Dubai: Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first woman prime minister, is considered one of the most important and influential politicians whose ideologies still echo in 21st century politics.
Her role as prime minister was essential in shaping British politics. From reviving the economy to reinforcing the nation’s foreign policy to reforming outdated institutions, Thatcher earned her nickname as the “Iron Lady” through her determination and striking energy.
Gulf News spoke to expatriates in the UAE about Thatcher’s legacy as a leader.
“She was strong-willed and had vision,” Anthony Harris, the former British ambassador in the UAE told Gulf News. “She changed the way Britain thought about itself. She provided leadership which was immensely beneficial to Britain.”
Charming woman
“She was a charming woman,” Harris said. “Francois Mitterrand, the French president then, who was left-wing, and Reagan, who was right-wing, were equally charmed by her. She was an engaging personality and they thought they could do business with her. She was tough and determined — the kind of woman that knew how to get something done.”
“For many in Britain she was and is a divisive figure,” Nicholas Lunt, a British expat in Dubai said. “But for those Brits who have spent a lot of their lives working abroad as I have done, she was clearly an inspiration to people around the world, sometimes in the most surprising places. “I remember being in a meeting in Baghdad in 2004 with a group of Iraqi politicians discussing some ideas for projecting a unified vision for the Iraqi people after the fall of the Saddam regime. One of them turned to me and said: ‘What Iraq needs now is a Maggie Thatcher’. I wonder how many of her adversaries in the UK realise how she motivated people around the world to believe that breaking the shackles of vested interests was not just desirable but actually realisable. That’s quite a legacy.”
Another expatriate, Edmund O’Sullivan, chairman of MEED Events, told Gulf News it was a sad day for many.
“She’s a historic figure in British politics who left a significant effect on British society,” O’Sullivan said.
“No one can dispute Margaret’s most significant contribution in history — she was the first woman who fundamentally redefined the scale of ambition that women and girls had,” he added. “After 1979 she broke the mould. The most important thing about Margaret Thatcher, is being Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister of the UK.”
Maryam Mirza is an intern at Gulf News.
