Why am I hearing that Margaret Thatcher was the first woman to be prime minister?

[RoccoR5955]

What about Indira Gandhi? She was prime minister, of a much larger country, India, way back in 1966!

This is even on the "liberal" NPR! I'm telling you, they ALL need some real fact checkers!

[el_bryanto]

1. Presumably they mean of Great Britain? nt

[RoccoR5955]

8. They said,

The first Prime Minister of a great country. They did not specify the UK or Great Britain.

[Shankapotomus]

12. India does not have

the word "Great" in its name.

[Spider Jerusalem]

13. the UK has been a "great power" since before it was the UK.

India is not, and was not in 1966; Israel is not. So if they're saying "first female prime minister of a great power", then they're correct (by definition a "great power" is a country that has the ability to influence events on a global level, and not merely regionally; those are generally accepted as the US, the UK, France, Russia, China, Japan and Germany...the first five are recognised nuclear powers under arms limitation treaties, and are the permanent members of the UN Security Council; the latter two are economic great powers).

[WinkyDink]

19. It must have been a generic reference to GB. "A" instead of "this." Just grammar.

[Iggo]

2. ...of the UK.

[TimberValley]

3. UK Prime Minister. n/t.

[CBGLuthier]

4. Golda Meir too, but really, when a woman becomes the first female US PRESIDENT

will you be complaining about Dilma Rousseff not being acknowledged?

It is incredibly obvious, even to the obtuse, that they mean UK Prime Minister.

[trumad]

5. Then they should say---the first PM of Britain

[cali]

9. Actually, she was the first female PM in Europe.

[RoccoR5955]

6. Gee. I'm sorry

I forgot about Golda Meir.
I stand corrected.
They didn't specify the UK. They only said, "the first woman Prime Minister of a great country."

[Bluenorthwest]

14. Got a link? I have not heard that, I've heard 'of the UK' and 'of a European country'

as well as mention of Golda and Gandhi. My guess is that you misheard.

[pokerfan]

18. No, they didn't

They said, "the only woman to serve as British Prime Minister and the first woman to lead a government of a major western nation."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022640237#post17

[cali]

7. I haven't heard that once. What they are saying is that she was the first PM

in the EU. And if you type into Google Search, Margaret Thatcher first Prime Minister, you won't find a single news source claiming she was the world's first PM.

Now where's your link to all these news stories you claim you've heard/seen?

Provide it please.

[RoccoR5955]

10. Just go to NPR and this morning's Morning Edition. n/t

[cali]

11. Just give me a link to the exact quote

you made the claim.

[RoccoR5955]

16. Here:

NPR.Player.openPlayer(176640365, 176640346, null, NPR.Player.Action.PLAY_NOW, NPR.Player.Type.STORY, '0')

You see, it's under the Morning Edition for today. That's what I get when I copy the link, therefore, the best I can tell you, is to go to npr.org, go to the morning edition program, and look for the link to the sound of the article from today, and yesterday's All Things Considered, as well.

[cali]

20. Nope. No claim that she was the first female PM

gad.

[pokerfan]

17. This?

Seems to be an accurate statement...

"Now as we consider the legacy of Margaret Thatcher the question arises about her significance as the only woman to serve as British Prime Minister and the first woman to lead a government of a major western nation."

http://www.npr.org/2013/04/09/176640367/britains-only-female-prime-minister-margaret-thatcher

[arthritisR_US]

15. The first woman in England, not the world...

context is important.