Conservative MP says Thatcher still inspires today A towering yet divisive figure, Margaret Thatcher rose from humble grocer's daughter to the woman who changed the face of Britain and helped tear down the Iron Curtain. Yet she divided opinion like few other politicians. Right-wingers hail her as having got Britain working again after the economic crises of the 1970s and she is still widely lauded by Conservatives today. Images and soundbites from the current Conservative MP who holds the constituency Thatcher once occupied. Images and soundbites.