




Margaret Thatcher, the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and the first woman to hold the position, was born 100 years ago. A polarising and divisive figure in UK politics, she is still viewed favourably in historical rankings and her realignment towards neoliberal policies had a significant effect. A Soviet journalist dubbed her the “Iron Lady”, a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style.
Her economic policies emphasised greater individual liberty, the privatisation of state-owned companies, and reducing the power and influence of trade unions. Her popularity in her first years in office from 1979 waned, although victory in the 1982 Falklands War and the recovering economy brought a resurgence of support. She survived an assassination attempt by the IRA in the 1984 Brighton hotel bombing and achieved a political victory against the National Union of Mineworkers in the 1984–85 miners’ strike. In 1986, she oversaw the deregulation of UK financial markets, leading to an economic boom, in what came to be known as the Big Bang. Her third term fell apart after the “poll tax” debacle and her Eurosceptic views were not shared by her cabinet colleagues.
She was born 13 October 1925 at 9am (from memory) Grantham, England with a grocer father who was a strict Methodist, and took a chemistry degree at Oxford before becoming a barrister and entering politics. She married at 26 to businessman Dennis Thatcher which lasted over fifty years till his death in 2003 and had two children. She famously filled in her entrance papers for the bar in her hospital bed having just delivered twins.
She had a Libra Sun and Mars both square a super-confident and opinionated 9th house Pluto opposition a communicative 3rd house Jupiter. Although Libra is reputed to be balanced and diplomatic it can veer from extreme to extreme; and in the female of the species tends to get stronger and more assertive with age. In her case Mars would add an argumentative edge to an already dogmatic Pluto and self-righteous Jupiter.
Her Pluto was trine an overly conscientious Saturn in Scorpio on her Ascendant giving her a stubborn streak and the ability to withstand tough conditions. Her 4th house Uranus was on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Neptune sextile Mercury giving her a defiant urge to upend the old order and institute changes.
Her career moved to the bidding of Saturn. She had her children as tr Saturn moved through her 12th pulling her away from old ambitions as it headed for her lower profile 1st quadrant. She entered parliament as tr Saturn moved out of the lowest ebb of her 1st quadrant setting her on a path which would see her enter the Cabinet as tr Saturn crossed her Descendant moving upwards. When tr Saturn reached her Midheaven she became prime minister. And when she finally admitted defeat and resigned in 1990 it was after tr Saturn had a humbling four years after her Second Saturn Return as it moved back down through her less successful First Quadrant.
Tr Saturn was also conjunct her Sun when the Falklands War started; and was conjunct her Ascendant on her Second Return at the Brighton Hotel bombing.
When she was voted in as PM on 4 May 1979, tr Uranus was just across her Ascendant for a radical change of image and tr Pluto was hovering across the conjunction to her Sun. Tr Jupiter was also conjunct her ‘leadership’ North Node in Leo which in turn was exactly conjunct the UK Jupiter in Leo. Tr Uranus at that point was conjunct the UK 2nd house Neptune as she set about bringing significant different economic policies into play.
Her emphasised natal Pluto fell in the UK 10th house so she had a definite urge to control the country’s direction. Her relationship chart with the UK had an intense composite Moon square Pluto; a suspicious Saturn Neptune opposition Venus; and an argumentative composite Mars trine Sun Mercury, inconjunct Uranus. When she was elected tr Jupiter was heading for the composite Midheaven hinting at a favourable start though tr Uranus in Scorpio heading for the composite Mercury and then Sun pointed to a bumpy ride ahead.
Oddly enough when she finally resigned tr Jupiter was back moving through the composite MT/UK 10th with tr Mars exactly conjunct the composite North Node for a decisive moment. And tr Pluto was in Scorpio almost exactly where tr Uranus was when she first took up office putting pressure on the UK’s financial planets.
By the end of her tenure she was increasingly unpopular and with Solar Arc Uranus moving across the UK Descendant the country was ready for a new partnership. Tr Uranus crossing the UK IC into the 4th behind tr Neptune and Saturn already in the 4th – also pointed to the UK in a state of internal upheaval and uncertainty, with change inevitable.
However much hostility she provoked, she was still an influential figure on the international stage and her friendship with Ronald Reagan not only brought the USA and UK together but also facilitated Reagan’s peacekeeping efforts with Mikhail Gorbachev after she convinced Reagan that he could be trusted. Reagan’s Jupiter in Scorpio fell on her Saturn Ascendant so he would be an uplifting and confidence-inducing connection. Their relationship chart echoed this with a composite Sun Jupiter conjunction.
Two personal asides on Thatcher. One is she fitted the female Libra’s inclination towards her father whom she idolised; and spoke rarely and rather dismissively of her mother. The second is that despite her rather brisk schoolmarmy temperament she surrounded herself with quite a few colleagues with less than squeaky-clean CVs when it came to sexual scandals. Which may have harked back to her father who had quite a reputation locally according to those who grew up in Grantham. Her father comes across as a Mars Sun Pluto Jupiter type – pushily confident and domineering. Her mother is reflected in her Moon Neptune in Leo – vague, dreamy, difficult to pin down. And, of course, with her twins, her son Mark always seemed to be the favourite.
A further thought was a comment made by a cabinet colleague at the outbreak of the Falklands War – was that she had been spoiling for a fight and didn’t much care who she had it with. An interesting women who came out of nowhere really to be a considerable force.
ADD ON: The Conservative Party chart, 9 May 1912, is in turmoil with the Solar Arc Uranus conjunct Saturn now and for several months ahead – suggesting the old certainties are being upended. Tr Pluto will continue to square square the Venus and conjunct the Uranus throughout 2026 as it has done this year pointing to upheavals, turbulence and insecurity. By 2028 the Solar Arc Pluto will square the Mars for a dead halt with the two years thereafter no better.
The Tory Party, 18 December 1834 chart (which I don’t think works as well) is panicked and uncertain now, disappointed and discouraged in 2026 – with some faintly more cheerful influences thereafter. But the 1912 one has in the past reflected events more accurately.
























