Hasta La Ideas

The Tory faithful attending this week’s Conservative Party conference will be able to purchase a range of Margaret Thatcher merchandise designed by Spring

Available at maggieshop.com as well as at the event, the Maggie Collection includes an ‘Our Maggie’ tote bag featuring the late Baroness’s trademark Launer handbag as well as key rings, fridge magnets and T-shirts.

According to Erika Clegg, co-founder of Spring, “Our goal was to honour this important brief and Margaret Thatcher’s future position in the public psyche by stripping away some of the charactures that surround her….We wanted to create a range by which we felt Margaret Thatcher would be amused and gently flattered. She was never stuffy, and so this witty appreciation of her approach to life feels right for her.”

Strangely, this is the second time the late Baroness Thatcher has come to our attention here at CR in the last few days: Roger Law was accompanied on stage at the AGI Open conference last Thursday by the life-size Thatcher puppet he created for Spitting Image. According to Law, three versions of Thatcher’s head were made for the show: angry, happy and condescending.

Of course all political parties now sell merchandise – anyone watching coverage of the Lib Dems conference earlier this month may have spotted the Lib Dem Image stall in the background of some shots. Here could be purchased such delights as a set of badges featuring ‘wacky’ MP Bob Russell modelling his special conference waistcoats

While UKIP offers this lovely T-shirt (good for wearing while cleaning behind the fridge, ladies)

Labour merch has had its fair share of naffness too but CR readers may be interested in a few items currently on offer via its website – reproductions of vintage campaigning and election posters such as these from 1945

From 1924

And this from 1966