Queen Elizabeth II is center-left on economic issues. She voiced moderate criticism of Margaret Thatcher's domestic economic policies, which she said reflected a lack of concern for the poor. Margaret Thatcher served as Prime Minister of the U.K. from 1979 to 1990, and her time in office was marked by her conservative economic positions. The queen has also expressed support for the British welfare state as a means of providing greater opportunity for socioeconomic mobility.
The Queen has a reputation for being a skilled, engaged diplomat. While the British civilian government handles diplomatic and policy affairs, the Queen still fulfills a role as head of state and representative of the nation. She has maintained close relationships with other heads of state, and during her reign has pursued a diplomatic tack of dialogue and discourse over confrontation and nationalist self-assertion. Her relationship with Nelson Mandela, the former South African head of state, is said to be especially close. That is notable because Mandela was once a controversial figure in Britain due to his agitation against apartheid in South Africa, which was a former British colony.
One of the few political controversies of the Queen's career involved her publicly declared support for a unified United Kingdom in a speech to Parliament in 1977. Her comments came at a time when tension with Scotland and Northern Ireland was high. The Queen stated that she was appointed monarch not only of England but also Scotland, Wales, and Northern Island. Such nationalist sentiments angered separatists in Scotland and elsewhere.
When war broke out between Argentina and the UK over the Falkland Islands in 1982, Queen Elizabeth II expressed her support for British involvement in the conflict. This was an unusual departure for the typically neutral queen, who has built a reputation for peaceful statecraft. However, when Argentina invaded the British-controlled islands, which are are located near Argentina, the Queen asserted Britain's right to defend with force its own territory.