India desperately needs a Margaret Thatcher.

Even as right wing conservatives were mourning the death of Baroness Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of Britain from 1979 to 1990, from a stroke yesterday left wingers were celebrating with champagne and dancing on the streets. Such levels of adulation and hatred were because of her absolute conviction in her principles, in a free market and in individual freedom and her absolute refusal to compromise with those who disagreed with her. She became Prime Minister by defeating James Callaghan after a winter of discontent when strikes by public sector employees caused traffic disruptions and piles of rubbish on streets. Thatcher saw union power as a block to progress and took them on. She passed laws forcing unions to hold secret ballots before calling a strike. Eddie Shah took advantage of the new laws to force unions to compromise. Rupert Murdoch transferred his titles to Wapping breaking the back of Fleet Street print unions. Derek Robinson, dubbed " Red Robbo " by the press, was a shop steward at the Longbridge plant of British Leyland in Birmingham. He was sacked in 1979. Arthur Scargill, President of the Mining Union, organised a strike of miners but lost. Ken Livingstone, Leader of the Greater London Council, suddenly found himself without a job when the all the county councils were abolished in 1986 to cut costs and reduce taxes on people. Surely we should get rid of all municipal corporations in India which are the main sources of rampant corruption in the country. This will reduce one level of politicians and civil servants, save vast sums of money and reduce local taxes. Unfortunately, Thatcherism gave rise to New Labour and Tony Blair, a slimy war criminal, who deregulated the financial sector, privatised monopoly services like water and railways, leading to a huge rise in bills, and virtually destroyed the NHS. When Argentina invaded the Falklands in 1982 many, including the US, advised caution but she sent a task force and won. The victory was mainly due to American help who monitored the Argentinian navy and air force from satellites allowing the Brits to strike them at will. We do not know what she promised the US in return and whether this was what forced Tony Blair to join Bush's stupid attack on Iraq in 2003, leading to him being ridiculed as a poodle of George Bush. When Obama referred to the Falklands Islands by its Argentinian name of Las Malvinas recently the Brits were nearly having fits. The present Conservative Prime Minister, David Cameron's fervent desire to be like Thatcher made him bomb 30,000 Libyans to death when the UN resolution permitted the protection of civilians only. Even after the Mumbai attacks our leaders went on " bended knees " to beg Pakistan for peace and even resumed cricket matches. Whatever her faults, India desperately needs someone like Margaret Thatcher.