Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Sir Denis Thatcher

2008-11-26T03:18:13Z

Mit: Added dates of birth and death, city of birth, marriages, children and death.

Major Sir '''Denis Thatcher''', Baronet (10 May 1915 - 26 June 2003) was a British businessman and the husband of [[Margaret Thatcher]]; he was born in London. The pinnacle of his business career was his service as chairman of Burmah Oil. Never one to hog the limelight in the face of his far more famous and powerful wife, he was often satirized (on the puppet show [[Spitting Image]], for example), as being a bit too fond of the bottle. He was a qualified [[rugby]] referee. He was divorced prior to his marriage to Margaret. He and Margaret were married from 1951 until his death. They had twins, Mark and Carol, in 1953. He died of pancreatic cancer, in London, aged 88.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thatcher, Sir Denis}}
[[Category:Biographies]]

Margaret Thatcher

2008-11-26T03:06:49Z

Mit: Added age. Minor corrections. Added that her children are twins. Added Conservatives cat.

{{Prime Minister
|image=Margaret_Thatcher.jpg
|seq=71
|term_start=May 4 1979
|term_end=November 28 1990
|party=Conservative Party
|previous=James Callaghan
|next=John Major
|birth_date=October 13 1925 (aged 83)
|birth_place=Grantham
|spouse=[[Denis Thatcher|Sir Denis Thatcher, Bt]]
|religion=[[Methodist]]
}}

'''Margaret Hilda Thatcher (nee Roberts)''', later Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven (born October 13, 1925), was [[Prime Minister]] of the [[United Kingdom]] from 1979 to 1990, the first woman to hold the position. With the possible exceptions of [[Harold Macmillan]] and (less frequently) [[Tony Blair]], she is usually regarded as the greatest post-[[World War II|WWII]] Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Thatcher was chosen to be the leader of the Conservative Party in February 1975, succeeding former Prime Minister [[Edward Heath]]. She was opposed to socialism and out-of-control union power which had brought down the previous Conservative government in 1974. She led the Conservatives to victory in the May 1979 [[General Election]] and was thus appointed Prime Minister.

Lady Thatcher sold many of the nationalized industries back to private investors and made tax cuts. She broke the power of the trade unions which stood in the way of the rationalization of the coal industry and modernization of the newspaper industry. Due to her strong standards and her leadership style, she became known as the "[[Iron Lady]]," a term originally coined as an insult by the communist [[Soviet Union]], but one she adopted, at the instigation of her political ally [[Enoch Powell]], with glee. A famous statement of hers was that "the lady is not for turning", in reference to calls from within her own party to back down on issues that were important to her. Thatcher was always a strong supporter of the the [[United States]], and was a good friend of President [[Ronald Reagan]], uniting with him in actions against the Communists.

She led Britain to victory against [[Argentina]] in a 1982 war over sovereignty of the [[Falkland Islands]]. The United States was allied with both countries, and initially tried to broker a negotiated settlement. When that failed, the U.S. supported Britain with vital intelligence information. The conflict led to a strong friendship with the Chilean leader [[Augusto Pinochet]] after Chile helped Britain in the conflict.

Thatcher won a total three general elections (1979, 1983 and 1987). By 1990, her popularity was waning and there were calls from within her own party for her to step aside. She was challenged for the party leadership, and when it became clear to her that she would not have the necessary votes she decided not to stand for a second party vote in 1990. [[John Major]] won the party leadership vote, and was subsequently appointed to succeed Thatcher as Prime Minister. Thatcher was the longest serving British Prime Minister in more than 150 years and, alongside Winston Churchill, many consider her to be one of the two most important British political leaders of the twentieth century.

Her regime was controversial, however. Social mobility decreased, whilst education and the [[National Health Service]] suffered a number of cuts. [[Unemployment]] rose to unprecedented levels, exceeding one in ten, and the method of counting was regularly altered to lower the published figures. Many of her actions in the north of England seemed petulant, infamously the sudden closure of much of the mining industry, whilst refusing to interfere with the consequences.

She fundamentally moved the British economy from an industrialist model, to a financial, speculative economy. This shift also served to undermine trade union power with fewer people in stable long term employment and instead in the service industry.

[[Time Magazine]] wrote of Lady Thatcher: ''"She was the catalyst who set in motion a series of interconnected events that gave a revolutionary twist to the century's last two decades and helped mankind end the millennium on a note of hope and confidence. The triumph of capitalism, the almost universal acceptance of the market as indispensable to prosperity, the collapse of Soviet imperialism, the downsizing of the state on nearly every continent and in almost every country in the world — Margaret Thatcher played a part in all those transformations, and it is not easy to see how any would have occurred without her. [[Champion]] of free minds and markets, she helped topple the welfare state and make the world safer for capitalism"'' [http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/thatcher.html]

==Career prior to 1979==

The predominant influence in Lady Thatcher's early life was her father, [[Alfred Roberts]]. Roberts was a grocer by occupation who was active in local politics. Years later, Lady Thatcher continued to acknowledge his formative influence on her (for example, in the second volume of her memoirs, ''The Path to Power'').

Lady Thatcher attended Somerville College, [[Oxford University|Oxford]], where she read chemistry and became chairman of the university Conservative association. After graduating, she worked for a time as a research chemist before qualifying as a barrister and practicing as a [[tax]] lawyer, an indication of her interest in financial matters. In this time period, it was uncommon in Britain for a female from an ordinary middle-class background to go to a top-class university and then to pursue a career in the male-dominated and somewhat elitist world of the Bar.

Lady Thatcher married [[Denis Thatcher]], a successful businessman whom she met at a Conservative Party meeting. They had two children, twins [[Mark Thatcher|Mark]] and [[Carol Thatcher|Carol]].

