Today is Margaret Thatcher's 80th birthday. And whatever you think about the woman's politics, if the transatlantic links between Britain and America are important to you, you have her to thank. Of course, the so-called special relationship began long before Thatcher’s time. It's a product of shared histories and supported in no small part by a shared language*.
Nevertheless, since the end of World War II the relationship had been dying. Britain was no longer the global power she had been just two decades previously and America's supremacy was beginning to take hold. Politically, the imbalance between the US and UK had completely reversed and this situation was to harden as Britain's fortunes headed into the doldrums. It was Tsar Nicholas I of Russia who reputedly coined the phrase "the sick man of Europe" to describe the moribund Ottoman empire of his day. Since then, many other countries have held the dubious honour of the title and in the 1960s and 1970s, strike-prone and economically retarded Britain was the favourite.
When Thatcher came to power, the special relationship was taken off life support. Though the economic imbalance remained, politically her government and that of President Reagan were entwined in a way that hadn’t been seen for centuries. Reagan said: "We met before she became prime minister and I became president, and the moment we met, we discovered that we shared quite similar views of government and freedom. Margaret ended our first meeting by telling me that we must stand together, and that is exactly what we have done ever since."
Through the late 1980s and 1990s Britain’s economic position repaired and today it stands as the powerhouse of Europe. Throughout this time successive prime ministers have aimed to maintain the transatlantic unity and, to a greater extent, the political status quo has endured. Though superficially akin in political terms, John Major and George Bush senior never made natural bedfellows. However, Tony Blair enjoyed a healthy relationship with Bill Clinton, and then surprised everyone by building a good rapport with George Bush junior.
America’s pre-eminence on the global stage both politically and economically is undoubted, but the special relationship is as strong today as it ever was. In fact, it may be more balanced than people assume; I met a man from UK Trade & Investment (the UK’s government agency for transatlantic development) at a recent business event. He told me that not only are the US and UK the biggest investors in each other’s economies, but that both countries have created a similar number of jobs – around 1 million in each nation.
In a globalising world, greater economic interdependence is a given and it makes more sense than ever for Britain and America to cement their cooperation. Between the two, and as a bridge for American interests in Europe, the special relationship has really never been more important. So whatever your politics, for that at least, cheers Maggie, and many happy returns!
* There is a popular legend that German almost became the official language of the United States. This notion has been popularised by German authors of travel literature since the 1840s. According to the so-called "Muhlenberg legend," a vote was taken in the Pennsylvania state parliament sometime in the 1790s on whether German should be the official language. Apparently the Speaker of the House, a German-American by the name of Frederick A. Muhlenberg, cast the decisive vote for English and against German. In reality, this presumed proposition was never brought to the floor and a vote was never taken.
The historical origin of this legend might have been a failed attempt in Congress in 1794, based on a petition of German residents of Augusta Co., Virginia, to have "a certain proportion" of the laws of the United States printed in German as well as English. A year later, the petition was denied by Congress by a vote of 42 to 41.
(This footnote taken from the website of the US Embassy in Germany: http://usa.usembassy.de/germanamericans-language.htm)
