@izzythepush,
Perhaps it's too easy for the British to forget how seedy and 2nd rate London had become in the late 1970s after three decades of socialism. The economic engine that supported the country was winding down as a result of the widespread sclerosis that resulted from prolongued government monopoly operations and a long-term lack of competition and innovation.
The coal mines, which were the scenes of the worst parts of Thatcher's disputes with labor unions, produced a fuel (brown coal) that was notable for its very low heat content, high sulfur and large contributions to lung disease. The operations were heavily subsidized by labor governments, but no longer even economically viable. Thatcher ended the subsidies; defeated the union and let the system die on its own. She did the UK a great service in doing so.
I see the still hostile reactions to her after her death as evidence of how quickly people become dependent on handouts from someone else, and how angry they remain after they are reduced or withdrawn - never mind the fact that the price of sustaining them would likely have been catastrophe for everyone. . The truth, in my opinion, is that the UK is still better off for her 11 years of service as PM.
