Britain bids farewell to Margaret Thatcher

Lady Thatcher,Britain’s first female prime minister, was borne toSt Paul’s Cathedral for a ceremonial funeral as thousands lined centralLondon’s streets to witness her final journey.

With full military honours, the coffin bearing the body of one ofBritain’s most divisive politicians of modern times was escorted by members of all three armed forces to a service before a congregation of 2,300 from across the globe and led by the Queen.

Although not officially a state funeral, as accorded to Sir Winston Churchill, the event was conducted with a level of pomp and ceremony not witnessed inLondonsince the death of the Queen Mother in 2002.

Her children, Sir Mark Thatcher and his twin sister Carol, and her American grandchildren, Michael and Amanda, listened as the bishop ofLondon, acknowledging the bitter debate over her legacy, said this was not the time or place for such matters.

In a powerful address, the Right Rev Richard Chartres, a friend of Thatcher, who died last week aged 87 following a stroke, defended her and firmly rejected the assertion that she did not believe in society. She had overcome hurdles and experienced many rebuffs, and applied herself to work with “formidable energy and passion”, he said.

“Her later remark about there being no such thing as ‘society’ has been misunderstood and refers to some impersonal entity to which we are tempted to surrender our independence,” he said.

Acknowledging her as a polarising figure, he told the congregation: “After the storm of a life led in the heat of political controversy, there is a great calm.

“The storm of conflicting opinions centres on the Mrs Thatcher who became a symbolic figure – even an ‘ism’.”

“Today the remains of the real Margaret Hilda Thatcher are here at her funeral service. Lying here, she is one of us, subject to the common destiny of all human beings.” He continued: “There is an important place for debating policies and legacy; for assessing the impact of political decisions on the everyday lives of individuals and communities. Parliament held a frank debate last week – but here and today is neither the time nor the place.”

Here, at the funeral service, devoid of eulogies at Thatcher’s own request, was a place “for the simple truths which transcend political debate. Above all it is a place for hope.”

Earlier, the longest-serving prime minister of the 20th century had left parliament for the last time as a hearse took her body from the crypt chapel of St Mary Undercroft in thePalaceofWestminster, where it rested last night, to the RAFchurchofSt Clement Danesin theStrand.

There was gentle clapping as the cortege, with police motorcycle escort, drove slowly through cordoned-off streets. Big Ben fell silent. The cortege made its way went past the gates of Downing Street, her home for the 11 tumultuous years she held power and which she said goodbye to almost a quarter of a century ago, past Trafalgar Square, scene of the bitter poll tax demonstrations, and into the Strand. Union flags and the national flags of theUKwere lowered to half mast.

The crowds were deep, and for the most part supportive. But there was booing, too. At Ludgate Circus, where several hundred protesters turned their backs on the coffin, there was a highly charged atmosphere with chanting of “what a waste of money” and “Tory scum”, as heated exchanges broke out between demonstrators and Thatcher supporters.

The prime minister, David Cameron, had said the funeral was a “fitting tribute” to a major national figure, and urged the Iron Lady’s political opponents to show respect during the event.

At St Clement Danes, prayers were said as the coffin – draped in a union flag with a simple wreath of white flowers with the handwritten tribute: “Beloved mother. Always in our hearts” – was transferred to a gun carriage of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, its steel wheels changed to rubber to muffle the noise.

The carriage and procession made its measured way at 70 steps per minute, military drum beats keeping precise pace, and the band of HM Royal Marines playing funeral marches by Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Chopin.

The route was lined by members of all three services in full ceremonial day dress, officers wearing black armbands, with colours draped and rifle muzzles pointed downwards as a mark of respect. Her escort reunited her with units linked to theFalklandswar, a victory she believed among her greatest accomplishments.

A gun salute fired at one-minute intervals from theTowerofLondon, as a single half-muffled bell atSt Paul’s tolled.

The eight pall-bearers who carried the casket into the cathedral were drawn from army units, Royal Navy ships and RAF stations with links to theFalklandswar, commanded by Major Nick Mott of the Welsh Guards who served in the 1982 conflict.

Thatcher’s grandchildren, Michael and Amanda, walked ahead of the coffin as it entered the cathedral, carrying cushions bearing the insignia of the Order of the Garter and Order of Merit, which were laid on the altar.

The national anthem heralded the arrival of the Queen atSt Paul’s at 10.45am, her presence elevating Thatcher’s ceremonial funeral to that of state funeral in all but name. It was the first time she has attended the funeral of one of her prime ministers since Sir Winston Churchill’s state funeral in 1965.

Source:  Guardian.co.uk