The veneer of civilization was looking mighty solid as Margaret Thatcher appeared at No. 10 Downing Street today—her old residence from her days as PM—for the unveiling of her official portrait. Frail but still subtly indomitable as she greeted current PM Gordon Brown, Thatcher is very much alive, despite the news that Canadian Transport Minister John Baird disseminated around Parliament (about his recently deceased cat, also named Thatcher) not long ago. Unlike in Canada, where even prime ministerial interlopers like Kim Campbell and Joe Clark get immortalized in oil, then hung on the Hill, the Brits are more circumspect. Only two 20th century PMs have paintings on display at No. 10:: David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill. Thatcher becomes the third.

The Guardian