Mrs Thatcher was elected in 1979 thanks to the unstinting efforts of the trade unions to impose their rule over the elected Labour Government. The country was in absolute rag order at the time. In 1977 I drove Green Goddesses in Wigan as part of the the emergency fire cover for the Firemen's strike. The next year we had a squadron clearing streets because of a bin-mens strike. The winter of '78/79 was was notable for hospital porters picket lines turning back patients because the porters did not think they were ill enough. Also, there were strikes of delivery drivers who then picketed hospitals and schools to prevent heating fuel from getting through. In addition there were further public service strikes resulting in unburied bodies in Liverpool and massive heaps of rubbish in Glasgow. The Wilson/Callaghan government clique had shown themselves to be totally ineffective in dealing with these troubles, as had the Heath government a few years earlier. Mrs. Thatcher was by no means not perfect, but she was MANY times better than the incompetants who preceeded her. Also, to hear some of the invective regarding the Falklands, it would be easy to gain the impression that the whole event was set up with Galtieri simply so she could kick his forces out and get re-elected. Come on, get real!!