The UK leader who was dubbed the Iron Lady by friends and foes alike, the one and only Baroness Margaret Thatcher has departed to the great beyond at the age of 87 leaving behind a legacy that still has to be defined, but truly a legacy unequalled in British and world politics. There are those who insist that the first woman to occupy 10 Downing Street was too strong-willed, too stubborn in her determination at getting to a goal once she had made up her mind on issues she sees as raising the profile of the United Kingdom and by extension her reputation as "this lady's not for turning" refusing to back down. And she would not back down even if the results of her action were deemed unreasonable and unpopular as was demonstrated in her demolition of the trade unions more especially the mining communities dotted across the United Kingdom. She is reported to have destroyed many lives and families as mining activities came to a standstill and communities wrecked.

Margaret Thatcher will also be remembered for her decision to commit Britain to fight a war eight thousand miles away in the Falklands, a venture won by UK forces and which saw her re-elected to Number 10 after that momentous event. Her sometimes controversial decisions angered and pleased many as evidenced by her very soft stance on apartheid in South Africa even as she got feted by President Robert Mugabe. Her refusal to countenance, negotiate or have a discussion of any sort with the IRA in Ireland saw an intense campaign of bombing not only within Ireland but even within the British mainland with a bomb on the Grand Hotel in Brighton during a Conservative party conference - an attack that almost killed her while claiming the lives of five of her close associates in the Conservative party. In the end what brought her down from the top seat of UK politics was a palace coup hatched and carried out by members of her own Conservative party who accused her of losing touch with ordinary people. No surprise therefore of reports that street parties were going on in Brixton and other areas that suffered under the iron policies of Baroness Thatcher.

Tributes have been pouring in for a lady described as "a divisive figure", "a hate figure" and "a woman out of touch" among many others but deep down in British politics she remains admired for her courage in flying the UK flag high in world politics.

Questions were raised over the amount the tax payer had to dish out in a country that was experiencing quite a pinch on the pocket. According to the BBC, the Office of the Prime Minister, 10 Downing Street has revealed that a little over three and half million pounds (£3.6 million)

The Sierra Herald joins everyone, foe and friend alike in praying for God's forgiveness for all the wrongs she may have done be they deliberate or inadvertent and peace in the Lord's bosom.

Amen