Marget Thatcher

The Iron Lady certainly divided the nation. She entered Parliament in 1979, defeating James Callaghan comfortably. Almost immediately after she became Prime Minister, she had to deal with the recession that hit the UK in the early 1980's. The economic policies that she, and her cabinet created as a result of the recession and high inflation, helped damage the trade unions. It saw manufacturing shrink by over 50% while unemployment levels rose to over 3.2m, the highest level of unemployment since World War 2. The trade unions membership completely fell from a peak of 11 million, and this resulted in the 1980's strikers across the UK, in Toxteth, Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester. Her approval rate dropped to 22%, the lowest approval rate of any Prime Minister in the UK in the 20th Century. This fall occurred due to her reaction to the recession, as she increased taxes and limited the money that primary/secondary schoolchildren had, coining the name "Thatcher, the Milk Snatcher". The media hounded Thatcher, and she publicly came out in the Commons, and quoted from poet Ronald Miller, saying "You turn if you want too, the lady's not for turning"!

As she had to deal with the recession, she appointed Lord Norman Tebbit to Employment Secretary, who Alan Davies described as "The second most hated person in the UK, behind Thatcher". Tebbit and Thatcher decided to strip the unions of their legal protection, and banned flying pickets from blockading ports, public bodies and factories. When meeting with others who lost their jobs, he told them to "Get on yer bikes"! which further incited anger amongst the miners.

When Thatcher decided to close uneconomical mines, it was a hugely unpopular decision, with many miners going on strike and trying to get their jobs back. Some mines were uneconomical, however Thatcher only sparked outrage due to her lack of negotiation with miners, and particularly, Arthur Scargill, the leader of the NUM, National Union for Miners. The lack of communication led to Thatcher closing down 20 coal pits, which prompted immediate action by the NUM, and they decided to go militant, and form a years long strike. They were however, unsuccessful, and this was a huge victory for Thatcher. It allowed her to end the "closed shop" in the British coal industry. In 1966, coal was the main source of energy, producing 230 million tonnes. When Thatcher closed the pits, the industry was producing 128m tonnes. And because of her, Major and Heath, the industry was producing 15m tonnes in 2009. In 2015, it is now 0, which isn't too bad, as renewable energy has become something that is wanted by many, however the way Thatcher implemented the changes so quickly, and so brutally, was why she was hated by so many.

Thatcher also had to concentrate on international affairs. The Falklands War is something that defined Thatcher's career. In 1982, the people on the Falklands Island all considered themselves to be British, however Argentina, believing that they should own the Falklands due to how close it is to them, decided to force themselves into the islands illegally. With Argentina currently being led by the military, the people on the Falklands were firmly against becoming part of Argentina, which is why Thatcher decided to step in, with her good friend, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States. In total, 650 Argentinians died, while 255 British soldiers die with only 3 civilians killed. The recapture of the islands were huge for her, and the media started to realise how good of a leader she was. 

Domestically, Thatcher seemingly had to deal with strikes, or riots, evey year, most specifically, the Miners Strikes of 1984-85, and "LBGT" strikes. Thatcher struggled to deal with homosexuals, so eventually, she decided to enact the Clause 28, which stated that a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".