McCreevy’s astounding tribute to Thatcher

EU COMMISSIONER Charlie McCreevy yesterday paid an astonishing tribute to Margaret Thatcher, describing her as the one great European leader in the last quarter century who “transformed her time.”

Mr McCreevy singled out the former British Prime Minister for praise during a speech on the European economy he gave in Dublin yesterday and urged emerging economies of the East to look to her for inspiration.

The commissioner criticised Europe for spending too much time navel gazing in recent years and said they had failed to grasp the nettle and take effective action.