Death and funeral of Margaret Thatcher

Death and funeral of Margaret Thatcher

Date	8 April 2013 (death) 17 April 2013 (planned funeral date)
Location	London, England

Margaret Thatcher, former Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, died of a stroke in London on 8 April 2013 at the age of 87.

Illness and death

Thatcher suffered several small strokes in 2002 and was advised by her doctors not to engage in any more public speaking. On 23 March, she announced the cancellation of her planned speaking engagements and that she would accept no more.

Despite her illness, she made a few public appearances after 2002, including pre-recording her eulogy at the funeral of Ronald Reagan in 2004, and at a celebration of her 80th birthday in 2005 with the Queen and 650 other guests in attendance. Although she was described by the BBC as looking "frail", an ex-Cabinet minister said at the time: "She, to everybody's surprise, made a speech and was also very witty and entertaining and we were just pleased to see her in such good shape". However, her health continued to decline as the decade went on; she was briefly hospitalised in 2008 after feeling unwell during a dinner, and again after falling and fracturing her arm in 2009. Carol Thatcher spoke to the press of her mother's struggle with dementia.

Thatcher died at approximately 11:00 BST (10:00 UTC) on 8 April 2013 at The Ritz Hotel in London after suffering a stroke. She had been staying in a suite at The Ritz since Christmas, after having difficulty with stairs at her Chester Square home. Lord Bell, Thatcher's spokesman, confirmed her death in a press release issued at 12:52 BST (11:52 UTC). The Union Jack was flown at half-mast at Downing Street, Buckingham Palace, Parliament and other palaces, and flowers were laid outside her home.

Funeral

Thatcher's funeral will be held at St Paul's Cathedral in London on 17 April, following a procession from Westminster. The route of the procession will be as follows:

• Thatcher's coffin will lie overnight at the Houses of Parliament.
• From the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft beneath St Stephen's Hall at the Palace of Westminster, the hearse will travel down Whitehall, across Trafalgar Square and down the Strand and Aldwych;
• At St Clement Danes, the central church of the RAF, at the eastern end of the Strand, the coffin will be drawn on a gun carriage by the King's Troop Royal Artillery;
• The procession will continue down Fleet Street and Ludgate Hill before arriving at St Paul's Cathedral.

The funeral will be similar to the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, except it will have more military honours as a former head of government. Thatcher's body will be cremated after the funeral, in accordance with her wishes.

Planning for the funeral was started in 2009. The committee was originally chaired by Sir Malcolm Ross, the Queen's former Master of the Royal Household. Following the 2010 general election that brought the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition into power the codename given to the plans was changed to "True Blue" to give it "a more Conservative feel". Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude was made the new chairmanship of the committee.

Reactions

Domestic

Political leaders

A Buckingham Palace spokesman announced: "The Queen was sad to hear the news of the death of Baroness Thatcher. Her Majesty will be sending a private message of sympathy to the family." Prime Minister David Cameron cut short a visit abroad and ordered flags to be flown at half-mast. He issued a statement saying, "Today is a truly sad day for our country. We've lost a great Prime Minister, a great leader, a great Briton. As our first woman Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher succeeded against all the odds, and the real thing about Margaret Thatcher is that she didn't just lead our country, she saved our country. I believe she'll go down as the greatest British peacetime Prime Minister." The Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, said that "Margaret Thatcher was one of the the defining figures in modern British politics. Whatever side of the political debate you stand on, no one can deny that as prime minister she left a unique and lasting imprint on the country she served. She may have divided opinion during her time in politics but everyone will be united today in acknowledging the strength of her personality and the radicalism of her politics"

Leader of the Opposition and Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "The Labour Party disagreed with much of what she did and she will always remain a controversial figure. But we can disagree and also greatly respect her political achievements and her personal strength." UKIP leader Nigel Farage said that he was "very sad to hear of the death of.. "a great patriotic lady.", and that Britain "went from being the sick man of Europe to being the most dynamic economy in Europe.”

Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond said: "Margaret Thatcher was a truly formidable prime minister whose policies defined a political generation. No doubt there will now be a renewed debate about the impact of that legacy. Today, however, the proper reaction should be respect and condolences to her family." Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood, while expressing sympathy to her family, criticised her policies' effects on Wales, concluding: "I would urge everyone to use the energy that could be taken up mulling over her economic legacy to think creatively about how we overturn it. Let's turn this into a time for all of us in Wales to decide collectively, as a society, that we want to create a future that is better than the past." Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams condemned "the great hurt done to the Irish and British people during her time as British prime minister", adding: "Here in Ireland, her espousal of old draconian militaristic policies prolonged the war and caused great suffering."

Mike Summers, Member of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly, said: "Our sincere gratitude was demonstrated in 1983 when she was granted the Freedom of the Falkland Islands. Her friendship and support will be sorely missed."

Others

Many reactions were less sympathetic, particularly from her opponents. Residents in Orgreave, South Yorkshire, site of the Battle of Orgreave between striking coal miners and British police in June 1984, declared that their village had been "decimated by Thatcher". The Associated Press quoted a number of British miners as responding to her death simply with: "good riddance". The Daily Telegraph was forced to close comments on all articles related to her death because of hateful "abuse".

When news of Thatcher's death broke out, spontaneous street parties were held across the UK in celebration. These took place in Glasgow, Brixton, Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds, Belfast and elsewhere, despite opposition from some of the local authorities. Some were organised through social media.

