Margaret Thatcher become a generic descriptor for strong-willed female politicians. Thatcher became Prime Minister on 4 May 1979. Arriving at Downing Street she said, paraphrasing the misattributed Prayer of Saint Francis: Thatcher was to remain in office throughout the 1980s. For most of her premiership, she was described as the most powerful woman in the world. Thatcher was Leader of the Opposition and Prime Minister at a time of increased racial tension in Britain. Commenting on the local elections of 1977, "The Economist" noted "The Tory tide swamped the smaller parties. That specifically includes the National Front (NF), which suffered a clear
Diana Gould – Margaret Thatcher exchange extent of Britain's eavesdropping. Diana Gould – Margaret Thatcher exchange An exchange on 24 May 1983 between Diana Gould, an English schoolteacher and former Women's Royal Naval Service meteorological officer, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was voted in 1999 as one of Britain's most memorable television spots. Gould confronted Thatcher on the BBC current-affairs programme "Nationwide" over the sinking of the "General Belgrano" during the 1982 Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina. Gould was appearing as a member of the public on "Nationwide"s "On the Spot" live election special. The "ARA General Belgrano", an Argentine war ship, sank