The Conservative party’s obsession with Margaret Thatcher merch feels less kitsch and more cult | Zoe Williams

<p>On the former prime minister’s centenary, celebratory tat has included branded Toby jugs and whisky, while her old clothes were on display at conference. Is this really what the Iron Lady would have wanted?</p><p>On this fateful day, when <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/margaretthatcher">Margaret Thatcher</a> would have been 100 years old, many are taking a moment to replay their favourite memories: that time when she said there was no such thing as society; that time when she snatched milk from primary-schoolchildren; that amazing pro-EU jumper she had; all those times when she wasn’t for turning. It’s one of those days when you’re supposed to stick to the stuff we can all agree on, such as: whatever you think of her policies, she was a one-off. You didn’t get many Margaret Thatchers to the yard.</p><p>No amount of positivity, however, can paper over the alarming gulf in Thatcher-appreciation between regular people and members of the Conservative party. Last week, I went to the opening of The Iron Lady: The Legacy Paintings, an exhibition by the artist Lorna May Wadsworth, who, although I don’t know her, I’m medium sure is not a Thatcher superfan. She was the last artist to paint Thatcher before she died, but she has also painted Tony Blair, David Blunkett and Rowan Williams. She’s a portraitist. They rise above petty stuff like “what people said” and “what people did”, the better to immortalise them.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/13/conservative-party-obsession-margaret-thatcher-merch-less-kitsch-more-cult">Continue reading...</a>