Some politicians also spoke out against her. MP George Galloway tweeted the phrase "Tramp the dirt down" after hearing of Thatcher's death, in reference to Elvis Costello's 1989 song by the same name about dancing on Thatcher's grave. He later added "Margaret Thatcher described Nelson Mandela as a 'terrorist'. I was there. I saw her lips move. May she burn in the hellfires." Retired MP Tony Benn stated, "She did make war on a lot of people in Britain and I don't think it helped our society", and former London mayor Ken Livingstone said "In actual fact, every real problem we face today is the legacy of the fact she was fundamentally wrong."

There was also reaction against her from unions. Chris Kitchen, general-secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers, stated: "We've been waiting for a long time to hear the news of Baroness Thatcher's demise, and I can't say I'm sorry. I've got no sympathy for Margaret Thatcher and I will not be shedding a tear for her." Paul Kenny, Secretary of the GMB Labour Union stated "Mrs Thatcher was a powerful politician who will be remembered by many for the destructive and divisive policies she reigned over which in the end, even in the Tory (Conservative) party, proved to be her downfall. [...] Her legacy involves the destruction of communities, the elevation of personal greed over social values and legitimizing the exploitation of the weak by the strong."

Anti-Thatcher sentiment also prompted campaigns on social media networks to bring the song "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" (from The Wizard of Oz) to number 1. It had reached number 2 in the iTunes download chart 24 hours after her death, and had reached number 1 in the same chart by the end of the day. Elvis Costello's "Tramp the Dirt Down" had reached number 79 in the same period. By Wednesday 10 April, "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" had reached number 10 in the midweek Official UK Singles Chart, and was "on course to be one of the top three sellers by the end of the week".

International

Political leaders

Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, described Thatcher as "a great model as the first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who not only demonstrated her leadership but has given such great hope for many women for equality, gender equality in Parliament."

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who, like Thatcher, became the first female leader of her country, said: "As a woman I am admiring of her achievements on becoming the first woman to lead the United Kingdom, the first female prime minister there. For women around the world they will be reflecting on the loss of a woman who showed a new way forward for women, and a way into leadership."

Marin Raykov, premier and foreign minister of Bulgaria, stated that "Lady Thatcher was among those great personalities who...turned the course of history and led the way to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism. That, for all of us on the other side of the Iron Curtain, meant being free, to which Baroness Thatcher made an indisputable contribution."

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, stated: "While many in positions of power are defined by the times in which they govern, Margaret Thatcher had that rarest of abilities to herself personify and define the age in which she served. Indeed, with the success of her economic policies, she defined contemporary conservatism itself." and, "I recall with pride her eloquent portrayal of the philosophical groundings of the principles that have - and I hope forever will - unite the British and Canadian peoples."

Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen considered Thatcher to "have been a trail-blazer and visionary, who had the courage to reform Britain at a difficult point in time" and that Thacher "cleared the way for other women to get to the top of politics".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "She shaped modern Great Britain as few have before or since. She was one of the greatest leaders in World politics of her time. The freedom of the individual was at the centre of her beliefs so she recognised very early the power of the movements for freedom in Eastern Europe. And she supported them. I will never forget her contribution in overcoming Europe's partition and the end of the Cold War."

Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung sent a condolence message, stating "Baroness Thatcher will be remembered as the British Prime Minister whose signature appears on the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed in Beijing in December 1984." He said the agreement marked the beginning of Hong Kong's transition and return to China in 1997, when the 'One country, two systems' principle was successfully implemented.."

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "expressed his deepest sympathies", saying: "She was a transformative figure under whom the United Kingdom registered important progress on the national and international arena".

Irish President Michael D. Higgins extended his condolences saying: "She will be remembered as one of the most conviction-driven British Prime Ministers who drew on a scholarship that demanded markets without regulation" and that "her key role in signing the Anglo-Irish Agreement will be recalled as a valuable early contribution to the search for peace and political stability."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mourned Thatcher calling her "a true friend of the Jewish people and Israel."

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe expressed his condolences and praised Thatcher as being a great statesperson who put her nation and its people above all else. In a written statement, Abe said that he “shares the deep sorrow of the British people.”

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said "The passing of Margaret Thatcher is obviously a very sad day for her family and Great Britain", and that "She will be remembered as a very strong and determined leader that faced some real challenges."

Romanian President Traian Băsescu sent his condolences to British Prime Minister David Cameron that stated: "Margaret Thatcher served as a [role] model for me. She permanently applied the principles of law and economic liberalism, and this is why I, as President of a country which has confronted the challenges of communism, will remember the legacy of Thatcherism." He also expressed his belief that Thatcher will be remembered as "a central political figure of Britain and Modern History."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Thatcher was "a pragmatic, tough and consistent person" and that he was "sorry and would like to offer condolences on behalf of the Russian leadership to the British government and people". Former USSR Premier Mikhail Gorbachev said that Thatcher was a "great politician" and one "whose words carried great weight", adding that her death was "sad news".

South African President Jacob Zuma said that his "thoughts and prayers are with the family of Lady Thatcher and the people of the UK during this difficult time".

Barack Obama, President of the United States, released a statement saying "As an unapologetic supporter of our transatlantic alliance, she knew that with strength and resolve we could win the Cold War and extend freedom's promise. With the passing of Baroness Margaret Thatcher, the world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty, and America has lost a true friend."

Others

There were less sympathetic reactions in Argentina, in regards to her legacy during the Falklands War, and in South Africa, because of her record on apartheid.

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Campbell, John (2003). Margaret Thatcher; Volume Two: The Iron Lady. Pimlico. ISBN 0-7126-6781-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)