“The world lost a giant yesterday,” said Leigh-Ann Bellew, Republican candidate for State Senate in District 13. “My condolences go out to the family of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She blazed the path for women like me to enter into politics, showing that a strong woman can be an effective leader.”
In a statement released this afternoon, Bellew called for men and women alike to emulate Thatcher’s strong leadership, free market principles and reverence for life.
“But what we must remember most isn’t her ability to show that women can lead but that conservatism & adopting free market principles can transform government,” said Bellew. “We need leaders who will fight the same battles that include the right to life and to protect oneself in their own home, as well as freedom from oppressive government taxes and spending. Margaret Thatcher understood those principles and she became a voice for Great Britain. She was an inspiration to me and I look forward to being a voice in government much like she was.”
During her time as Prime Minister, Thatcher turned a country around after leading the Conservatives to three election victories from 1979 to 1990. “The Iron Lady,” Margaret Thatcher led Britain away from socialism to free market principles and opened the door for society to accept that women could indeed lead. She is famous for saying “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman” & “any woman who understands the problems with running a home will be nearer to the problems of running a country.”
In 1979 when Thatcher became Prime Minister, British citizens were tired of socialism and the failings of government. Thatcher understood that government was unable to continue being socialist when she said, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” She removed large parts of the economy from government control by transferring it to the private sector. While this caused tension amongst her fellow European leaders, it made her immensely popular in the U.K. When faced with the challenge of the Falkland Islands invasion by Argentina, her image as the “Iron Lady” would be forever solidified.
Bellew continued, “In essence, Margaret Thatcher was a great leader first and an inspiration to women second. In a world where we try to separate based on segments of society – the word ‘emulate’ most comes to mind when I think of Margaret Thatcher. My hope is her strong leadership and conservative principles are something all of society will emulate – men and women alike.”