Margaret Thatcher’s bombastic funeral was less about grief than political calculation.
LONDON - Sweating soldiers carefully laid Margaret Thatcher’s coffin down under the cupola of St Paul’s Cathedral. Its stately procession up the stairs and along the aisle of the huge cathedral, past rows filled with bald heads and “fascinators” (as women’s headpieces are called here) had been long indeed. The entire funeral for the former prime minister altogether seemed too drawn-out, too pompous.
But this funeral was less about Margeret Thatcher herself than about her political legacy. “We are all Thatcheristes now!”, proclaimed prime minister David Cameron when interviewed on Radio 4’s “Today” programme before the ceremony. Besides this rather empty populist statement he had little newsworthy to add. Is the enormous cost of the ceremonial funeral with full military honours a breach of the constitution? “This funeral is a fitting and right tribute to this prime minister, who was the first female prime minister”, he said, and added: “Even her enemies should pay her respect.”
Since the death of the “Iron Lady” nine days ago, Cameron has tried hard to present himself as Margaret Thatchers legitimate political son -- but with limited success.
If he praises Thatcher as the “first female prime minister” we cannot help but smile. Feminist fervour has not been one of Cameron’s hallmarks so far. This he shares with Thatcher, who would rather have dropped dead forty years ago than have someone call her a feminist – even though she was one of the first to show us how to combine a career and a family.
For some, Thatcher was a witch without empathy, for others she was a ruthless and successful reformer. She may have broken the power of the unions in the Eighties, but she also pushed Great Britain to the brink of civil war. Cameron has none of her strength. After almost three years in power, he stills lacks profile, vision and success – Great Britain is now fighting a triple-dip-recession.
The prime minister is not the only one trying to inherit the Thatcherite mantle. His main rival Boris Johnson, London’s ebullient mayor, is seizing the opportunity to portray himself as her legitimate political heir. Johnson certainly shares one thing with her: ruthlessness in getting what he wants. “Thatcherism is no museum piece – it’s alive and kicking”, he wrote in an editorial in the “Daily Telegraph” yesterday: “She would use her fantastic will to get this country the aviation capacity it needs.” What he means by that: Thatcher would have built a bigger Heathrow long ago – over the dead bodies of enviromentalists and residents.
Both Boris Johnson and David Cameron proved this week that Thatcher’s shoes are much too big for them to fill. With or without heel. The mediocre Tory politicians of today will, however, still keep trying to trade off her political legacy. But the “Iron Lady” would have liked that. Margaret Thatcher would not have wanted to rest in peace anyway.
This is a link to a recent opinion poll: 31 % of Brits believe, Margaret Thatcher would be the best prime minister to lead Britain out of the economic crisis . Only 13 % believe, Cameron could do it, too: