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  1. Politics
22 November 2010

Margaret Thatcher’s resignation: five views

Roy Hattersley, Oona King, John Sergeant, Geoffrey Howe, and Laurie Penny share their thoughts.

By Samira Shackle

Twenty years ago today, Margaret Thatcher announced that she would resign as prime minister and as leader of the Conservative Party. This is how the BBC reported it at the time:

In honour of this, the New Statesman‘s Thatcher special last week asked for memories, analysis, and opinion from commentators and figures close to Thatcher at the time. In case you missed it, here’s a recap:

1.Maggie Thatcher’s long goodbye

Roy Hattersley analyses Thatcher’s legacy — which Tony Blair soon picked up.

2. When the lady lost her bearings

John Sergeant, then of the BBC, recalls how the Iron Lady’s resignation was the making of him. Her chancellor Geoffrey Howe also shares his thoughts, as does Oona King, before her own life in politics.

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3. What Maggie means to my generation

Laurie Penny considers what Thatcher means to the younger generation.

4. What if . . . Thatcher had stayed on

And finally, Dominic Sandbrook speculates on what might have been if she’d clung on for another term.

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