Margaret Thatcher

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Thatcher Looms Large in British Contest

Two candidates to become prime minister see her as a role model

(Newser) - Two people are running to be Britain’s next prime minister, but a third presence looms over the contest: Margaret Thatcher. The late former prime minister dominated Britain in the 1980s, and has left a large and contested legacy, per the AP . Critics see her as an intransigent ideologue whose...

3 Precedents Don't Bode Well for Johnson
Not Many
Are Buying
Johnson's
Post-Vote Spin
the rundown
Jun 7, 2022 10:30 AM CDT

Not Many Are Buying Johnson's Post-Vote Spin

British PM celebrates surviving no-confidence vote, but history is not on his side

(Newser) - After surviving a no-confidence vote on Monday, Boris Johnson put the best possible face on things. The British prime minister called it an "extremely good, positive, conclusive, decisive result," one that would allow him to "move on," per the Guardian . What Johnson glossed over is that...

Egging of Thatcher Statue Begins Quickly in Hometown

Memorial to prime ministers renews debate about her legacy

(Newser) - A new statue of Margaret Thatcher stood for not two hours Sunday in the former UK prime minister's hometown before the first egg was thrown. A man at a temporary fence began pelting the statue in Grantham, emitting a shout when one hit its target. The statue's reception...

Netflix's Answer: It's Clear The Crown Is Drama

Streaming service faces calls to alert viewers that it's not a documentary

(Newser) - Sounding a bit like a monarch speaking in the royal "we," Netflix has responded to calls for a disclaimer on the screen advising viewers that a hit series is fiction. "We have always presented The Crown as a drama—and we have every confidence our members understand...

Snowden's Password Idea: Strange, but Not Terribly Secure

Cryptography expert says 'MargaretThatcheris110%SEXY' just wouldn't cut it

(Newser) - Edward Snowden recommended last week that people use longer "passphrases" instead of passwords for extra security. One of his suggestions: something unusual and counterintuitive like "MargaretThatcheris110%SEXY." But cryptography expert Joseph Bonneau tells Andy Greenberg, writing for Wired , why Snowden's approach leaves much to be desired. To...

Powerful People Don't Exactly Speak Softly

Margaret Thatcher underwent vocal training when she became prime minister

(Newser) - When we want to be perceived as powerful—think parents scolding misbehaving kids or shoppers haggling with car dealers—we tend to focus not just on our words, but the way we deliver them. Researchers at San Diego State University report in the journal Psychological Science that when people want...

Turns Out That Reagan Liked to Tape Calls, Too

Conversations with Thatcher, Hafez al-Assad among those released

(Newser) - After that whole Richard Nixon thing , one might think American presidents would think twice about taping conversations, but we now have one more from the Gipper: Recordings of conversations between former President Reagan and world leaders including Margaret Thatcher and Bashar al-Assad's father have finally been released, having been...

London at Standstill for Thatcher Funeral

Dignitaries, protesters gather for former PM's sendoff

(Newser) - Britain bade farewell to her Iron Lady today, with thousands of police officers and military personnel lining the streets of London along with members of the public for Margaret Thatcher's funeral procession, reports the Guardian . The divisive former prime minister received a funeral with full military honors, the first...

No One Will Touch Margaret Thatcher's Real Story

Michael Wolff says we should be talking about the Iron Lady's dementia

(Newser) - Margaret Thatcher had dementia. She had it for longer than she was prime minister. Yet few of her obituaries mention it or "regard it as a meaningful part of her story," complains USA Today columnist Michael Wolff, whose own mother died at the same age as Thatcher fairly...

Anti-Thatcher 'Witch Is Dead' Song a Big Hit

Pro-Thatcher punk song enters charts at No. 35

(Newser) - So not everyone is weeping over Margaret Thatcher's death: The song "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" from The Wizard of Oz has climbed to No. 2 on Britain's charts and sold over 52,000 copies, the BBC reports. Meanwhile, a pro-Thatcher tune—the punk song "...

SNL Gives Thatcher Perfect Punk Sendoff

Hey Maggie Thatcher, you're all right.

