Whatever you thought about Margaret Thatcher and her policies, there is no denying what a hugely influential figure she was in this country.
She certainly divided opinion and brought out a wide range of strong emotions in people.
Coverage of her death reminds me just how much her time in power is still having an impact today. There was privatisation, the right to buy council homes, the Falklands War and her part in the end of the Cold War.
Then there was the poll tax, the miners’ strike and the IRA bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton among many other things.
Television coverage has showed people in tears talking about Baroness Thatcher, as well as some footage of people celebrating her death.
The Telegraph said she was ‘the greatest peacetime prime minister in British history’ and talked about her love of Britain and her ‘incredible life and career’.
Meanwhile, the Guardian ran a piece entitled ‘Margaret Thatcher: we disliked her and we loved it’ reminding people of the phrase that was regularly chanted during her time in Number 10: “Maggie! Maggie! Maggie! Out! Out! Out!”
The BBC looked at the battles of words that took place on Twitter following the news of her death. Tweets from her opponents, including some famous ones, were jubilant at the news, much to the horror of many of her fans. This article discussed the Taboo of speaking ill of the dead.
I personally felt slightly uncomfortable watching people celebrating her death. This kind of reaction seemed a bit inappropriate for a UK politician, whatever you thought of her policies.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/apr/09/margaret-thatcher-ian-mcewan
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22066540