Ua formidable fighter armed with a handbag. The image might make you smile if it weren’t for Margaret Thatcher. Almost ten years after her death in 2013, the determination, even the intransigence, of the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1979-1990) but also her ability to symbolically express her tenacity continue to impress.
Combined with a blue skirt suit (the color of the Conservative Party), her immutable brushing sculpted with a lot of fixing spray looked furiously like a helmet. A battle dress for a woman – the first in the country – to govern facing an all-male political staff. Glued to her forearm or held firmly by its handle, “Maggie’s” handbag looked like a deterrent. A model of a good size, chosen from Asprey or Launer London (supplier also appreciated by Queen Elizabeth II), fashioned in strict black leather and presenting sharp angles. If you go looking for trouble you’ll find it.
Margaret Thatcher never parted with this feminine accessory, the mere sight of which plunged her male ministers into deep anxiety. What did it contain? Additional budget cuts, a list of new privatizations, a declaration of war on Argentina or an ultimatum to the miners’ unions? “She can’t see an institution without hitting it with her purse,” wrote Tory MP Julian Critchley in 1982. This object is “the only safe place at 10 Downing Street”, the Iron Lady blurted out one day, just to deepen the mystery.
“The Scepter of His Dominion”
Charles Moore, biographer of Margaret Thatcher, considers her handbag to be “the scepter of his dominion”. Not less. The messages sent by the bag were scrutinized. If the tension rose, she installed him on the table to assert her authority. He also happened to extract a murderous note from it which enabled him to put in his place, supporting arguments, a minister as well as a head of state. “Maybe we could start? Her bag is there.” allegedly launched Nicholas Ridley, one of her closest allies, during a cabinet meeting when the applicant was briefly absent. As for the puppet Spitting Image, the equivalent of Info horns broadcast on ITV, it depicted the Prime Minister as a harpy twirling her handbag in the air before bringing it down on an opponent or collaborator.
You have 13.3% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.
