| Baroness Thatcher's death is propelling the song Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead towards the top of the charts. Those who consider the former prime minister's demise a cause of celebration have launched a campaign to get the song to Number One. The Judy Garland version of the song is already at the top of the Amazon download chart, with Ella Fitzgerald's take on it at number four. Garland's is also currently number two in the iTunes chart. A Facebook group set up to encourage people to buy the song and take it all the way now has almost 5,000 members. One called Pat Cross said it was a "small way to register your protest against M Thatcher and the damage she did to so many lives".
The song, written by EY Harburg and composed by Harold Arlen, featured in the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Midweek placings released by the Official Charts Company show it is now at number 10, having sold more than 10,000 copies. In death, as in life, Lady Thatcher has divided the nation with many hailing her huge contribution to British life but others celebrating her demise. Critics angry at her legacy who claim she destroyed communities with some of her more controversial policies have held parties. There have been demonstrations in Bristol, Brixton and Glasgow and on Tuesday night crowds also gathered in Belfast to celebrate. Australian foreign minister Bob Carr has also caused controversy by claiming Lady Thatcher made "unabashedly racist" comments after she left office. Mr Carr, who has a Malaysian-born wife, said she told him Australia could end up like Fiji "where the Indian migrants have taken over".
Speaking to ABC in China, he said: "I recall one conversation I had with her in her retirement where she said something that was unabashedly racist. "She warned Australia ... against Asian immigration, saying that if we allowed too much of it we'd see the natives of the land, the European settlers, overtaken by migrants." He added: "I couldn't believe it. "It reminded me that despite, yes, her greatness on those big questions, the role of the state, the evil nature of the communist totalitarianism, there was an old-fashioned quality to her that was entirely out of touch and probably explained why her party removed her in the early 90s." Mr Carr's opposite number in Australia, Julie Bishop, called his comments graceless and has demanded he immediately apologise. "His decision to make these claims after her death is a crude attempt to slur the reputation of one of the 20th century's most outstanding leaders," she said. |
Anti-Thatcher graffitti in Londonderry 
Lady Thatcher died on Monday, aged 87 FACEBOOK COMMENT
