Conservatives Abroad, Sydney Branch held a dinner to remember Baroness Thatcher at the Royal Automobile Club, Sydney on 17th April. The Entire branch Committee plus 6 guests were in attendance.
Baroness Thatcher was remembered as a politician with both vision and conviction; one who challenged aggression, elitism and entrenched interests and was not afraid to take risks in so doing.
I particular remembered her as a leader who enfranchised millions by remodelling conservatism; who understood that conservatives must do more than simply conserve. I emphasised that her instrumental role in the end of the cold war will never be forgotten neither will her principled defence of the Falkland islands in the face of a tyrannical bully. I also noted her strident defence of British interests in the EC, her scepticism of the aims of the Maastricht treaty and that she is now generally vindicated in the views and fears she held about the direction that the then EC was heading.
We all remembered Baroness Thatcher as an inspiration and a unifying figure and remarked that one searched in vain for comparable leaders today. Australian guests were vociferous in their admiration of Baroness Thatcher and her legacy. ”.