Who’s on funeral invitation list
Death breathes new life into an old favourite
The invitees include All surviving former Prime Ministers All surviving former United States Presidents and a Reagan family representative Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton All surviving members of Lady Thatcher’s cabinets The present Cabinet The Leader of the Opposition, Ed Miliband European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso Lady Thatcher’s former press secretary, Sir Bernard Ingham, and his wife Lady Ingham Novelist Frederick Forsyth Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia A representative of Nelson Mandela Some of those attending include
Former cabinet minister Michael Portillo and his wife Carolyn Tony and Cherie Blair Former President FW de Klerk of South Africa Dame Shirley Bassey Jeremy Clarkson Lord and Lady Lloyd Webber Lord and Lady Archer Lady Thatcher’s former foreign policy adviser, Lord Powell of Bayswater Former Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada Two ardent supporters of Margaret Thatcher have called on the BBC to broadcast the song mocking her death.
The anti- Thatcher anthem Ding Dong the Witch is Dead has surged in popularity since her death and looks set to retain a top slot when the Official Chart Show airs on Monday.
In a controversial move the BBC is likely to play the track if it is in the top five, after executives are said to see little reason to take it off the airwaves. A final decision will not be made on grounds of taste or decency.
But the move has found support in some unlikely corners as UKIP leader Nigel Farage and Tory MP Philip Davies, who have both paid glowing tribute to the former leader, said broadcasting the song was the right thing to do.
Farage said: ‘‘ If you suppress things then you make them popular, so play the bloody thing. If you ban it When: Wednesday, 11am ( Wednesday 10pm NZT) Where: St Paul’s Cathedral, London Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney of Canada Old adversaries and friends who cannot attend funeral
Neil Kinnock: They were political adversaries for almost a decade, but former Labour leader Kinnock, 71, will miss Thatcher’s service as he has already committed to attend the funeral of a Welsh councillor from his old constituency who died a few days before the former Prime Minister. Mikhail Gorbachev: The former Soviet leader and Thatcher are often credited with securing the end of the Cold War after the Iron Lady described him as a man ‘‘ we can do business with’’. For all their cooperation, Gorbachev, now 82, has declined his invitation due to ill health. Jim Davidson: Leading the famous 1980s figures who cannot attend is her favourite comedian Jim Davidson. The 59- year- old has always been an outspoken supporter of Thatcher. He is currently on police bail over allegations of sexual offences. Nancy Reagan: Ronald Reagan’s widow has said she is too frail to make the trip. it will be number one for weeks.
‘‘ Personally I think that the behaviour of these yobs — most of whom weren’t even born when Lady Thatcher was in power — is horrible, offensive and disgusting.
‘‘ Much as I hate it, I think that if you ban a record you make a huge, huge mistake.’’
Up to 20,000 copies of the song, from the musical the Wizard of Oz, have sold following an online campaign — leaving it on course to become the shortest top- 10 single ever, with the most popular version running to 51 seconds. It is currently at number four in the charts.
Shipley MP Davies, a member of the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee, agreed that the BBC had a ‘‘ duty’’ to play the song if it remained near the top of the charts but ‘‘ I think that the campaign is pathetic, small minded and mean spirited’’.