Margaret Thatcher nevottelemassa Ronald Reaganin hallituksen kanssa 1981. Kuva Wikipedia.
Britanniassa on herännyt keskustelua Margaret Thatcherin kuoleman yhteydessä siitä mitä ja miten kuolleista politiikoista saa puhua. Glenn Greenwald kirjoitti maanantaina Guardianissa otsikolla: Margaret Thatcher and misapplied death etiquette
The dictate that one 'not speak ill of the dead' is (at best) appropriate for private individuals, not influential public figures. (Guardian, 8 April 2013)
Greenwaldin mukaan ei ole oikein vaientaa näkyvien poliitikkojen krittiikkiä myöskään heidän kuoltuaan:
Greenwald muistuttaa että kritiikin vaimentaminen on propagandistista valkopesua ja antaa historiasta väärän kuvan:This demand for respectful silence in the wake of a public figure's death is not just misguided but dangerous. That one should not speak ill of the dead is arguably appropriate when a private person dies, but it is wildly inappropriate for the death of a controversial public figure, particularly one who wielded significant influence and political power.
Greenwald muistuttaa Margaret Thatcherin vähemmän mukavista toimista 1980-luvulta lähtien:Demanding that no criticisms be voiced to counter that hagiography is to enable false history and a propagandistic whitewashing of bad acts, distortions that become quickly ossified and then endure by virtue of no opposition and the powerful emotions created by death. When a political leader dies, it is irresponsible in the extreme to demand that only praise be permitted but not criticisms.
Glenn Greenwald: Margaret Thatcher and misapplied death etiquette (Guardian, 8 April 2013)Whatever else may be true of her, Thatcher engaged in incredibly consequential acts that affected millions of people around the world. She played a key role not only in bringing about the first Gulf War but also using her influence to publicly advocate for the 2003 attack on Iraq. She denounced Nelson Mandela and his ANC as "terrorists", something even David Cameron ultimately admitted was wrong. She was a steadfast friend to brutal tyrants such as Augusto Pinochet, Saddam Hussein andIndonesian dictator General Suharto ("One of our very best and most valuable friends"). And as my Guardian colleague Seumas Milnedetailed last year, "across Britain Thatcher is still hated for the damage she inflicted – and for her political legacy of rampant inequality and greed, privatisation and social breakdown."