'It doesn't matter where you are from, only where you are going'. How right Mrs Thatcher was, and how right she still is.
Her simple philosophy of the triumph of ambition and hard work is one that still resonates. The idea that anyone can achieve everything in life through a combination of hard work and sheer determination remains at the very heart of the free society she created. When the newly-elected Tony Blair declared his priorities to be 'education, education, education', it was Thatcher's vision of a free, meritocratic society that he sought to make a reality.
As her death reignites the divisions that her policies created, it is all too easy to lose sight of the simple fact that, for Margaret Thatcher, this vision was a reality. The journey of the grocer's daughter from Grantham to the doorstep of Number 10 should be held up and celebrated as one of the greatest personal triumphs of the Twentieth Century. Love her or loathe her by all means, but also respect her for the strength of her convictions that got her to the very top and her desire to make this journey a little easier for those who dream too.
When Lady Thatcher entered politics, women were not meant to have ambition, be it in politics, business or elsewhere. These were dominated by a closed social circle – the 'old-boys network' she so openly hated.
She was elected to Parliament in 1959 when just 4% of MPs were female and Ted Heath made no secret of the fact that she was in his Cabinet only as the 'token' woman. She had a rough ride as Leader of the Opposition as colleagues frequently bemoaned the fact that the Party was led by a woman who could never win them the election. Indeed, she herself declared in 1973 that she did not think there would be a female Prime Minister in her lifetime. Without her, she'd be right. In pre-Thatcher Britain, grocer's daughters were not supposed to be leaders.
This is what made her so remarkable. Through a combination of great personal strength, courage, determination and sheer hard work, she proved her doubters wrong. She shattered one of the highest glass ceilings in the land and proved that background did not matter.
On her politics, pick your side, but also remember her for her extraordinary personal story that is an inspiration to anyone, be they interested in politics or not, who harbours burning ambition or who dares to dream. It doesn't matter where you are from, only where you are going. She proved that anything is possible and to have just a fraction of her personal strength, of her courage, or of her determination is to be very great indeed.
