Iron Lady still gets MPs blood racing

Iron Lady still gets MPs blood racing
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

LONDON, NOV 3: British politicians are more aroused by former prime minister Margaret Thatcher than by a blonde pin-up model, according to scientific research reported in British newspapers on Friday.

Scientists from the University of the West of England hooked up Members of Parliament to an electronic device, which measured their emotional response when they were shown a selection of images.

According to the Daily Mail, a picture of the Iron Lady set pulses racing in 80 per cent of the MPs tested, but the guinea pigs were left cold by a saucy image of busty model and popular television presenter, Denise Van Outen.

Similar tests conducted on a sample of the general public registered the strongest responses to the picture of Van Outen -- proving the popular belief that politicians are a breed apart, said the newspaper.

``Most people respond to the images of scantily-clad men and women, so why should MPs be any different?'' Dr Kathy Sykes, who worked on the research project, was quoted as saying. ``We couldn't tell from the test quite why Thatcher got them so worked up. It was difficult to know whether the reactions were positive or negative,'' she added.

Almost a decade after her eighteen-year period in office came to an end, Thatcher, now 75, still arouses strong feelings in Britain. She is hero-worshipped by right-wing voters and politicians, while supporters of the ruling Labour Party revile her for destroying the power of the trade unions and selling off state-owned industries. The late Tory diarist and MP Alan Clark, who served as a minister in a Thatcher government, once praised her for her ``dainty ankles''.