The vitriol spilled on this thread, including by me, does make me think...

Was she really that powerful? Did she really plan things and push forward ideology over pragmatism?

Actually no.

As I recall, Nicholas Ridley, Norman Tebbit, Sir Keith Joseph et al. They were the architects of what we call Thatcherism. She was the willing front for greater minds than hers. She knew how to chemically extract the cream from the top of a pint of milk and possibly how to do the books in a small grocery, but she delivered the failed dream of others.

The problem was... the idiots couldn't control her.

Interestingly, you can read up on the infection rates and inspections at Cromwell Hospital on the CQC website. Better get that cheap Pomagne in the fridge then.