Posted on 05/03/2004 4:06:24 PM PDT by may18
By Jon Smith, Political Editor, PA News
Tory leader Michael Howard today hailed Lady Thatcher as “the greatest British Prime Minister since Winston Churchill”.
He was speaking in advance of celebrations next week to mark the 25th anniversary of Margaret Thatcher’s election victory on May 3 1979.
Mr Howard will speak at a gala dinner in her honour next week organised by the Conservative Way Forward group, with 500 guests.
He said in a statement today: “Next week we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Margaret Thatcher becoming Prime Minister.
“She was the greatest British Prime Minister since Winston Churchill. What Churchill did in May 1940 was the supreme example of how one man’s political will, iron courage and leadership can save a nation.
“In May 1979 Britain faced a very different threat – the threat of terminal decline.
“Most people felt our decline was inevitable and that it was the job of politicians simply to manage it.
“One woman thought differently. It was her political will, her iron courage and her leadership that reversed Britain’s decline.
“In 1979 it was difficult to be optimistic about Britain’s future. But Margaret was.
“She believed in the British people and in what we could achieve. She didn’t see her job as managing Britain’s decline – she wanted to reverse it. And that is exactly what she did.
“We all owe her a huge debt of gratitude
Love that!
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