tax and her refusal to endorse a common currency for Europe led the Conservative party to force her out of office in a bloody internal coup.
She was forced to resign as Prime Minister in November 1990.
Since she left office, she was introduced to the House of Lords in 1992 as Baroness Thatcher.

Even after leaving the office of Prime Minister, Mrs. Thatcher continued to flourish as a highly sought - after mentor , adviser , author and very important personality in the different parts of the world.

Her final years were spent in engaging herself in worthwhile projects all over the world ; especially speaking engagements .
She travelled the world, touring the lecture circuit promoting her causes and was president of numerous organizations dedicated to her causes.

Baroness Thatcher was indeed a remarkable woman and national leader , worthy of emulation .She carved a path for her self-actualisation in an era when women were supposed to seen but not heard ; when women were told to be silent and to be content with “ the position which God had ordained for women ”.
As it was in those days , same it is nowadays that Bible quotations , always , were used to remind women of their " proper place and duties ".
In that era in the UK when women  were expected to accept the roles of “support staff ” to their male colleagues in offices and in almost all careers ; Mrs Thatcher was one of those few women who stood up , stood out and excelled in their chosen professions .
It is remarkable that the young but determined Margaret , rose from being a grocer’s daughter  to  become the First female Prime Minister in the UK .

She held on that position for eleven years and half, even in the face of stiff oppositions ; to become the longest-serving Prime Minister in the UK .

In her personal life, she was fulfilled as a mother and as a happily married wife .
She married Denis Thatcher in December 1951 and they had twin children,Mark Thatcher and Carol Thatcher. Denis Thatcher , her beloved husband for many decades ; was a very successful business man , even before his wife became Prime Minister.

By her excellent achievements, Mrs Thatcher has proven that it is possible for a woman to be a happily married mother ; as well as be a successful woman in her chosen career.
By her success , she confirmed that a woman's success in her chosen career or business is not something her husband should be terrified of , neither is a woman's desire and ambitions for success an "affront , disrespect or a threat " to his ego as the head of their home..

Sir Denis and Baroness Margaret Thatcher

She was a good example of self-actualisation to all women , worldwide.
Although she was the wife of a wealthy business man , Mrs Margaret Thatcher was not content to wear her husband's rank , glorying and boasting of her husband's achievements only ; as some married women did in her era and as some are still doing , even today.

If some women were in Mrs. Thatcher's position as the comfortable wife of a wealthy man, they would make sure that they show everybody that they have "arrived" , indeed.
Mrs Thatcher could have been content to put on "airs and graces " and to throw her husband's weight around .

But she did not do that. Instead, she forged a glorious and distinct path for herself which her husband was proud of.

Most people would applaud wives and husbands who join hands to support their spouse , but most right-thinking people do not respect women who wear their husbands' ranks and boast with their husbands' achievements; when such women themselves are unqualified to fit into the "over-sized burrowed robes ( borrowed ranks ) " they dress themselves in ; because they have no personal achievements , neither educationally or otherwise , to show for themselves .

Ironically , in countries like Mrs. Thatcher ' Britain, where the rights of women are well-protected it is uncommon , it is not the lifestyle of most women to flaunt their men's ranks or to sit back , sipping their tea and nibbling on their crackers and relying on their men's achievements .

Neither is it common to hear of stuff like "Association of Wives of so and so Big Deal " or some other funny names.

The mentality of wearing "Borrowed-robes" is unwise , particularly unwise for women in countries where the laws enforcing the rights of girls , of single and married women, exist on paper only .
In such nations, in the event of separation , divorce or death of their husbands, wives are treated as "disposables attachments" who , even after decades of marriage and home-building with their spouses, stand the risk of losing their homes , everything they own, including their children.
In unjust societies , enforcing the human rights of anybody , especially of women is an uphill task because demands for justice for women and for the poor are treated as huge jokes by their courts and other law-enforcement agencies .

Women leaders in unjust societies should learn from the policies which Mrs. Margaret Thatcher used to improve women's welfare and to enforce justice for women.
Also they should use their positions to work towards removing not only the injustices against women in their countries , but they should also educate their women about the need for self-actualisation in preference over wearing "borrowed robes".

Bringing good changes to the lives of women is essential work for leaders in countries where , culturally , women's legal rights are not enforceable,
if their husbands were removed from the life - equations of those wives who relied on their husbands' ranks and positions , what then happens to their own lives ?

