Tribute debate hosts many excellent speeches
Yesterday evening, John Baron MP participated in a debate in the House of Commons – Parliament being recalled to pay tribute to the Rt Hon Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven LG OM. There were many warm, heartfelt and funny speeches bearing testimony to her many strengths.
John said,
“At the height of her power, Margaret Thatcher was once asked who wore the trousers in her family; she replied “I do, and I also wash and iron them”. In addition to her many qualities already highlighted by colleagues, she never forgot her humble upbringing. This perhaps honed her instincts when it came to understanding the British public.”
“People and the media have called her ‘divisive’. This is wrong. The twenty years prior to Margaret Thatcher were far more divisive than the twenty years after her. People tend to forget that the 1970s was dogged with poor industrial relations, wildcat strikes, the three-day working week, power shortages, rubbish piled high and people not buried in cemeteries. She forced the country to face reality – it could not go on like that.”
“In 1979, when she came to power, nearly 30 million days were lost in strikes. By the time she left office in 1990, that figure had dropped to two million days. She turned the ‘Sick Man of Europe’ into the fastest-growing economy in Europe. In doing so, she was an inspiration to many of the economies in Eastern Europe who were emerging from the yoke of Communism.”
“The testament to her achievements is that no major reform has been reversed by successive Governments since she left office. She transformed both the industrial and political landscape. The country will forever be in her debt.”
Ends
Word Count: 296
Date: 11th April 2013
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