I will defend the right to protest with my life. However I will also defend my right to call out stupidity when I see it too.
As a child of the Thatcher era I 100% understand the anger that people feel towards her. However picketing a funeral and celebrating a death will not change anything. We still live in a society that compounds Thatcherite policies. And the only way we change that is by holding accountable those who continue to perpetuate her policies.
There is no place we see Thatcherism at play more than in the fashion industry. She destroyed so many British industries, made it seem acceptable to many to take our business overseas, whatever the outcome.
She also championed the rights of an individual to make money, even at the expense of the wider society. Although fast fashion emerged long after she left power, in some ways she was the catalyst for making it happen.
A huge amount of our fashion manufacturing is now done in the Global South. And while that has provided much needed work for some, many more are being abused by the system. Reports of garment workers being kept in slave-like conditions, and factory fires killing hundreds, don't go away.
If you talk to the trade unions in these countries they're very clear about why - our drive for fast, cheap clothing leads to abuse and system failures. Of course Thatcher never did like trade unions very much!
We have moved on a bit since the 80s - companies do at least put a corporate social responsibility statement on their website. However these polices clearly aren't working as abuses are still a regular occurrence.
If you want to take a stand against Thatcher then take a stand against what she created. Today we launched The 1% Campaign, demanding fashion brands invest more time and money in solving the problems in their supply chain. We're asking for a minimum of 1% of their profits.
Now the Iron Lady is gone let's also get rid of the culture she created too. Join The 1% Campaign today and let's start a fresh.