Such wives , if left on their own, could not stand on their own feet for too long.
They would become emotional and financial wrecks, who could be likened to foolish children who refused to get an education to prepare themselves for their own future, just because they were relying on inheriting their parents' properties .
Properties which unknown to their children, the parents had sold already , or had heavily mortgaged to various creditors.

Margaret Thatcher was indeed a star among her political peers at home and abroad.
She had vast opportunities to line her pockets by embezzling public funds and she could have allowed her husband and her children to do the same,

But there are no records that she did that .
If she did , by now someone would have exposed her corruption and the British press would have had a field day tearing her reputation to pieces.
She and Sir Denis were examples of a "power couple" who was

an example in selflessness worthy of emulation by leaders of impoverished nations who join hands with their wives , their children and other family members to "clean out " the treasuries of their nations .

When Margaret Thatcher spoke , her colleagues and the nation paid attention to her words because they knew she was not a clown to be toyed with and she could not be bribed because she had the interests of her country at heart.
Though some of the men under her leadership were fixed in their prejudice against females and they resented her leadership ; yet they respected her , grudgingly.

Worth mentioning amongst her numerous outstanding achievements is the life-line and financial support which Mrs Thatcher gave to the Church in the UK , as an enduring legacy of her government, up to this date .
It is to her credit that during her tenure as Prime Minister , Baroness Thatcher initiated and implemented the Gift Aid policy in 1990 .
The Gift Aid scheme is a government funded incentive to assist the Church and all registered Charities in the UK, whereby for every one £ sterling they receive as tithes , offerings , donations and other collections from tax-paying UK citizens; the government will top it up with a free gift of 25 pence, that is an additional 25% gift on every pound sterling from the UK government.
For this generous gift , the Church in the UK and other Charitable organisations are forever grateful to Baroness Thatcher.

Baroness Thatcher, by her achievements , encouraged millions of men and women , whether they were married or single , to develop the mentality that nobody and nothing could stop them if they were determined to realise their dreams ..

Also , thanks to Mrs. Thatcher's visions of laying solid foundations of good government economic policies, today the citizens of the UK are supported by the State to enable them survive any of those challenges they could face in the UK society.

Economically , she upgraded the status of many people,
Praise and gratitude flow from those who say Mrs. Thatcher turned the UK from a country of shop-keepers to a country of stock-brokers ; from a country of council tenants to a country of home-owners.

Women in particular have Baroness Thatcher to thank for initiating and making laws which have made the UK one of those countries where the welfare and the human rights of girls and women are upheld and strictly protected .
Many working-class women in the government or private sectors are full of praise for Mrs Thatcher for being their role model who opened doors of vast opportunities for self-actualisation for all women.
She was the leader who made women to dare to dream and to be determined to actualise their ambitions to become the success stories they are today.
Women in the UK are the envy of their counterparts in some other nations because women here are well cared for and supported by the State.

The UK is world- famous as the country where there is unconditional Zero -Tolerance for all forms of harassment , assault and injustice against girls and women.

Today, in the UK , there is an entrenched mentality in the nation which respects and upholds the rights of all girls and women of all age groups and social levels.
Women are able to live their lives as complete and valuable human beings in the British society ,without any form restrictions and deprivations,
Therefore if and when women desire to maximise their potentials , either in their offices or in business, they do not have to beg or bribe anyone, neither do they have to idolise or to deify any man (or woman ) in order to be able to eke out a decent and stable living for themselves .
Thanks to Mrs. Thatcher and other pioneering women in the UK , the mentality of women about themselves and even the mentality and the attitudes of men towards women have been polished by the societal values and prevailing cultural attitudes towards women in the UK .
Therefore the prevailing mentality in the British society about women is not the same as that of citizens in those areas of the world where their entrenched social values, their mentality and cultural attitudes are unfavourable to the rights of single and married women and rights of the female child.

Like all things good or bad have an ending , so are the life-journeys of all human beings.
Sir Denis Thatcher , her beloved husband died in 2003 , aged 88 years.
Baroness Thatcher was deeply shocked by the loss of her husband whom she called , " my best friend , supporter , lover and confidant ".
"What a friend , what a husband !", she exclaimed after his death.
In recent years , Baroness Thatcher , had to reduce her public activities and appearances, due to ill-health. . Like all mortals, with the passage of time she became frail in health , due to age-related infirmities .
Baroness Margaret Thatcher died on April 8th, 2013 , aged 87 years , after succumbing to a stroke , the second one in recent years.
Though her invaluable presence, active mind and gallant spirit have left this realm of existence , they belong to UK and world history , forever.