Under the troubled Conservative premiership of [[Edward Heath]] (1970-1974), Thatcher served as Secretary of State for Education during which time her most noted achievement was the withdrawal of a daily milk ration to primary age schoolchildren earning her the nickname Milk-Snatcher. After the Conservatives were defeated in the elections of February and October 1974, Thatcher challenged the more liberal Heath for the leadership of the party. When she went into Heath's office to tell him her decision, he did not even bother to look up. "You'll lose," he said. "Good day to you." [http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/thatcher.html]

Though at the time she was a relatively untested figure (and many in the party were wary of choosing a woman leader), she defeated both Heath and other male rivals in the contest in February 1975. Heath subsequently became a prominent personal and political adversary of Thatcher, drawing accusations of bitterness.

In the 1970s, Lady Thatcher's strongly conservative, pro-capitalist stance resonated with a new mood among the British electorate, many of whom had become dissatisfied with the post-[[World War II]] liberal consensus (the "post-war consensus", sometimes also called "Butskellism" after the centrist Conservative politician [[Rab Butler]] and the moderate Labour politician [[Hugh Gaitskell]]). Thatcher and the Conservatives offered a clear alternative vision for an increasingly aspirational society. The Conservative politician Sir [[Keith Joseph]] was the primary intellectual force behind these theories that later became known as ''Thatcherism''. They were strongly influenced by the pro-market intellectuals [[Friedrich von Hayek]] and [[Milton Friedman]].
[[Image:503px-Thatcher-loc.jpg|right|thumb|Margaret Thatcher as Leader of the Opposition in 1975.]]

===Attitude to Abortion===

Margaret Thatcher, throughout her parliamentary career, voted in favor of liberal abortion laws.[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1988thatcher.html]
==1979 election==
The Labour party under [[James Callaghan]] (prime minister 1976-79) contested the May 1979 election as unemployment passed the one-million mark and unions became more aggressive. The Conservatives used a highly effective poster created by Saatchi and Saatchi, showing a dole queue snaking into the distance and it carried the caption "Labour isn't working".

Voters gave Conservatives 43.9% of the vote and 339 seats to Labour's 269, for an overall majority of 43 seats. People generally voted against Labour rather than for the Conservatives. Labour was weakened by the steady long-term decline in the proportion of manual workers in the electorate. Twice as many manual workers normally voted Labour as voted Conservative, but they now constituted only 56% of the electorate. When [[Harold Wilson]] won narrowly for Labour in 1964, they had accounted for 63%. Furthermore they were beginning to turn against the trade unions—alienated, perhaps, by the difficulties of the winter of 1978-9. In contrast, Tory policies stressing wider home ownership, which Labour refused to match. Thatcher did best in districts where the economy was relatively strong and was weaker where it was contracting.

==Prime Ministership==
===Economic poicy===
Thatcher's chief goals in power were to reverse Britain's economic decline and to reduce the range of the state as well as standing taller on the international stage. She found a soul-mate in Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980 but whom she had met in 1975. Thatcher started by increasing interest rates to drive down inflation which hit the manufacturing sector and caused unemployment to rise sharply and there was a deep recession in the early 1980s blamed on her Government's economic policy. This led to her famous quote: 'the lady is not for turning', and she refused a policy u-turn and, despite an open letter from 364 economists, taxes were increased in the middle of a recession. Although unemployment did not reach 3 million till 1982, a year earlier British cities burned as thousands took to the streets to demonstrate their frustration. Inflation was going down though, allowing interest rates to fall.
===Falkland Islands===
As the economy started to recover Argentina invaded the Falklands, the first (and unprovoked) invasion of sovereign British territory by a foreign government since the Second World War. This invasion was preceded by her withdrawal of military defense from the islands. Thatcher immediately declared her resolve to recapture the islands in line with the wishes of their inhabitants, and dispatched a naval task force to that end. With help from President [[Augusto Pinochet|Pinochet]] of [[Chile]] and, more covertly, [[Ronald Reagan]], the British forces swiftly recaptured the islands. The resulting wave of patriotic enthusiasm as well as her right to buy policy for council homes, and a uselessly divided opposition, meant she got a landslide victory in the June 1983 general election.
===Unions===
The central theme of Thatcher's second term was reducing the power of the trade unions with a series of measures that a number of unions reacted to with industrial action. In particular the National Union of Mineworkers led by Arthur Scargill. The Tories had prepared for the strike by building up coal reserves and the deploying well paid police units fitted out with new riot gear brought in after the disturbances of 1981 who taunted the strikers by waving fivers at them. The miners responded with bricks and very ugly scenes developed on picket lines that split the country. Scargill's failure to hold a ballot for the strike undermined public support and the striker's chant of 'vote with your feet' calling miners to join the strike was turned on them as more and more returned to work over the year of the strike.
===IRA===
In the middle of the strike, on October 12 1984, the IRA detonated a bomb during the Conservative Party conference in Brighton. Thatcher escaped injury but five people died in the attack and Margaret Tebbit was left paralyzed, the conference went on as normal.
===Privatization===
Thatcher's political and economic philosophy emphasized free markets and since gaining power she had experimented in selling off nationalized industries starting with the National Freight company, most of the large utilities followed.

Privatization was perhaps the most enduring legacy of the political economy developed under Thatcher. She privatized long-nationalized corporations (such as the telephone and aerospace firms) and, most important, sold public housing to tenants, all on favorable terms. The policy developed an important electoral dimension during the second Thatcher government (1983-90). It involved more than denationalization: wider share ownership was the second plank of the policy, and this provides an important historical perspective on the relationship between Thatcherism and 20th-century conservatism.<ref> Richard Stevens, "The Evolution of Privatisation as an Electoral Policy, c. 1970-90." ''Contemporary British History'' 2004 18(2): 47-75. Issn: 1361-9462 Fulltext: [[Ebsco]]</ref>

