Well, "The" of recently-changed soubriquet (you big bloody kid), I happen to think that Jim's allusion was entirely appropriate. Maggie did suck up enthusiastically to dictators (Pinochet) or to people who enthusiastically propped up dictators (Reagan). Had she been a man she would have enjoyed big juicy erections at the very thought of these two tosspots - and we would have said so here. Nothing sexist in saying that she dropped her knickers, figuratively speaking, in the presence of power-fellows. Fer chrissake, she even sucked up to Gorby. That was her style. If she's up there somewhere, seeing your pathetic defence of her from on high, she'd tell you to piss thoroughly off, and quite right too.