Immediately after the news of her passing-away broke out, tributes started pouring in for the late Prime Minister .

Funeral arrangements commenced right away , to give this great woman a befitting send- off.

Amongst the populace , there has been praise and gratitude to her ; whilst others have expressed their condemnation for her and her policies .

Margaret Thatcher was accused of , amongst other things the big R word.

So why would non -whites care whether Margaret Thatcher is alive , dying or dead ?
Racism is a hate-crime and a disease of the mind .
Victims of racism feel the pain but like all diseases , it is the carrier or the sufferer of the disease who bears the greater burden of the pain and restrictions caused by the disease.

The practice and evils of RACISM exist in every nation either as xenophobia against foreigners in their midst or as discrimination against each other , even as citizens of the same country ; in the forms of tribalism , ethnicity , nepotism , sectionalism and class divisions.

All leaders attract protests or hatred . Some are deserved and some are undeserved
Leaders, bad ones and even the good one are targets for criticism and hate at one point or the other during their .tenure because they could not please every body , even if they tried to .

In Margaret Thatcher's case , maybe because of her zeal to make the United Kingdom a better place , she did step on some sore toes even in her own Tory party.
Along the way, as a human being, she must have made some mistakes which gave rise to her many nick names such as "Iron Lady", "Maggie", "Attilla the Hen ", " Thatcher, the Milk Snatcher " , "Bitch", "Scab", "Witch" and so on.

Personally, life would be very boring if every body "liked" or "loved " me and if every body had good things only to say about me!
Criticism , hatred and bad -mouthing could be just the spice and catalyst needed to add zest and flavours to a person's determination to do what they want to do .
So , bring it on.

If name-calling or hatred could kill anyone , Margaret Thatcher would have died long ago. LOL!

But , what do you know ? The "Iron Lady" had the last laugh.

She lived to a good and ripe old age of 87 years ! How many people can beat that?

Baroness Margaret Thatcher , the great leader , widow, mother and grand -mother was given a glorious send-off in a funeral ceremony which was full of pomp and pageantry on Wednesday ,17th of April , 2013.

According to her wishes , she said she did not desire a " State Funeral " .
Leaders from 170 nations were present and millions watched the funeral live.
Considering the glory of her funeral which we saw yesterday , if her funeral was not a State Funeral , then what would qualify to be described as a "State funeral" ?
The nation , the government and citizens of her beloved country ,showed their gratitude to her by giving Baroness Margaret Thatcher a final farewell which was the type of funeral ceremony reserved for the departed Kings and Queens of England.
The bells of Big Ben and the Great Clock at Westminster went silent during her funeral.
This was the same honour given to Sir Winston Churchill during his funeral .

What else could Baroness Margaret Thatcher have wished for as a befitting end to a glorious life well-spent ?
Some people have wondered if Baroness Thatcher "made heaven" ; which is an eternal and a greater achievement than all her worldly achievements , put together .
We will have to keep wondering , won’t we ?
The Bible says it is difficult to tell such things and to conclude who "made" or did not make heaven.
Until that day when we will all appear before the judgement throne of Jesus Christ.
Then we shall all know the things done in the secret by each person. Romans 2:13-24.

Baroness Thatcher and my mother were women who were my role models, women worthy of my respect and emulation because of who they were and what they achieved during their life time.

As far back as my teen age years , I had admired Mrs. Thatcher's beauty , guts and her achievements .
Although I did not meet Baroness Margaret Thatcher formally ; I was very excited to see her in person twice ; excited to be in the same room with her and listen to her speeches at different functions in London ,some years ago ,

To accord her my last respect, I was there amongst the crowd who witnessed her funeral ceremony, to bid her farewell,
Hundreds of thousands of people suspended their work like I did , came out and lined the streets during her funeral procession on Wednesday, 17th April , 2013 . to pay their last respects to this great woman and selfless leader .

Here are some of the photos taken at the glorious event .

Map of the Funeral Route : From The Houses of Parliament in Westminster - Downing Street - The Strand - Fleet Street , ending in St. Paul,s Cathedral , all in Central London.