Read David Willetts’s complete essay on the meaning of Margaret Thatcher here
Margaret Thatcher’s reputation as Britain’s most influential and divisive post-war leader was confirmed by a survey undertaken by Prospect and pollsters YouGov to explore her reputation 30 years after the election that brought her to power. Today, just as when she left office, the iron lady splits Britain pretty much down the middle, with 40 per cent of those questioned feeling she made Britain a better place to live, set against 41 per cent who thought she made it worse. Only 6 per cent thought she had made no difference at all.
This enduring division over Thatcher’s legacy does not, however, translate into unpopularity. Indeed, our poll shows that she remains surprisingly popular compared to contemporary political leaders. Perhaps most impressively, Thatcher in her prime is rated as a better prime minister than Gordon Brown to steer Britain through the current economic crisis, by 47 versus 34 per cent of votes. Lest contemporary Tories feel too happy, however, her victory margin is even greater when it comes to leading the Tory party: 49 per cent prefer her to David Cameron, compared to only 24 per cent backing the current Tory leader. (Thatcher still turns off self-identified Labour voters who, when asked to hold their noses, pick Cameron over Thatcher by the slimmest of margins—37 versus 36 per cent.)
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