BBC撒切爾夫人生平訃文: 國家經濟危機中的倔強背影

Monetary policies

貨幣政策

As prime minister, she was determined to repair the country's finances by reducing the role of the state and boosting the free market.

作為首相，撒切爾夫人決心通過弱化國家作用和提升市場自由度來修復國家財政。

Cutting inflation was central to the government's purpose and it soon introduced a radical budget of tax and spending cuts.

當時政府的主要目標是降低通脹，因此，很快就出臺了激進的稅收預算並縮減開支。

Bills were introduced to curb union militancy, privatise state industries and allow council home owners to buy their houses.

接著，一系列遏制工會爭鬥、推行國有企業私有化、住房私有化的議案也陸續出臺。

Millions of people who previously had little or no stake in the economy found themselves being able to own their houses and buy shares in the former state-owned businesses.

數以百萬的人發現，他們不再與國家經濟絕緣，他們可以擁有自己的住房，甚至購買國有企業的股份。

New monetary policies made the City of London one of the most vibrant and successful financial centres in the world.

新的貨幣政策使倫敦一躍成為全世界最具活力和成功的金融中心。

Old-style manufacturing, which critics complained was creating an industrial wasteland, was run down in the quest for a competitive new Britain. Unemployment rose above three million.

舊式製造業飽受詬病，規模逐漸縮減。人們追求建造一個具有競爭力的新英國。與此同時，失業人口超過了三百萬。

There was considerable unrest among the so called "wets" on the Conservative back benches and that, coupled with riots in some inner city areas, saw pressure on Margaret Thatcher to modify her policies.

這在保守黨後座的所謂“溼派”中引起了不小的騷動。而一些內陸城市爆發的騷亂，也讓撒切爾感受到了改變政策的壓力。

But the prime minister refused to crumble. She told the 1980 party conference: "To those waiting with bated breath for that favourite media catch phrase, the U-turn, I have only one thing to say. You turn if you want to... the lady's not for turning."

然而，首相拒絕就此妥協。在1980年的保守黨會議上，撒切爾說道：“我要對那些正屏氣凝神，等待著傳媒所講的‘180度掉頭’成真的人說：如果你要掉頭便由你，但本小姐絕不掉頭。”

Margaret Thatcher, who has died following a stroke, was one of the most influential political figures of the 20th Century.
撒切爾夫人，20世紀最有影響力的政治人物之一，在2013年4月8日，因中風不幸逝世。
Her legacy had a profound effect upon the policies of her successors, both Conservative and Labour, while her radical and sometimes confrontational approach defined her 11-year period at No 10.
她深深影響了她之後的包括保守黨和工黨在內的歷屆英國首相。這樣一位激進的，有時甚至帶有攻擊性的“鐵娘子”擔任了長達11年之久的英國首相。
Her term in office saw thousands of ordinary voters gaining a stake in society, buying their council houses and eagerly snapping up shares in the newly privatised industries such as British Gas and BT.
她在任職期間推動社會改革，成千上萬的英國普通選民購買了政府公屋，搶購了諸如英國天然氣和英國電信等新近私有化行業的股份。
But her rejection of consensus politics made her a divisive figure and opposition to her policies and her style of government led eventually to rebellion inside her party and unrest on the streets.
但她對輿論政治的排斥使她備受爭議，同時她的政策也招致反對。最終她所領導的政黨內部反聲一片，社會也混亂不堪。