Thatcher is dead but the memory lives on

This week Margaret Thatcher passed away and we have witnessed much debate about the legacy and memory of the woman we came call The Iron Lady.

The death of Thatcher has seen street parties up and down the country (presumably to the tune of Thatcher! Thatcher! Milk and dream snatcher!?) where communities who felt particularly affected by her policies demonstrated their ill feelings towards her and occasionally clashed with the police. This has lead to derision from members of the right side of the force and also from members of the left and the UK has been at war with itself on the way in which we should remember Thatcher. Even today in London revellers attended a street party to celebrate. Some have commented that the early years of Thatcher were some of the most interesting to cover as journalists and, to some extent, true for me in the early years of the latest tory government.

Prime Minister David Cameron recalled Parliament to much criticism, the MPs were eligible for over £3000 in expenses for being called back during their recess and we had to endure hours of endless tributes to Thatcher's achievements. MP's were told they could criticise if they wished but that there must be respect. The Government filled their seats whilst Labour elected largely to miss the event by either representing their constituents (people who Thatcher had cast aside decades ago in their eyes) or by taking much need trip to the dentist. The Murdoch fish wrapping The Sun was on top of this leftie bashing opportunity and gloated in the name dropping of Tory MPs recalling the smash and grab days of the newspaper industry Thatcher and Murdoch lead. What we got as a result was Cameron and Miliband stating how she set the political map for a generation and as Winston Churchill put it she "made the weather." Cameron said her epitaph should be that she "made Britain great again." Depending on which side of the political compass people sat has varied the recollection.

Now here is the crux of the argument.

I have long deliberated whether or not the digital revolution we are experiencing will make for a more accurate account of history for future generations; history is really his-tory, but already this past week we have seen Thatcher's time in power literally re-written. This was made quite clear by Glenda Jackson in parliament to much howls of disapproval from the opposition. To rub salt in to the wounds of the many that feel they have suffered at the ideology of Thatcher, known affectionately by her disciples as 'Thatcherism', the funeral costs have soured as it appears the country is footing the bill for what is generally regarded as a state funeral, something usually reserved for royalty. The irony for this should not be lost on us considering that this was the woman that said there was "no such thing as society", only individuals.

Why then does the bill for this sit with us?

Perhaps this very notion of individualism that Thatcher helped to peddle in the 1980's is the very reason we are seeing the scorn and celebration poured upon her departure from our mortal coil this week. If the children of Thatcher had grown up in a world where society existed, where the core of our evolution  (namely co-operation, love and empathy) were nurtured properly in the right environment then perhaps we would not be witnessing street parties or the campaign to get a 70 year old song, Ding Dong! The witch is Dead to number one in the music charts? Do not get me wrong, I do not necessarily agree with the fact there have been street parties or campaigns for songs but can people really be as angry and upset by these actions as they claim considering the way Thatcher viewed us as a collective? There will be some that say you should not speak ill of the dead, again this depends on whom you are as plenty of spite has been recorded over the deaths of people such as Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong Il, Bin Laden and Gaddafi to name a few departed tyrants, according to popular definition.
Of course people will say that they were monsters, or that they killed people but the argument for why we should leave Thatcher alone could stand the same; that they were fathers, sons and brothers and perhaps their family respects should have been acknowledged? The last time I saw Gaddafi was over my breakfast at work on BBC News being dragged through the street either dead or half dead and Bin Laden was dropped in to the ocean along with Megatron.

More amusingly I saw a post that sums up the furore against the anti Thatcher debate: "I just watched Return Of The Jedi. Disgusted by the distasteful scenes at the end where everyone is celebrating the death of Emperor Palpatine. He may have been divisive, but he was strong and he made decisions and stuck to them, and I think he should get a bit of respect. He was after all, a little old man who died, when you remove any other context whatsoever."

Death should not exonerate anyone from debate, what will people say about George W. Bush, Tony Blair or Barack Obama in the future? Should they be exempt from criticism for their actions that are tantamount to war crimes?

Thatcher, like many other leaders, cosied up to despots and tyrants when it suited, lest we forget Pinochet who was not extradited for being to old and frail when in the UK, something the current Tory crop forget when discussing Julian Assange. Thatcher called Nelson Mandela a common terrorist and to be frank she stole my milk. I shall not be crying for her and no doubt neither will Carlos Tevez or Argentina.