I think we should have a Margaret Thatcher statue ... with a twist
Margaret Thatcher statue will not be erected in Parliament Square due to ‘monument saturation’ but I honestly think they should put a Thatcher statue up ...
Proposals for a Margaret Thatcher statue in Parliament Square look set to be rejected because there are too many monuments in the area. It also fails to comply with a 10-year principle which states that no statues should be erected until a decade after the subject’s death to “allow partisan passions to cool and enable sober reflection”. A document prepared for Westminster Council’s planning meeting on Tuesday stresses that the area is a “monument saturation zone” in which new statues are not permitted unless there is an “exceptionally good reason”.
The failure to comply with the 10-year rule, the depiction of the former Tory leader in state robes which do not “reflect her role as prime minister”, and the existence of another statue of her in the adjacent Houses of Parliament mean there is no reason to overturn the council’s policy against new monuments in the area, the document states.
Thatcher knew about Savile being a paedophile before giving him an OBE
Senior civil servants repeatedly warned Margaret Thatcher about the risks of giving Jimmy Savile a knighthood in the 1980s, one describing the broadcaster as a "strange and complex man".
Newly released documents show the ex-prime minister lobbied officials for recognition of Savile's charity work.
But mandarins rebuffed her requests, citing Savile's "manner of life" and fears he might exploit the honour.
Savile, a friend of the former PM, was ultimately knighted in 1990.
The previously secret documents were obtained by the Sun newspaper following a Freedom of Information request.
The Cabinet Office said there was no indication in them that the prime minister or any officials know about the allegations of sexual abuse and paedophilia against Savile - which emerged in full after his death in 2011.
'Lurid details'
The heavily redacted papers show that Lady Thatcher first wrote to Sir Robert Armstrong, the most senior civil servant in the country at the time and chair of the honours committee, about the issue of a knighthood for Savile in 1983.
Sir Robert vetoed the idea, saying it was too soon after "unfortunate revelations" in which the entertainer had boasted to the media of having sex with women he met while running charity marathons.
The prime minister raised the matter again just months later but Sir Robert said "lurid details" were unlikely to be have been forgotten and it "would be best if Mr Savile were to wait a little longer".
"We remain worried," he added. "Fears have been expressed that Mr Savile might not be able to refrain from exploiting a knighthood in a way which brought the honours system into disrepute."
After further requests were also turned down, the prime minister's private secretary Nigel Wicks wrote to Sir Robert in 1986 saying that she was "most disappointed that Mr Savile's name has not been recommended".
He added: "She [Thatcher] wonders how many more times his name is to be pushed aside, especially in view of all the great work he had done for Stoke Mandeville [hospital]."
More than 90 people - who were among 450 alleged victims of abuse - pursued legal action against the broadcaster's estate and his former employers in the wake of the revelations.
Previously released correspondence showed that Savile wrote to Lady Thatcher in 1980 and she subsequently invited him to Chequers. The PM regularly attended New Year's Eve parties thrown by the broadcaster.
Savile raised £30m for good causes and was awarded an OBE in 1971 but at the end of the day he still abused young children and used charity to hide his guilt.
... With statues of the children who were abused by Savile, all stood around her crying.
The failure to comply with the 10-year rule, the depiction of the former Tory leader in state robes which do not “reflect her role as prime minister”, and the existence of another statue of her in the adjacent Houses of Parliament mean there is no reason to overturn the council’s policy against new monuments in the area, the document states.
Thatcher knew about Savile being a paedophile before giving him an OBE
Senior civil servants repeatedly warned Margaret Thatcher about the risks of giving Jimmy Savile a knighthood in the 1980s, one describing the broadcaster as a "strange and complex man".
Newly released documents show the ex-prime minister lobbied officials for recognition of Savile's charity work.
But mandarins rebuffed her requests, citing Savile's "manner of life" and fears he might exploit the honour.
Savile, a friend of the former PM, was ultimately knighted in 1990.
The previously secret documents were obtained by the Sun newspaper following a Freedom of Information request.
The Cabinet Office said there was no indication in them that the prime minister or any officials know about the allegations of sexual abuse and paedophilia against Savile - which emerged in full after his death in 2011.
'Lurid details'
The heavily redacted papers show that Lady Thatcher first wrote to Sir Robert Armstrong, the most senior civil servant in the country at the time and chair of the honours committee, about the issue of a knighthood for Savile in 1983.
Sir Robert vetoed the idea, saying it was too soon after "unfortunate revelations" in which the entertainer had boasted to the media of having sex with women he met while running charity marathons.
The prime minister raised the matter again just months later but Sir Robert said "lurid details" were unlikely to be have been forgotten and it "would be best if Mr Savile were to wait a little longer".
"We remain worried," he added. "Fears have been expressed that Mr Savile might not be able to refrain from exploiting a knighthood in a way which brought the honours system into disrepute."
After further requests were also turned down, the prime minister's private secretary Nigel Wicks wrote to Sir Robert in 1986 saying that she was "most disappointed that Mr Savile's name has not been recommended".
He added: "She [Thatcher] wonders how many more times his name is to be pushed aside, especially in view of all the great work he had done for Stoke Mandeville [hospital]."
More than 90 people - who were among 450 alleged victims of abuse - pursued legal action against the broadcaster's estate and his former employers in the wake of the revelations.
Previously released correspondence showed that Savile wrote to Lady Thatcher in 1980 and she subsequently invited him to Chequers. The PM regularly attended New Year's Eve parties thrown by the broadcaster.
Savile raised £30m for good causes and was awarded an OBE in 1971 but at the end of the day he still abused young children and used charity to hide his guilt.
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