===Foreign policy===
Thatcher supported Reagan's policies of deterrence against the Soviets and US forces stationed nuclear cruise missiles at British bases, arousing mass protests by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. She supported the US bombing raid on [[Libya]] from bases in Britain in 1986 and, by refusing to side with a European consortium, in backing a the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation of the USA over a British company Westland. Michael Heseltine resigned in protest at her style of leadership over this. In 1984 she visited [[China]] and signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration with [[Deng Xiaoping]] that agreed the handover of [[Hong Kong]] in 1997. Also that year at the Fontainebleau summit Thatcher argued that the UK paid far more to the EEC than it received in spending and negotiated a budget rebate using the argument that ‘We want our money back’. In 1985, the University of Oxford voted to refuse her an honorary degree in protest against her cuts in funding for education.
===Reelected 1987===
In 1987, Thatcher became the first British Prime Minister to win three consecutive general elections since [[Lord Liverpool]] (1812-1827).
===Environment===
In the late 1980's Thatcher began to be concerned by environmental policy and in 1988 she made a major speech accepting the problems of global warming, ozone depletion and acid rain.
===Europe===
At Bruges, she made a speech in which she outlined her opposition to proposals from the European Communities for a federal structure and increasing centralization of decision-making believing that the role of the EC should be limited to ensuring free trade and effective competition. She was specifically against Economic and Monetary Union, through which a single currency would replace national currencies, and for which the EC was making preparations. In 1989 the economy high interest rates were imposed to stop an unsustainable boom. At the Madrid European summit, Nigel Lawson and Geoffrey Howe forced Thatcher to agree the circumstances in which she would join the Exchange Rate Mechanism, a preparation for monetary union. She took revenge on both by demoting Howe and listening more to her adviser Sir Alan Walters on economic matters. Lawson resigned that October and in November, a so-called ‘stalking horse candidate Sir Anthony Meyer challenged Thatcher for the leadership of the Conservative Party. In 1989 a new system of local government finance to replace the rates was introduced for Scotland in 1989 and for England and Wales in 1990. Called the 'Community Charge' but known as the Poll Tax was applied at the same amount to every individual resident with only limited discounts. Widespread opposition culminated in a huge [http://newsfilm.bufvc.ac.uk/article.php?story=200510081953085 demonstration] in London on March 31 that turned into the largest outbreak of public disorder central London had seen in a century which was followed by millions of people refusing to pay the tax. This along with her government's handling of the economy, her perceived arrogance and a general feeling that she would never retire, made her politically vulnerable. Geoffrey Howe resigned on November 1 and condemned Thatcher's policy on the European Communities then openly invited 'others to consider their own response'. Michael Heseltine's response was a leadership challenge which resulted in a narrow failure, by two votes, for Thatcher to win automatic re-election. After consulting with cabinet colleagues she found a vast majority thought that she could not win on the second ballot. On November 22nd Thatcher announced that she would not be a candidate in the second ballot. She supported John Major as her successor, and retired from Parliament at the 1992 election.

==Life after being Prime Minister==

After leaving the House of Commons, Thatcher was dubbed '''Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven''' and entered the House of Lords, an entirely normal and expected honor for a British ex-Prime Minister. More controversially, Denis Thatcher was given a Baronetcy, which ensured that their son, Mark, would inherit the title of "Sir Mark".

Leaving power reportedly depressed Lady Thatcher, and aside from writing her memoirs, her role as 'backseat driver' in the Major administration was not well received. She publicly endorsed [[William Hague]] against [[Kenneth Clarke]] for the Conservative leadership in 1997. She made many speaking engagements around the world, including very vocal support of former dictator General [[Augusto Pinochet]], whom the new Labour administration extradited to Spain on charges of torturing political opponents. In March 2002 she suffered a mild stroke, and she was told by her doctors to make no more public speeches on health grounds. Nevertheless she insisted in 2004 on attending the funeral of her old friend and political soul-mate, Ronald Reagan, against her doctor's orders. Baroness Thatcher is still seen at Tory party gatherings and has continued endorsing party leaders, such as Iain Duncan Smith. In August 2008, the world had the misfortune to learn from Lady Thatcher's daugher that Lady Thatcher had been suffering from [[dementia]] for as many as eight years.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7579352.stm</ref> This has been a debilitating blow for her loyal supporters and supporters of freedom worldwide.

[http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/thatcher.html][http://www.fandmpublications.co.uk/pages/margaretbiography1.htm][http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page126.asp]

==Quick Facts==
*Born: 13 October 1925 in [[Grantham]], [[Lincolnshire]]

*First entered Parliament: 8 October 1959

*Became leader of the [[Conservative]] Party in February 1975

*Elected as Prime Minister in May 1979

*Age she became PM: 53 years, 204 days

*Maiden Speech: 5 February 1960 during the second reading of her Private Member's Bill

*Total time as PM: 11 years, 209 days

*Nickname: "The Iron Lady"

*Education: Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School and Somerville College, Oxford

*Before Thatcher became an MP, she worked as a research chemist for British Xylonite and then Lyons & Company, where she helped develop methods for preserving ice cream.

*Family: Margaret Thatcher is the younger of two daughters. She often gave her father as an example of an outstanding citizen. She married [[Sir Denis Thatcher]], and has twins: one son and one daughter.

*Interests: Music, art, opera and reading.

[http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page126.asp][http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/thatcher.html]

==Husband==
Denis Thatcher, ''as the first male PM spouse in history'', was always likely to be the center of media attention - and he didn't disappoint.

When she met him, Baroness Thatcher remarked that "it was clear to me at once that Denis was an exceptional man - he had a certain style and dash." Described as a man of integrity, humor and common sense, he had a strong business background and fought with the Royal Artillery during the war.

It was said that Denis was in 'the Thatcher party not the Tory party'. He once famously remarked, recalling the words of Mark Twain, that: "it's better to keep my mouth shut and be thought a fool rather than open it and remove all doubt."

Just after he died in 2003, his widow paid tribute to the man she loved by saying: "Being PM is a lonely job. In a sense, it ought to be - you cannot lead from a crowd. But with Denis there, I was never alone. What a man. What a husband. What a friend."

[http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page126.asp][http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/thatcher.html]

== Notable quotes==

*"I like Mr Gorbachev, we can do business together."

*"The lady is not for turning"

*"I have made it quite clear that a unified Ireland was one solution that is out. A second solution was a confederation of two states. That is out. A third solution was joint authority. That is out-that is a derogation of sovereignty."

*"I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left."

