It is a tragic tale, of a once-powerful and much-loved leader, who had fallen on hard times, lost ground in the popularity stakes, and was even challenged by an upstart pretender. Bloodied but unbowed, the leader determined to fight on, confident of facing down the critics and securing re-election.
But then, during one terrible night, the leader is visited, one by one, by close friends and allies. Each repeats the same depressing story - "I personally will always support you if you decide to run again, but I don't believe you can win, and you risk humiliation". Gradually, it becomes clear that people on whom the leader had always counted were not going lend their support. Dismayed and scarcely believing the scale of the treachery involved, the leader was finally forced to accept reality - the election could not be won. Fighting back tears, the leader issued a brief resignation announcement, and departed into history.
Yes, of course, I am talking about Margaret Thatcher's resignation on 28 November 1990. Why, who did you think I was referring to?
