Not to bury Thatcher

Nor to praise her either (RIP!!), but just to call attention to some language abuse.

NPR's London correspondent Philip Reeves on the late baroness (not yet online):

But they keep quoting her doing it—"The lady's not for turning."

• Keeps saying that while some saw her as an icon of British conservatism, of a status like Churchill's, others saw her as a destroyer of trade unions and divider of rich from poor: this is not two different opinions but one opinion expressed from two different directions
• Keeps calling her "Britain's first female prime minister" as if we aren't sure whether there have been any more of them (finally at 8:30 a female news reader adds, "and so far only")
• Keeps referring to her as a "statesman"—should it be stateswoman? statesperson?

BBC showed an NPR-like centripetality in going for its commentary on Thatcher's death from the "left" to Lord (formerly Dr.) David Owen, possibly the only Briton to have done more to destroy socialism in the UK than Thatcher herself.

From CNN via Raw Story. Not meant to suggest that the baroness was a child rapist, but that is Sir Jimmy Savile (OBE KCSG) with her, and it looks as if they had a good deal in common, starting with a hairdresser.