*"If you lead a country like Britain, a strong country, a country which has taken a lead in world affairs in good times and in bad, a country that is always reliable, then you have to have a touch of iron about you."

*"I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near."

*"There is no such thing as society."

*"What Britain needs is an iron lady."

*"Unless we change our ways and our direction, our greatness as a nation will soon be a footnote in the history books, a distant memory of an offshore island, lost in the mists of time like Camelot, remembered kindly for its noble past."

*"I just owe almost everything to my father [and] it's passionately interesting for me that the things that I learned in a small town, in a very modest home, are just the things that I believe have won the election."

*"Democratic nations must try to find ways to starve the terrorist and the hijacker of the oxygen of publicity on which they depend." [http://www.quoteworld.org/authors/margaret-thatcher/1/]

*"It will be years before a woman either leads the Conservative Party or becomes Prime Minister. I don't see it happening in my time" (in 1970)[http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page126.asp]

== See also ==
*[[Thatcherism]]
*[[Conservative Links]]

==External Links==
* [http://www.margaretthatcher.org/ Margaret Thatcher Foundation]

==References==
{{reflist}}
==Bibliography==
* Adonis, Andrew, and Tim Hames, eds. ''A Conservative Revolution: The Thatcher-Reagan Decade'' (1994), comparative perspective
* Backhouse, Roger E. "The Macroeconomics of Margaret Thatcher," ''Journal of the History of Economic Thought'' 2002 24(3): 313-334 online at EBSCO
* Campbell, John. ''Margaret Thatcher. Vol. 1: The Grocer's Daughter.'' (2000); ''Margaret Thatcher. vol. 2: Iron Lady'' (2007), 520pp; 913pp; long, detailed authoritative biography
* Clarke, Peter. "Margaret Thatcher's Place in History: Two Views," ''Journal of the History of Economic Thought'' 2002 24(3): 357-368 online at EBSCO
* Dellheim, Charles. ''The Disenchanted Isle: Mrs. Thatcher's Capitalist Revolution.'' (1995) 352 pp.
* Evans, Brendan. ''Thatcherism and British Politics, 1975-1997'' (2000)
* Evans, Eric J. ''Thatcher and Thatcherism.'' (2nd ed. 2004). 176 pp [http://www.questia.com/read/107494201?title=Thatcher%20and%20Thatcherism online edition]
* Fry, Geoffrey K. ''Politics of the Thatcher Revolution: An Interpretation of British Politics 1975 - 1990'' (2008)
* Geelhoed, Bruce E. and Hobbs, James F. ''Margaret Thatcher's Last Hurrah: In Victory and Downfall, 1987 and 1990.'' (1992). 193 pp. [http://www.questia.com/read/15091359?title=Margaret%20Thatcher%3a%20In%20Victory%20and%20Downfall%2c%201987%20and%201990 online edition]; also [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Margaret-Thatcher-Victory-Downfall-1987/dp/0275941485/ref=sr_1_34?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212823416&sr=8-34 excerpt and text search]
* Haseler, Stephen. ''The Battle for Britain: Thatcher and the New Liberals.'' (1990). 195 pp.
* Holmes, Martin. ''The First Thatcher Government, 1979-83: Contemporary Conservatism and Economic Change'' (1985); ''Thatcherism: Scope and Limits, 1983-87.'' (1989). 174 pp. a sympathetic assessment.
* Jenkins, Peter. ''Mrs. Thatcher's Revolution: The Ending of the Socialist Era.'' (1988). 417 pp. critical
* Johnson, Christopher. ''The Grand Experiment: Mrs. Thatcher's Economy and How It Spread.'' (1993). 341 pp.
* Kavanagh, Dennis. ''Thatcherism and British Politics: The End of Consensus?'' (1987). 334 pp.
* Kavanagh, Dennis, and Anthony Seldon, eds. ''The Thatcher Effect'' (1989), major interpretive essays by experts
* King, Anthony. "The Outsider as Political Leader: the Case of Margaret Thatcher." ''British Journal of Political Science'' 2002 32(3): 435-454. Issn: 0007-1234 Fulltext: [[CUP]] and [[Jstor]]. Thatcher was a social outsider, psychological outsider and political outsider.
* Krieger, Joel. ''Reagan, Thatcher, and the Politics of Decline.'' (1987). 247 pp.
* Moon, Jeremy. ''Innovative Leadership in Democracy: Policy Change under Thatcher.'' (1993). 157 pp.
* Morgan, K.O. ''The People's Peace: British History, 1945-90'' (1990) survey by leading scholar
* Pugliese, Stanislao, ed. ''The Political Legacy of Margaret Thatcher.'' (2003). 419 pp.
* Reitan, Earl A. ''The Thatcher Revolution: Margaret Thatcher, John Major, and Tony Blair, and the Transformation of Modern Britain, 1979-2001.'' (2003). 260 pp.
* Reitan, Earl A. ''Tory Radicalism: Margaret Thatcher, John Major, and the Transformation of Modern Britain, 1979-1997.'' (1997). 222 pp.
* Riddell, Peter. ''The Thatcher Decade: How Britain Has Changed during the 1980's.'' (1989). 236 pp.
* Roy, Subroto and Clarke, John, eds. ''Margaret Thatcher's Revolution: How It Happened and What It Meant.'' (2005). 209 pp.
* Savage, S.P., and L. Robbins, eds. ''Public Policy under Thatcher'' (1990), essays by experts
* Sharp, Paul. ''Thatcher's Diplomacy: The Revival of British Foreign Policy.'' (1997). 269 pp.
* Smith, Geoffrey. ''Reagan and Thatcher.'' (1991). 285 pp.
* Thompson, Juliet S., and Wayne C. Thompson. ''Margaret Thatcher: Prime Minister Indomitable'' (1994) [http://www.questia.com/read/85710688?title=Margaret%20Thatcher%3a%20Prime%20Minister%20Indomitable online edition]
* Waine, Barbara. ''The Rhetoric of Independence: The Ideology and Practice of Social Policy in Thatcher's Britain.'' (1992). 172 pp.
* Wall, Stephen. ''A Stranger in Europe: Britain and the EU from Thatcher to Blair'' (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Europe-Britain-Thatcher-Blair/dp/0199284555/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212823185&sr=1-26 excerpt and text search]
* Walters, A. A. ''Britain's Economic Renaissance: Margaret Thatcher's Reforms, 1979-1984.'' (1986). 200 pp.
* Wapshott, Nicholas. ''Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher: A Political Marriage.'' (2007) 329 pp.
* Whipple, Amy C. "'Ordinary People': The Cultural Origins of Popular Thatcherism in Britain, 1964-1979." PhD dissertation Northwestern U. 2004. 253 pp. DAI 2004 65(5): 1926-A. DA3132626 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Young, Hugo. ''The Iron Lady: A Biography of Margaret Thatcher.'' (1989). 570 pp. well-written and well researched
* [http://www.amazon.com/Margaret-Thatcher-Bibliography-Bibliographies-Statesmen/dp/book-citations/0313282889/ref=sid_dp_av?ie=UTF8&citeType=citing#citing additional books]
===Primary sources===
* Clark, Alan. ''Mrs. Thatcher's Minister: The Private Diaries of Alan Clark.'' (1994). 421 pp.
* Thatcher, Margaret. ''The Path to Power (1995); ''The Downing Street Years.'' (1993). 914 pp., highly detailed memoirs

