Thatcher Remembered

I was saddened to read about the apparent decline of former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.

Lady Thatcher, one of the most commanding figures of the 20th Century, struggles to finish sentences, does not know where she lives and even forgets that her husband Denis is dead. In a memoir to be published next month, Carol Thatcher paints a picture of "the new Lady T," a much-diminished figure created by the progressive effects of dementia and a series of minor strokes.

It is a long time ago, but thirty years ago, I was Vice Chairman of the European Democrat Students and International Secretary of the Federation of Conservative Students. Thatcher was a very different figure then.

I remember what I can only describe as a roasting in her private office in the House of Commons. I had led a delegation of EDS to Romania and had not been particularly complimentary about the ruling Ceausescu family. In those days, Nicolae Ceausescu, despite being a most despicable individual, was a thorn in the side of Moscow and in the Cold War mentality of the time, that made him a 'friend' of the West. Thatcher was at her best in that meeting. Any ambition I might have had for a political future was torched.

There was another side to Lady T. She would visit our family home when the Tories held their Annual Party Conference in Blackpool. She would spend time in the kitchen speaking to my late mum about a range of domestic issues. Despite her fearsome reputation for being a 24/7 politician, there was another side to her.

The news from the UK yesterday was sad.