(Newser) - Critics weren't particularly wowed with Vince Vaughn's turn as guest host on Saturday Night Live last night, but Fred Armisen's turn as the fictitious lone British punk star with a soft spot for Margaret Thatcher is rising above some mediocre sketches. Armisen's Ian Rubbish rips the...

UK Snubs Argentina at Thatcher Funeral

Cristina Fernandez persona non grata

(Newser) - The latest fallout from the Britain-Argentina Falkland Islands feud : A government source tells Reuters that Argentine President Cristina Fernandez is not invited to Margaret Thatcher's funeral next week because Thatcher's family doesn't want her there. Thatcher led Britain during the Falklands war, and "it's about...

Thatcher Death Brings Tributes—and Street Parties

UK's first female PM as divisive as ever

(Newser) - The death of Margaret Thatcher brought glowing tributes to the former British prime minister from world leaders, but the reaction in her homeland highlights the divisive nature of her 11-year rule, Reuters reports. News of her death was soon followed by street parties in Glasgow and in Brixton, a part...

Reactions to Margaret Thatcher's Death
 Pundits Wrestle With 
 Thatcher Legacy 
OPINION
Apr 8, 2013 2:00 PM CDT

Pundits Wrestle With Thatcher Legacy

Pundits grapple with controversial legacy

(Newser) - The Iron Lady is dead , and reactions are pouring in from pundits around the planet. Here's what people are saying:
  • David Weigel at Slate is predicting a "gulf of difference between American coverage, in which Thatcher will be remembered as a glass ceiling-shattering pal of Ronald Reagan; and
...

Margaret Thatcher Dead at 87
 Margaret Thatcher Dead at 87 
Apr 8, 2013 7:58 AM CDT

Margaret Thatcher Dead at 87

Former prime minister dies 'peacefully' after stroke

(Newser) - Margaret Thatcher suffered a stroke and died this morning at the age of 87, the BBC reports. "It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announce that their mother, Baroness Thatcher, died peacefully," spokesman Lord Bell said in a statement today. Thatcher was Britain's first...

Once Again, Obama and Clinton Are Most Admired
Once Again, Obama and Clinton Are Most Admired
survey says
Dec 31, 2012 9:31 AM CST

Once Again, Obama and Clinton Are Most Admired

Gallup poll results also include Conn. teachers, US troops

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton is the most admired woman in America for the 16th time since 1993, and President Obama is the most admired man for the fifth consecutive year, according to a new USA Today / Gallup poll. But it wasn't just familiar names for 2012: For the first time,...

Thatcher Recovering After Bladder Surgery

She is said to be 'absolutely fine' in hospital

(Newser) - Margaret Thatcher is in the hospital after surgery to remove a growth from her bladder, but a spokesperson says the 87-year-old is "absolutely fine," reports the Guardian . Still, the former British prime minister might have to spend Christmas there instead of at home. Thatcher's health has been...

'The Iron Lady' Movie Reviews: Meryl Streep Wows, But Critics Lukewarm on Film
 Streep Wows 
 as Iron Lady 
review roundup
Dec 30, 2011 12:50 PM CST

Streep Wows as Iron Lady

Helps redeem otherwise mediocre film

(Newser) - As a biopic, The Iron Lady is nothing to write home about—but critics are blown away by Meryl Streep's typically excellent performance as Margaret Thatcher:
  • The film contains "little sense of the outside world, the human cost, or the ripple effect of divisive government policies. It is
...

Thatcher Won't Meet 'Nuts' Palin

'That would belittle Margaret,' source tells Guardian

(Newser) - Margaret Thatcher won't meet with Sarah Palin during the ex-Alaska governor's upcoming trip to England because Palin is "nuts," a source tells the Guardian . Palin intends to stop in England—her first trip ever to Europe—on her way to Sudan next month and had hoped...

Margaret Thatcher's Kids 'Appalled' by Streep Biopic

Movie script paints Iron Lady as sad, out of it

(Newser) - A forthcoming film about Margaret Thatcher paints the UK's first female prime minister as an addled dementia patient, and her children are "appalled," a family friend tells the Telegraph . The Iron Lady will star Meryl Streep , but Abi Morgan's script has the family up in arms. "Sir...

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