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thatcher, Margaret}}
[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:United Kingdom Prime Ministers]]

David Cameron

2008-11-26T02:57:46Z

Mit: /* Personal */ Added city of birth, marriage and children.

[[Image:674uyyhju.jpg|right|thumb]]
'''David Cameron''', born 9 October 1966, is the current leader of the British [[Conservative Party]]. According to the opinion polls, he is likely to be the next British [[Prime Minister]] after the next general election, which will probably be held in either 2009 or 2010.

==Personal==

Cameron was born in [[London]], but spent his early years near Wantage in [[Oxfordshire]], [[England]], though his family's roots lie in [[Inverness]], [[Scotland]], and "Cameron" is well known in Britain as a Scottish name.

Cameron was educated at [[Eton College]], which is generally regarded as Britain's most prestigious private school, and at [[Brasenose College]], [[Oxford University|Oxford]].

Cameron is self-descibed as "upper middle class". His leadership and indeed his own party are supported by businesses, as opposed to the leftist Labour Party, led by the Scotsman [[Gordon Brown]]; who are backed overwhelmingly by the [[trade union]]s. Many intervening leaders have been middle-class ([[Edward Heath]], [[Margaret Thatcher]]) or even working-class ([[John Major]]).
His refusal to discuss his past, citing the right to a private life before politics<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4340328.stm</ref> has led to criticism from a small proportion of media sources and opposition MPs.

He has been married to Samantha since 1996. They have two sons and a daughter.

==Political career==

Cameron's pre-parliamentary career included spells as a staffer for controversial Conservative politician [[Norman Lamont]] and as a PR executive.

Cameron was elected to Parliament as MP for Witney in Oxfordshire at the 2001 general election.

Cameron was elected leader of the [[Conservative Party]] in December 2005, succeeding [[Michael Howard]].

In late June 2007, at the end of then-Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]]'s final Prime Minister's Questions session in the [[House of Commons]], David Cameron led his opposition party in giving the outgoing leader a standing ovation.<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1555758/Tony-Blair-steps-down-to-a-standing-ovation.html Tony Blair steps down to standing ovation] - Daily Telegraph, June 27, 2007</ref>

==Policies==

Cameron has attempted to move the Conservative party towards what is perceived by some to be the centre ground of British politics. While the party under his leadership has expressed support for some traditional elements of Conservative policy, such as the importance of the [[family]], Cameron has also expressed a passionate concern about [[global warming]]. He has suggested a move towards [[privitisation]] within the strongly-socialist [[National Health Service]], in an attempt to combat the economic failures resulting from the flawed socialist ideas upon which the organisation is based. Designed and originated by the leftist [[Labour Party]], the organisation is notorious for its burocracy and the failure of its left-wing values in an economic sense. He garnered criticism from some sections of the press when when suggesting society try to breach the social divide caused by the [[Liberal media]]'s portrayal of all youths as criminals.

Some traditional Conservatives, particularly those on the [[Thatcherism|Thatcherite]] wing of the party, have criticized Cameron for moving the party too far to the left. They point to surveys showing that many voters feel they no longer know what the Conservative Party stands for.<ref>http://www.yougov.com/archives/pdf/TEL060101018_1.pdf</ref> However, he has stated that he is "certainly a big [[Margaret Thatcher|Thatcher]] fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite."<ref name="new identity">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4446864.stm "Cameron: Tories need new identity"], ''BBC News Online'', [[17 November]] [[2005]], accessed [[6 November]] [[2006]]</ref> He has also described himself as a "liberal Conservative" (though "liberal" in British English does not have the same meaning as in the United States, and instead has the meaning of "centrist" or "moderate").<ref name="Rawnsley">Andrew Rawnsley, [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/focus/story/0,,1669957,00.html "'I'm not a deeply ideological person. I'm a practical one'"], ''Guardian Unlimited'', [[18 December]] [[2005]], accessed [[6 November]] [[2006]]</ref> Some have gone so far as to claim that true conservatism is today represented in Britain not by the Conservative Party but by the [[UK Independence Party]]. On the other hand, the approval ratings of Cameron and his party continue to compare very favourably with those of the Labour Party and its leadership, which is undoubtedly unpopular.

