Thatcher has no love for Palin

By Michael J.W. Stickings

A couple of years ago, I wrote an article for The Guardian that made a simple point: Sarah Palin is no Margaret Thatcher. I made it because at the time some conservatives were actually comparing the two, suggesting, in the aftermath of the McCain-Palin debacle of '08, that they had a lot in common and that Palin was a Thatcherite sort of leader, or at least could be.

I won't here get into the many reasons why. Go read my article. Suffice it to say that Thatcher, whatever we may think of her (and I loved her in my conservative youth), was undeniably an impressive and indeed transformative political figure. Palin, needless to say, is not. Not even close.

And if you really think that Palin is Thatcher 2.0, you probably also think that Palin was right about Paul Revere. So there's just no reasoning with you. You're an idiot.

Anyway, not only is Palin nothing like Thatcher, Thatcher doesn't much care for Palin and doesn't even want to meet with her. Palin is hoping to meet Thatcher later this summer, but it doesn't look like she'll get what she wants:

It appears that the former prime minister has no intention of meeting the darling of the Tea Party movement. Andy McSmith reported in the Independent [yesterday] morning that Palin is likely to be "thwarted" on the grounds that Thatcher, 86, rarely makes public appearances.

It would appear that the reasons go deeper than Thatcher's frail health. Her allies believe that Palin is a frivolous figure who is unworthy of an audience with the Iron Lady. This is what one ally tells me:

Lady Thatcher will not be seeing Sarah Palin. That would be belittling for Margaret. Sarah Palin is nuts.

Thatcher will show the level she punches at when she attends the unveiling of a statue of Ronald Reagan outside the US embassy in Grosvenor Square on Independence day on 4 July. This is what her ally told me:

Margaret is focusing on Ronald Reagan and will attend the unveiling of the statue. That is her level.

So there you go.

I would just note that Thatcher was friends with Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet (among other right-wing darlings).

He, apparently, was more than good enough for the Iron Lady.

Palin, apparently, is not.

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