Don't get me wrong, I am no Thatcher-lover. But I have to smile at the way all the ills of the past are laid exclusively at her feet, as if nobody else ever did anything wrong, and as if many of us (the collective "us", not necessarily individuals on this forum) did not willingly follow her path of loose ethics in hope of riches. Why, I already heard her blamed for the current economic crisis. What happens when Maggie finally pops her clogs? Who will be blamed after that? I am reminded of the closing lines of Kavafi's poem "Waiting for the Barbarians":

"...And now, what will we do without Barbarians?
These people were a sort of a solution after all."

We need our Maggies/Barbarians, to makes us feel good about themselves. But how honest is that?

Mike, I know your heart is in the right place, and that you also admired Maggie. So, even as I cringe at the thought of myself ever shaking hands with her, I confess to being pleased for you!