Cameron has said: "My aim is to promote social justice, making sure that everyone has access to good schools, good healthcare and decent housing, take a lead in ending global poverty and do all we can to meet the great environmental threats of our age."<ref>http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=david.cameron.about.page</ref> Some conservative politicians and commentators, notably [[Norman Tebbit]], have criticised him for prioritising issues of the environment and social justice over more traditionally Conservative policy areas, such as tax, immigration and foreign relations. Tebbit said: "Is he the party's [[Chairman Mao]] or [[Pol Pot]], intent on purging even the memory and name of [[Margaret Thatcher|Thatcherism]] before building a new modern compassionate green globally aware party somewhere on the left side of the middle?"<ref name="g1">[http://politics.guardian.co.uk/conservatives/story/0,,1698576,00.html Tories must retake centre ground says Cameron], ''Guardian Unlimited'', 31 January 2006</ref> However, Cameron has responded extensively to such criticisms by pointing out that the economic and social problems faced by modern-day Britain are radically different from those faced in the past; he has argued that the Conservative Party needs to re-take the [[centrist|centre ground]] of politics from the [[Labour Party]].<ref name="bbc1">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4661024.stm Cameron denies 'betraying' Tories], BBC News, 30 January 2006</ref> He argued: "The change is not a betrayal. It is a recognition that the challenges faced by Britain are not the challenges of the 1970s. Social justice and economic efficiency are the common ground of British politics. We have to find the means of succeeding where the government has failed."<ref name="g2"/>

On August 16, 2008, Cameron followed President [[George Bush]] in criticising [[Russia]]'s invasion of [[Georgia]] during a visit to the war-torn region.<ref>[http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jl825geip9c65_-FTHTC_3wzMy0Q Cameron in Georgia slams 'invading' Russia]</ref>
==References==

<References/>

==See also==

* [[British politics]]
* [[Conservative Party]]

{{DEFAULTSORT: Cameron, David}}

[[category:British Politics]]

Gordon Brown

2008-11-26T02:49:45Z

Mit: Added age. Added that he is less popular than Cameron. Added marriage and children.

{{Prime Minister
|image=Gordon Brown.jpg
|seq=74
|term_start=June 27 2007
|term_end=present
|previous=Tony Blair
|party=Labour Party
|birth_date=February 20 1951 (aged 57)
|birth_place=Glasgow
|spouse=Sarah Brown
|religion=[[Church of Scotland]]
}}
'''Dr. James Gordon Brown''', generally known as '''Gordon Brown''', is the current [[Prime Minister]] of the [[United Kingdom]] and leader of the British [[Labour Party]]. He succeeded [[Tony Blair]] in these positions in June 2007.

A Scottish [[Labour Party|Labour]] politician, Brown served as Britain's [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]] for ten years. His mutual enmity with former Prime Minister Blair was a consistent feature of British political life for a number of years.

In Britain, Brown is seen as being a more sombre, sober and serious figure in contrast to Tony Blair, who is regarded as charismatic and has at times been perceived as lightweight and as an overly "slick" media performer (not unlike [[Bill Clinton]]). This resonates with a stereotype that many English people have of Scottish people being humorless and dour. Brown's father was a Minister in the [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] [[Church of Scotland]], and it is thought that Brown's religious beliefs have influenced his serious, sober style. On the negative side, some believe that he is insufficiently likeable and sunny to appeal to voters. He has also been criticized for secretiveness, control-freakery and an awkward personal style. However, his communication skills, especially reading from autocues and being interviewed under bright lights in television students, may be adversely affected by the fact that his eyesight is extremely poor. He is blind in one eye and his vision in the other is weak, owing to a sporting injury sustained when he was a teenager.

Brown was one of the longest serving Chancellors in history, and took credit for the consistently healthy state of the British economy during his tenure - credit which many are reassessing in light of the current (as of October 2008) perilous condition of the British economy. He is a passionate advocate of reducing poverty in the [[Third World]]. He has made speeches in which he has praised the concept of "Britishness" and suggested that the British should display the British flag outside their houses, as many Americans do with the US flag. However, his patriotic convictions are expected to have consequences in foreign policy which are arguably negative: it is widely believed that he will be zealous in defending British interests (narrowly defined), but that he will neglect broader elements of Tony Blair's foreign policy such as support for the United States and the [[War on Terror]].

During Brown's tenure as Chancellor, the UK enjoyed sustained economic growth and generally positive reports from the [[International Monetary Fund]], although there were concerns at extreme inflationary pressures in the housing market. These concerns were more than borne out by the collapse in the housing market and credit crunch of 2007-2008.

Brown followed a generally redistributionary policy, increasing spending in the [[National Health Service]] and [[education]], and giving tax breaks to some poorer families whilst significantly increasing taxes on many others. His most significant achievement in the early days of the Labour Government was to grant fiscal independence to the Bank of England.

Just two days after the Brown ministry began, Islamic terrorists initiated several [[June 2007 UK terror attacks|attempted attacks]] against the UK, consisting of two car bombs in [[London]] on June 29 and a suicide-bomb attack at Glasgow International Airport on June 30.

By the Fall of 2008, Brown's premiership was increasingly seen as catastrophic by the country as a whole and his own party. Labour's opinion poll ratings dropped to historic lows, with widepread predictions of a Conservative landslide at the next General Election. The events of early October 2008, gained him new respect, though not necessarily popularity, as he exercised cool, firm international leadership in the midst of the banking crisis. Opinion polls show that Brown's popularity is significantly lower than that of his main opponent, [[David Cameron]].

He has been married to Sarah since 2000. They have a daughter (deceased) and two sons.

==See also==

* [[British politics]]
* [[Labour Party]]

==References==

http://www.imf.org/external/country/GBR/index.htm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Gordon}}

[[Category:United Kingdom Prime Ministers|Brown, Gordon]]
[[category:Scottish People|Brown, Gordon]]

Charlton Heston

2008-11-26T02:32:26Z

Mit: Corrected year of birth. Added original name, and explained the change. Added widow's name and they have a son and adopted daughter. Added death details. Added Republican cat.

[[Image:Charlton Heston Civil Rights March 1963.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Charlton Heston at the 1963 Civil Rights March.]]
'''Charlton Heston''' (October 4, 1923 - April 5, 2008) was a famous [[Hollywood]] actor known for playing larger than life roles including [[Moses]], [[Michaelangelo]], [[Marc Antony]], [[John the Baptist]], and [[Andrew Jackson]] and, most of all, his [[Academy Award]]-winning performance in the [[Christian]] tale of ''Ben Hur''. Later in life he channeled his passion for the [[Second Amendment]] of the [[Constitution]] and became an ardent supporter of the [[National Rifle Association]], even serving as its president from 1998 to 2001.

