[Margaret Pilkington]

I did not vote for her and disliked some of the things that she (and her government)were responsible for...but I have to admit to a sneaking admiration for her as a woman in what was, a very different, difficult masculine world.
She was a strong powerful woman,who did what she thought would benefit the country.(hindsight is a wonderful thing)
She was not swayed by those EU bullies and she won for the UK some hefty rebates...something that no other (male) PM has done.

As for the conflict with the miners...she went head to head because she had to
If she had given ground she would have been seen as weak by both her own party(there were those in her party who were waiting for an opportunity to stab her in the back...dissent is ever present in political parties) and those in opposition.
It was inevitable that there would be acrimony, the unions always wanted to be calling the tune.
She wanted the unions to know that the government were in charge...not the unions.
It was a very different time.

So she was political marmite.