Margaret Thatcher

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by Mog

This demand for respectful silence in the wake of a public figure's death is not just misguided but dangerous. That one should not speak ill of the dead is arguably appropriate when a private person dies, but it is wildly inappropriate for the death of a controversial public figure, particularly one who wielded significant influence and political power. "Respecting the grief" of Thatcher's family members is appropriate if one is friends with them or attends a wake they organise, but the protocols are fundamentally different when it comes to public discourse about the person's life and political acts.

I respect your opinion, but cannot agree with it. I had no love for the woman, but would not stoop to slight her in death.
There is no need for this bile fest. Her span of leadership lasted eleven and a half years...her life was 87 years.....so she spent something close to an eighth of her life in the public eye...serving the country. Surely she must be defined by her whole, not the small part the people wish to remember her for.

[Mog]

Originally Posted by GEaston

Thatcher's achievements far exceed her negatives.

Britain in 1979 was like Greece. 6 years later it was the economic powerhouse of Europe.

Sure there were groups that got trampled on along the way, but that's true whenever change occurs and god knows change was needed. We couldn't even clear rubbish away under Labour.

Fact is she was driven, intelligent, determined, principled. Majority of the population respected her for it. I worked in the city of London during this time and the toffs got what they deserved. Prior to 1986 there was a club of elite who ran London. They walked around the city wearing silver top hats (truly, they did). She bust that up with deregulation and the introduction of electronic trading, and wider asset ownership (houses to companies). Terrible companies like British Leyland rightly went to the wall.

I come from the North, and every male member of my family back to 1700 (and probably long prior) was down a mine. Most died in their 20's to 50s from either accidents or lung related death. I'm pleased that industry was killed off in the UK in the same way that I'm happy that kids aren't sent up chimneys to clean them. Wanting to preserve industries that are clearly technologically dead makes no sense. It's like moaning about cheap overseas cotton killing Accrington. In the case of coal, just scoop the top off the surface like they do at the largest open cast mine at Widdrington.

Thatcher turned around the economy, created an economic powerhouse, put Europe and Argentina in it's place and was so popular she was freely elected 3x. Of course a minority won't like her - so far as I can see in terms of statesmen its Neil Kinnock (who never got to power because she was so popular), Gerry Adams, and General Galtiery .

RIP Mrs T.

I really love it when someone,( From the north ) who has never been in a coal mine or who has no idea about the workings of UK coal mines, makes a statement regarding how safe or unsafe the coal mines were. Let me assist you with your thinking. I started at Bankhall Colliery in early 1962. and I ended my mining career in November 1992. The mines were a pretty dangerous place to work in but everybody who worked in the mines was trained to work there. They weren’t just thrown into the thick or things and you had to be trained for every task that you performed and YOU were declared competent to perform that task. Also ongoing training was constant. In 1966 the Power loading agreement allowed the coalmines to be bought into the 20th century. And modernisation of all coalmines began. This was constant until the day I left in 92. In 1974 the Health and safety act regarding mines was bought in to compliment the 1954 mines and Quarries act. The coalmines were safe; if they were not safe all the fathers that worked down there would never have allowed their sons down to follow in dad’s footsteps. (Thatcher and her government closed every profitable, safe, dust suppressed mine in the uk, along with the unprofitable mines.) I shall elaborate on this if required.

[Less]

Originally Posted by GEaston

Thatcher's achievements far exceed her negatives.

Britain in 1979 was like Greece. 6 years later it was the economic powerhouse of Europe.

Sure there were groups that got trampled on along the way, but that's true whenever change occurs and god knows change was needed. We couldn't even clear rubbish away under Labour.

Fact is she was driven, intelligent, determined, principled. Majority of the population respected her for it. I worked in the city of London during this time and the toffs got what they deserved. Prior to 1986 there was a club of elite who ran London. They walked around the city wearing silver top hats (truly, they did). She bust that up with deregulation and the introduction of electronic trading, and wider asset ownership (houses to companies). Terrible companies like British Leyland rightly went to the wall.