He was born John Charlton Carter in Illinois. Following his parents' divorce and his mother's subsequent marriage to a Mr. Heston, Charlton's surname was changed.

A strapping man with chiseled features, he is best remembered for his portrayals of [[Moses]] in ''The Ten Commandments'', Taylor in the 1968 version of ''Planet of the Apes'', and Rodrigo in ''El Cid''. His movie ''[[Ben Hur]]'' is also a classic. Heston used the influence he had developed as a well known actor to help others and champion causes for American liberty. He was President of the [[Screen Actors' Guild]] from 1966 to 1971 and the president of the [[National Rifle Association]] from 1998 to 2001 as well as being an early supporter of the [[civil rights movement]] where he walked with [[Martin Luther King]]. He even once picketed outside a movie theater in 1961 that was showing a film of his that had just come out, but would not allow blacks into the theater. Heston did not like the form that ongoing [[affirmative action]] took in later years believing that removed the equality that was being sought. Political pundits bring up the idea that Heston changed his political views, but Heston himself spoke admiringly about his early civil rights support throughout his life and even after his political positions were categorized by others as turning conservative. The difficulty was in the pundits who could not grasp that having a deep desire to see black people treated as equals wasn't the same as believing in the ongoing entitlement programs in affirmative action.

Making a moving public speech to America in 2002 that he had been diagnosed with symptoms related to [[Alzheimer's disease]], he was seldom seen in public after that. When George Clooney heard of it, he took the opportunity to make a public joke at Heston's expense. When called to task for his statement, Cooney defended it because he said Charlton Heston deserved it. Heston, ever the gentlemen, did not respond in kind, but simply said that George should be careful since he had just as much chance to come down with the disease as anyone else.<ref> http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/dpatton/2008/dp_04072.shtml |Charlton Heston Made History</ref>

Married to Lydia Clarke (born 1923) for 64 years, he died of [[pneumonia]] in Los Angeles, aged 84. Heston is survived by her, their son and their adopted daughter.

His autobiography ''In the Arena'' was written in 1995 in which he discussed his views on all of his major movies as well as stances he took on issues important to him throughout his life.

In 2003 Charlton Heston was award the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] by [[George W. Bush|President Bush]], the highest award available to a civilian.

==Selected Films==

*''The Ten Commandments'' (1956)
*''Touch of Evil'' (1958)
*''Ben-Hur'' (1959)
*''El Cid'' (1961)
*''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' (1965)
*''Planet of the Apes'' (1968)
*''Beneath the Planet of the Apes''
*''[[I Am Legend|The Omega Man]]'' (1971)
*''Antony and Cleopatra'' (1972)
*''Soylent Green'' (1973)
*''Tombstone'' (1993)
*''Armageddon'' (1998)
*''Any Given Sunday'' (1999)
*''Planet of the Apes'' (2001)

==External Links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000032/ Internet Movie Database]
*[http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/dpatton/2008/dp_04072.shtml Fitting Summary of Life Achievements]

==References==

<References/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heston, Charlton}}

[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

Paul Newman

2008-11-26T02:18:21Z

Mit: /* See also */ Added Democrat category.

'''Paul Newman''' (January 26, 1925 - September 26, 2008) was an [[United States of America|American]] [[actor]], [[film]] [[director]], and [[producer]], born in Ohio. He was a liberal, who, despite being heterosexual, supported [[same-sex marriage]]. He was a major backer of the [[Democratic Party]]. He was the founder of a food company, Newman's Own, which donates all of its profits to charities. He has a son (who predeceased him), and a daughter, by his first marriage, which ended in divorce. He has three daughters by his second marriage, which lasted fifty years until his death. He was a former chain-smoker, who died of [[lung cancer]] in Connecticut, aged 83.

As an actor, Paul Newman was best known for taming the wild, rebellious youth stereotype typefied by [[James Dean]] and [[Marlon Brando]]. Instead, his characters were often cool, reserved and with a sense of heart.

Newman appeared in film, on [[television]], and on [[Broadway]]. Some of his best-known movie roles were in:
*''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' (1959),
*''Exodus'' (1960),
*''The Hustler'' (1961),
*''Hud'' (1963),
*''Harper'' (1966),
*''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967),
*''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969),
*''The Sting'' (1973)
*''The Towering Inferno'' (1974),
*''Slap Shot'' (1977),
*''Absence of Malice'' (1981),
*''The Verdict'' (1982),
*''The Color of Money'' (1986),
*''Nobody's Fool'' (1994), and
*''Road to Perdition'' (2002).

Newman appeared with his second wife, actress [[Joanne Woodward]], in
*''The Long, Hot Summer'' (1958),
*''Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!'' (1958),
*''From the Terrace'' (1960),
*''Paris Blues'' (1961),
*''A New Kind of Love'' (1963),
*''Winning'' (1969),
*''WUSA'' (1970),
*''Harry & Son'' (1984), and
*''Mr. and Mrs. Bridge'' (1990).

Newman received ten [[Academy Award]] nominations, winning once for Best Actor for ''The Color of Money''.

Newman was an auto racing enthusiast. He drove a Porsche in Lemans in 1979.

== See also ==

*[[Henry Fonda]]
*[[Sidney Poitier]]

{{DEFAULTSORT: Newman, Paul}}
[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Democratic Party]]
[[Category:Liberals]]

Paul Newman

2008-11-26T02:16:11Z

Mit: Added that son died before him. Added that he supported the Democrats.

Paul Newman

2008-11-26T02:13:39Z

Mit: Added marriages and children.

'''Paul Newman''' (January 26, 1925 - September 26, 2008) was an [[United States of America|American]] [[actor]], [[film]] [[director]], and [[producer]], born in Ohio. He was a liberal, who, despite being heterosexual, supported [[same-sex marriage]]. He was also the founder of a food company, Newman's Own, which donates all of its profits to charities. He has a son (now dead), and a daughter, by his first marriage, which ended in divorce. He has three daughters by his second marriage, which lasted fifty years until his death. He was a former chain-smoker, who died of [[lung cancer]] in Connecticut, aged 83.

