Last Monday, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died at the age of 87. Since then the right-wing in this country has hailed her as a hero, and a large part of the American media has climbed on board. But Americans didn't have to live under Thatcher's regime. Many Brits have a very different opinion of Thatcher -- and her austere, divisive, and hard-hearted policies. In fact, it could be argued that Thatcher very nearly destroyed the Conservative Party in Great Britain by turning most of the public there against the party and its policies.The bad feelings toward Thatcher in Great Britain is clearly illustrated in an unusual place in that country -- the chart listing for the top songs. Within 48 hours of Thatchers death, the 1939 song from the Wizard of Oz, Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead, had been downloaded so many times that it was number 10 on the chart. Now the song has reached number one on the charts. Obviously, there are still a lot of bad feelings toward Thatcher.
This is not just a revival of a 74 year old song. This is a political statement by a whole lot of the people of Great Britain. And it is justified.
