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Thatcher still has a resonance in the US today, being frequently cited in speeches by conservatives. CNN showed a passage of one of her speeches relevant to the present debate about curbing the debt. Boehner, who is at the centre of the White House-Congress confrontation over debt and spending, described her as the greatest peacetime prime minister in British history. The Republican senator John McCain, who backed Reagan in his approach to the Soviet Union, described Thatcher as "one of the great leaders" of the last century.

The title stuck around, but the Soviet Union didn't and the USSR's last premier, Mikhail Gorbachev, 82, said her death was "a sad thing" and described her as "a great politician" who "will remain in our memory and in history". He recalled how his relations with Thatcher "were difficult at times, not always smooth, but, serious and responsible from both sides". The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, said: He said Thatcher always brought "very strong impressions" and that she was "pragmatic, strict and responsible".

And how she, with the Americans, 'strangled' the Soviet Union is also worth quite a lot — because she did it correctly, logically and in their own interests. Neither one nor the other was loved in their motherland, but were respected abroad. The influential political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky reflected on how Thatcher had been unswerving in her criticism of the "evil empire".

Margaret Thatcher: Great Prime Minister?

And they did it. Reaction to Thatcher's death was divided around her stance on the ruling African National Congress, which she once described as "a typical terrorist organisation", and her support for the former apartheid government. It's a shame that we could never call her one of the champions of the liberation struggle. Normally we say that when one of us goes, the ANC ancestors will meet them at the pearly gates and give them a standing ovation. I think it's quite likely that when Margaret Thatcher reaches the pearly gates, the ANC will boycott the occasion.

She was part of the rightwing alliance with Ronald Reagan. In the end I sat with her in her office with Nelson Mandela in We knew she had no choice. Although she called us a terrorist organisation, she had to shake hands with a terrorist and sit down with a terrorist. But the country's last apartheid-era president, FW de Klerk, saluted her as "one of Britain's greatest prime ministers" and said she played a positive role in the process of non-racial constitutional transformation. Long after her passing on, her impact will still be felt and her views a subject of discussion. Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been dubbed the Iron Lady of Europe for her tough line over the eurozone crisis, called Thatcher a "formidable leader in world politics in her time".

Margaret Thatcher was not a politician for women, but that she led the highest democratic office as a woman, in times where that was not a given, she set an example for many after her. Michael Roth, of the opposition Social Democratic party, said "her edge and her charisma" would be missed. Her politics seem to not have gone out of fashion, as evidenced by the radical savings and austerity policies in crisis countries, such as Greece, Portugal and Spain.

That Thatcher legacy is obviously very present there. She had the sort of politics that I, as a social democrat, obviously find to be wrong, but that are still in effect today.


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The German foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, said she "leaves behind a big legacy for European history. We look upon her life's work with wonderment. Together, they set about reinforcing the ties between our two countries. It was in that era that Mme Thatcher gave the decisive push to the construction of the Channel tunnel.

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Le Monde, which reminded readers of the late President Mitterand's remark that "she has the mouth of Marilyn [Monroe] and the look of Caligula", said: There are individual men and women and there are families and no government can do anything except through people and people look to themselves first… There is no such thing as society. There is living tapestry of men and women and people and the beauty of that tapestry and the quality of our lives will depend upon how much each of us is prepared to take responsibility for ourselves and each of us prepared to turn round and help by our own efforts those who are unfortunate.

And what a prize we have to fight for: That is that they contain the potential to have judges take decisions which should properly be made by democratically elected politicians. They have to be earned here on earth. We have a heap of cinders. The market is a more powerful and more reliable liberating force than government can ever be.

Ellie Sinkinson : I’ll miss you always and love you forever | The Huw Thatcher Trust

Any politician who suggests the opposite should be treated as suspect. There is nothing to be said for trying to create heaven on earth.

Benita Jones - "I Love You Forever"

So it is something in which no one believes and to which no one objects. We regard that as a compliment. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish. This is what we mean by a moral society; not a society where the state is responsible for everything, and no one is responsible for the state. It is the female of the species — it is the tigress and lioness in you — which tends to defend when attacked.

As prime minister, she helped restore the confidence and pride that has always been the hallmark of Britain at its best. I believe that history will honour her for all that she achieved and it has been a great privilege to have been by her side for the past 35 years. She changed our country forever and all of us owe so much to her. A legacy few will ever equal. You may also enjoy: I was brought up by a Victorian grandmother.

You were taught to work jolly hard, you were taught to improve yourself, you were taught self-reliance, you were taught to live within your income, you were taught that cleanliness was next to godliness.

You were taught self-respect, you were taught always to give a hand to your neighbour, you were taught tremendous pride in your country, you were taught to be a good member of your community. All of these things are Victorian values.

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This quote is widely attributed to Margaret Thatcher on various websites, and also appears in a number of books, including The Concise Columbia Dictionary of Quotations , Columbia University Press , ed. Chairman, each generation has to stand up for democracy. You know that marvellous quotation from Goethe: Regis Hotel, New York City: My friends, every generation has to fight anew the battle for liberty. Remember, George, this is no time to go wobbly. To President George H. Misattributed [ edit ] A man who, beyond the age of 26, finds himself on a bus can count himself as a failure.