We should give Margaret Thatcher the respect she deserves, demands VIRGINIA BLACKBURN
THREE point two million smackeroos. Not bad for the personal effects of an old age pensioner who died two years ago, is it?
The people's Prime Minister
But then this was no ordinary OAP. It was Margaret Thatcher whose possessions were being auctioned off this week, including her red dispatch box, which went for an eye-watering £242,500 and my personal favourite, a silver bowl inscribed with the phrase “The Lady’s Not For Turning”, which was estimated at a laughable £300-£500 and actually sold for £47,500.
In death, as in life, the Lady still dominates the political lands.
And yet still she doesn’t get the honour she deserves in this country.
Yes, she had a state funeral in all but name, the streets lined with thousands who adored Maggie (actually, millions adored her) yet a small but vocal minority who are in charge of much of public life continue to play her down.
The Victoria and Albert museum loftily rejected the offer of some of her power suits despite clear evidence that an awful lot of the punters would very much liked to have seen them.
Those clothes and a great deal else will now end up with rich buyers overseas. The BBC still treats her as some kind of a She-Devil.
Among an extremely unfunny set of comedians, they still think you can raise a laugh by uttering the word “Thatch.”
Yes, she polarised public opinion. All truly great figures do. But if there is one person in the history of British politics who deserves the term “People’s Prime Minister”, it is Margaret Thatcher, because despite the disdain with which she is treated by some of the so-called establishment, you can’t keep her down.
When her authorised biography was published, it became an instant bestseller. When her chattels are auctioned, prices hit the roof.
Margaret Thatcher was and remains our greatest post-war prime minister. History will give her the accolades she deserves while her contemporaries and those who came after her will be long forgotten. What an extraordinary woman she was.
Give Kate a break, she can't look perfect all the time
HERE is the Duchess of Cambridge, looking as lovely as she usually does. A couple of days before, however, she dared to leave the house looking a wee bit tired and didn’t the critical naysayers come down on her like a ton of bricks.
What nasty minded people they are. This is a mother of two small children who is expected to look model perfect every time she goes out.
In the summer there was some comment that Prince William attended a series of weddings on his own while Kate stayed at home. Is it any wonder given the barbed remarks when she’s less than perfectly daisy fresh?
Major Tim Peake is the first British man to visit the International Space Station
ON Tuesday I did something I haven’t done for years. I switched on daytime telly and watched, mouth agape, as countdown led to lift off and a mighty rocket powered upwards into space.
It was carrying a British astronaut, of course, Major Tim Peake. Hence all the attention.
Yet nearly five decades after the moon landing, space travel remains awe-inspiring. And what a beacon of hope for these troubled times.
A breath of fresh air for the Chinese: they're importing Canadian air
THE Chinese are among the wisest people on earth but I did a double take when I read that they are buying bottled air from Canada.Literally.
It costs about a tenner for a 7.7 litre can. Chinese air pollution is the reason. But seriously? I believe this is what is known as a “dud steer.”