Maggie's Legacy

Thatcher is gone. Former UK industrial towns are celebrating. Zimbabweans remember cordial relations that established links between Thatcher's regime and the Zimbabwe government.

Appearances are deceptive. Beneath the facade of Commonwealth lies a web of deception, treachery and theft. The Lancaster House Constitution was the first significant contract signed by Zimbabwe, at independence. This constitution, overseen by Thatcher’s government, deliberately sidetracked land redistribution which was Zimbabwe’s reason for going to war. Stolen land could only be purchased from farming elites at exorbitant, ‘willing buyer willing seller',  rates. All this laid the first roots for future fast-track redistribution and consequent hyperinflations.

Thatcher unleashed UK Banks. Her financial deregulation and cheap state asset auctions, masquerading as neo-liberalism, destroyed UK industry plus mines on an industrial scale. As 1980s, UK, oil revenues increased, the IMF claimed its programs were a success. Zimbabwe was coerced into ESAP related privatisations which drove back industrial development by over a century. On the other hand, UK ‘big bang’ ‘financial neo-liberalism’ has driven Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Latvia, Slovenia and other nations to deindustrialisation. These countries are at the edge of total financial ruin. Thatcher played a part in the near ruin of Zimbabwe and Southern Europe is at the brink.  Industrial towns in England were totally destroyed and England is mired in recession. For Zimbabwe and Africa, the stage is set for the next scramble for Africa. Sir Mark Thatcher, Margaret Thatcher’s son, will be waddling back to arrange more coups in the continent.