As an actor, Paul Newman was best known for taming the wild, rebellious youth stereotype typefied by [[James Dean]] and [[Marlon Brando]]. Instead, his characters were often cool, reserved and with a sense of heart.

Newman appeared in film, on [[television]], and on [[Broadway]]. Some of his best-known movie roles were in:
*''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' (1959),
*''Exodus'' (1960),
*''The Hustler'' (1961),
*''Hud'' (1963),
*''Harper'' (1966),
*''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967),
*''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969),
*''The Sting'' (1973)
*''The Towering Inferno'' (1974),
*''Slap Shot'' (1977),
*''Absence of Malice'' (1981),
*''The Verdict'' (1982),
*''The Color of Money'' (1986),
*''Nobody's Fool'' (1994), and
*''Road to Perdition'' (2002).

Newman appeared with his second wife, actress [[Joanne Woodward]], in
*''The Long, Hot Summer'' (1958),
*''Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!'' (1958),
*''From the Terrace'' (1960),
*''Paris Blues'' (1961),
*''A New Kind of Love'' (1963),
*''Winning'' (1969),
*''WUSA'' (1970),
*''Harry & Son'' (1984), and
*''Mr. and Mrs. Bridge'' (1990).

Newman received ten [[Academy Award]] nominations, winning once for Best Actor for ''The Color of Money''.

Newman was an auto racing enthusiast. He drove a Porsche in Lemans in 1979.

== See also ==

*[[Henry Fonda]]
*[[Sidney Poitier]]

{{DEFAULTSORT: Newman, Paul}}
[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Liberals]]

Paul Newman

2008-11-26T02:05:34Z

Mit: Added states of birth and death.

'''Paul Newman''' (January 26, 1925 - September 26, 2008) was an [[United States of America|American]] [[actor]], [[film]] [[director]], and [[producer]], born in Ohio. He was a liberal, who, despite being heterosexual and married to a woman, supported [[same-sex marriage]]. He was also the founder of a food company, Newman's Own, which donates all of its profits to charities. He was a former chain-smoker, who died of [[lung cancer]] in Connecticut, aged 83.

As an actor, Paul Newman was best known for taming the wild, rebellious youth stereotype typefied by [[James Dean]] and [[Marlon Brando]]. Instead, his characters were often cool, reserved and with a sense of heart.

Newman appeared in film, on [[television]], and on [[Broadway]]. Some of his best-known movie roles were in:
*''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' (1959),
*''Exodus'' (1960),
*''The Hustler'' (1961),
*''Hud'' (1963),
*''Harper'' (1966),
*''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967),
*''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969),
*''The Sting'' (1973)
*''The Towering Inferno'' (1974),
*''Slap Shot'' (1977),
*''Absence of Malice'' (1981),
*''The Verdict'' (1982),
*''The Color of Money'' (1986),
*''Nobody's Fool'' (1994), and
*''Road to Perdition'' (2002).

Newman appeared with his wife, actress [[Joanne Woodward]], in
*''The Long, Hot Summer'' (1958),
*''Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!'' (1958),
*''From the Terrace'' (1960),
*''Paris Blues'' (1961),
*''A New Kind of Love'' (1963),
*''Winning'' (1969),
*''WUSA'' (1970),
*''Harry & Son'' (1984), and
*''Mr. and Mrs. Bridge'' (1990).

Newman received ten [[Academy Award]] nominations, winning once for Best Actor for ''The Color of Money''.

Newman was an auto racing enthusiast. He drove a Porsche in Lemans in 1979.

== See also ==

*[[Henry Fonda]]
*[[Sidney Poitier]]

{{DEFAULTSORT: Newman, Paul}}
[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Liberals]]

Paul Newman

2008-11-25T18:10:31Z

Mit: /* See also */ Added Liberals category: he was definitely left-wing.

'''Paul Newman''' (January 26, 1925 - September 26, 2008) was an [[United States of America|American]] [[actor]], [[film]] [[director]], and [[producer]]. He was a liberal, who, despite being heterosexual and married to a woman, supported [[same-sex marriage]]. He was also the founder of a food company, Newman's Own, which donates all of its profits to charities. He was a former chain-smoker, who died of [[lung cancer]] at the age of 83.

As an actor, Paul Newman was best known for taming the wild, rebellious youth stereotype typefied by [[James Dean]] and [[Marlon Brando]]. Instead, his characters were often cool, reserved and with a sense of heart.

Newman appeared in film, on [[television]], and on [[Broadway]]. Some of his best-known movie roles were in:
*''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' (1959),
*''Exodus'' (1960),
*''The Hustler'' (1961),
*''Hud'' (1963),
*''Harper'' (1966),
*''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967),
*''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969),
*''The Sting'' (1973)
*''The Towering Inferno'' (1974),
*''Slap Shot'' (1977),
*''Absence of Malice'' (1981),
*''The Verdict'' (1982),
*''The Color of Money'' (1986),
*''Nobody's Fool'' (1994), and
*''Road to Perdition'' (2002).

Newman appeared with his wife, actress [[Joanne Woodward]], in
*''The Long, Hot Summer'' (1958),
*''Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!'' (1958),
*''From the Terrace'' (1960),
*''Paris Blues'' (1961),
*''A New Kind of Love'' (1963),
*''Winning'' (1969),
*''WUSA'' (1970),
*''Harry & Son'' (1984), and
*''Mr. and Mrs. Bridge'' (1990).

Newman received ten [[Academy Award]] nominations, winning once for Best Actor for ''The Color of Money''.

Newman was an auto racing enthusiast. He drove a Porsche in Lemans in 1979.

== See also ==

*[[Henry Fonda]]
*[[Sidney Poitier]]

{{DEFAULTSORT: Newman, Paul}}
[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Liberals]]

Paul Newman

2008-11-25T18:07:10Z

Mit: Added he was a liberal who supported homo marriage, though straight himself. Added he smoked heavily for years and died of lung C.