A sharply divisive figure in life, news of Margaret Thatcher's death has brought similar displays of love and loathing across the United Kingdom.<br/> <br />At the National Union of Miners in South Yorkshire, many were expected to celebrate the passing of a figure often blamed for the downfall of Britain's mining communities.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (English) CHAIRMAN OF THE YORKSHIRE AREA OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF MINERS, CHRIS SKIDMORE, SAYING:<br/> <br />"You are not supposed to speak ill of the dead, but from the phone calls I have had this morning, I would imagine there will be quite a lot of people in the mining communities that will not be shedding a tear today, but they will be raising their drink and toasting her passing and saying good riddance."<br/> <br />As Britain's only female prime minister, Thatcher is attributed with crushing trade unions, privatising vast swathes of British industry, clashing with allies in the European economic bloc and fighting a distant war for the Falkland Islands.
