Word: thatcherism
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Before she became Prime Minister in 1979 and for several years after, Margaret Thatcher's great concern was that decades of decline under omnipresent and meddlesome government might have destroyed the British people's initiative. Her passionate belief, she said, was that "free enterprise and competition are the engines of prosperity." But she feared that even if her Conservative ( government got rid of central planning, high taxation and other obstacles to economic growth, there might be no upsurge in response. "Supposing I put the ball at their feet, and they don't kick it?" she mused. "That was the nightmare...
...Thatcher's sacrifices were justified in the long run. She held the sixth-longest term as prime minister in British history, proving that she did very well at the political game. When she did very well at the political game. When she resigned, the men around her cried, and world leaders praised her--some saying she was "the greatest peacetime prime minister in this century...
...feminists are still angry that Margaret Thatcher did not do enough for her gender. They wanted her to constantly remind the world that she is a woman. But the contradiction in this demand is that constantly referring to gender differences defeats the purpose of striving for equality. Thatcher was successful as a leader without having to make an issue of her gender...
...Thatcher got people to respond to her on a professional level, both negatively and positively, without constant reference to her gender. She got the respect of her peers in Parliament, both male and female, for the tasks that she accomplished--not as a woman, but as a leader. This is much more praiseworthy and a much bigger boost for equality than if Thatcher had been a militant feminist while in office...
...ostensible goal of rights movements is a color-blind, gender-blind society. Activists are supposed to raise awareness of discrimination until the discrimination is fixed--and then the playing field is supposed to be level. Even though the playing field is still tilted against women, Margaret Thatcher proved that sometimes the best man for a job is a woman...