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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Thatcher Best PM Since 1945, Say Britons
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A third of adults in Britain believe Margaret Thatcher has been their best head of government since the end of World War II, according to a poll by YouGov published in the Daily Telegraph. 34 per cent of respondents think Thatcher was the greatest prime minister since 1945.
Winston Churchill—who governed for the last time from 1951 to 1955—is second on the list with 15 per cent, followed by Tony Blair with 11 per cent, Harold Wilson with nine per cent, and Clement Attlee with seven per cent. Support is lower for Harold Macmillan, Edward Heath, John Major and James Callaghan.
Thatcher served as Britain’s prime minister from May 1979 to November 1990, winning majority mandates in the 1979, 1983 and 1987 elections to the House of Commons. During her tenure, Britain fought the Falklands War against Argentina. Disagreements within the Conservative party over her economic policies led to her ouster in an internal ballot.
Earlier this month, former Conservative leader William Hague discussed Thatcher’s legacy, saying, "Whatever people’s views of her policies, she was held in immense respect right across the spectrum."
Polling Data
In your view and from what you know who is or was Britain’s greatest post-war prime minister?
|
Margaret Thatcher (1979-90) |
34% |
|
Winston Churchill (1951-55) |
15% |
|
Tony Blair (1997-2007) |
11% |
|
Harold Wilson (1964-70 and 1974-76) |
9% |
|
Clement Attlee (1945-51) |
7% |
|
Harold Macmillan (1957-63) |
3% |
|
Edward Heath (1970-74) |
1% |
|
John Major (1990-97) |
1% |
|
James Callaghan (1976-79) |
1% |
|
Anthony Eden (1955-57) |
* |
|
Gordon Brown (2007- ) |
* |
|
Alec Douglas-Home (1963-64) |
* |
|
Don’t know |
18% |
(*) - Less than 0.5 per cent.
Source: YouGov / Daily Telegraph
Methodology: Online interviews with 2,082 British adults, conducted from Mar. 28 to Mar. 31, 2008. No margin of error was provided.