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Should a statue be erected to Margaret Thatcher?

This poll is about 6 years old
 

A Scots MP has sparked a debate after she backed calls for a statue to be erected to former prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

Jo Swinson, LibDem MP for East Dunbartonshire, said she was disappointed that Westminster Council has turned down an application for a statue of the controversial ex-PM in Parliament Square in London.

She said that Thatcher should be one of several prominent women who should be honoured in public spaces – and that there is more than a “whiff of misogyny” in opposition to a Thatcher statue.

However, the former prime minister is a hugely divisive figure – not least in Scotland, where, among other things, she presided over the destruction of the country’s heavy industry and the introduction of the hated poll tax a year before the rest of the UK.

Many claim Thatcher’s policies made life worse for women, not better, as she froze child benefit, cut spending on healthcare, failed to invest in childcare and, despite being one herself, criticised working mothers.

We’re asking what you think – should a statue be erected to Margaret Thatcher?

Vote now and get the debate going by leaving a comment below.

Should a statue be erected to Margaret Thatcher?

Yes
29
No
146
Options
Voting in this poll has now closed
 

Comments

0 0
John Cunningham
about 6 years ago
If it was intended to remind us of the misery and long-term damage she caused for this country it would be a good idea. However, statues are intended to be a reminder of great, or good, people who have served us well. That most certainly does not apply to Margaret Thatcher who should, and will, always be remembered for what she was - a disaster for the ordinary working people of the UK, and a statue is quite inappropriate for that purpose.
0 0
Donna Carvill
about 6 years ago
This woman set about destroying the fabric of Scotland and then set about completely demoralising our society. Choosing to target the very poorest of people. She was a disgrace as a woman and as a politician. Any reference to misogyny being a reason for not erecting a statue of her is ill informed at best and utterly stupid at worst.
0 0
Hugh
about 6 years ago
This would only encourage the crime rate to rise with the amount of people who would vent their anger by attempting to vandalise it, at the despicable way she treated people and the damage she caused to society as a whole
0 0
John Ferguson
about 6 years ago
Healthy societies don't raise monuments to monsters.
0 0
lok yue
almost 6 years ago
Perhaps those shooting from the anti-thatcher hip might like to access some video footage from the 1970s and read some of the articles on the economy at that time. The country was in crisis: debt-ridden and in thrall to the unions demanding ever larger pay increases which, f they didnt get, led to nationwide strikes. Thatcher did not get everything right: neither does any leader but the state of the nation thendemanded strong medicine. So please, read the history ad look at the footage before condemning her out of hand
Commenting is now closed on this post