English: Margaret Thatcher photo cropped from this Image. Description of original image:Margaret Thatcher and Nancy Reagan at 10 Downing Street. President Ronald Reagan is behind, in between the two, and Mr. Denis Thatcher is to Mr. Reagan’s left. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
LONDON – Love her or loathe her, one thing’s beyond dispute: Margaret Thatcher transformed Britain.
The Iron Lady who ruled for 11 remarkable years imposed her will on a fractious, rundown nation – breaking the unions, triumphing in a far-off war, and selling off state industries at a record pace. She left behind a leaner government and more prosperous nation by the time a mutiny ousted her from No. 10 Downing Street.
Thatcher’s former spokesman, Tim Bell, said that the former prime minister had died this morning of a stroke. She was 87.
For admirers, Thatcher was a savior who rescued Britain from ruin and laid the groundwork for an extraordinary economic renaissance. For critics, she was a heartless tyrant who ushered in an era of greed that kicked the weak out onto the streets and let the rich become filthy rich.