I come from the North, and every male member of my family back to 1700 (and probably long prior) was down a mine. Most died in their 20's to 50s from either accidents or lung related death. I'm pleased that industry was killed off in the UK in the same way that I'm happy that kids aren't sent up chimneys to clean them. Wanting to preserve industries that are clearly technologically dead makes no sense. It's like moaning about cheap overseas cotton killing Accrington. In the case of coal, just scoop the top off the surface like they do at the largest open cast mine at Widdrington.

Thatcher turned around the economy, created an economic powerhouse, put Europe and Argentina in it's place and was so popular she was freely elected 3x. Of course a minority won't like her - so far as I can see in terms of statesmen its Neil Kinnock (who never got to power because she was so popular), Gerry Adams, and General Galtiery .

RIP Mrs T.

She did such a good job you run your business from Where exactly?

[cashman]

Originally Posted by GEaston

Thatcher's achievements far exceed her negatives.
.

Oh so that makes it all Hunky Dory to you then? Many innocent people in this country suffered very badly during her achievements, as has been posted on here years ago, we were living virtually in a Police State,Its typical of someone who was living in London at the time, to have no concept of what really was going on in the country.

[Boeing Guy]

Mog, I don't believe anyone is doubting the miners were not well trained. I visited a mine in Wales several years ago, you have my upmost respect for going down one.
If I remember rightly, all through the 1970's there was strike after strike, hampering our country. Edward Heath's government was brought down by the actions of unions.
Something had to be done, she may have gone too far, but that's what happens in life.
Speaking of miners, I see Arthur Scargill is still doing okay
Why Arthur Scargill is reluctant to leave his £1.5m Barbican flat | Politics | The Guardian

I believe the phrase is 'champagne socialist'

[Restless]

Furthermore I cannot see how anybody is going to change their outpour to a respectful one when the funeral is going to cost 8 million.

How does it even cost 8 Million. Nuts

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by cashman

Bullsh1t yer tolerable.

Thanks Cashy

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by accyman

she also kicked kittens for fun

All this hatred from somebody who was probably running round with dirty jeans on and jam round his mouth at the time

[jaysay]

One thing I do disagree with is the media circus that's started, BBC change normal programs on BBC1 at 4pm to a news special, whilst running the exact same program on the BBC News channel, they then altered the programing from 8-30pm to 10pm ITV Chanel 4 also changed the schedules, This morning I didn't switch BBC1 on until 9am and they where still on about her, looks like I'll be giving all news channels a miss until 2 weeks after the funeral, then it should be safe to go back in the water

[south aussie]

Ding dong the witch is dead
,nuff said

[Less]

Originally Posted by jaysay

All this hatred from somebody who was probably running round with dirty jeans on and jam round his mouth at the time

Perhaps it wouldn't have been jam, it could have been milk?

On second thoughts it couldn't be, someone stole that off him whilst serving her apprenticeship.

[Barrie Yates]

So she is percieved as the archetypal enemy of the working class - however, there are hundreds of thousands of people who have well paid jobs and a good number have freedom and we were not as sub-servient to the European would be dictators due to her efforts.
BAe is a classic example - she was reponsible for Al Yamamah which provided work for hundreds of thousands of people, a large proportion of whom and are in the North West, and still does.
She broke the stranglehold of the Communist led Unions - the miners and car workers in particular. Who gained - well Scargill certainly did, so who was to blame for the demise of coal mining in UK, was it MT or AS?
Traditional car manufacturers went to the wall - why? Could it have been outdated models, working practices and union militancy, but thanks to MT we got the Japanes manufacturers moving in and continuing to prosper.
So, like her or dislike her, surely there is no need to post the ugly, snide comments that have appeared on here. One thing is for sure, she won't give a dam what vitriol is posted about her, but would you wish your friends and relatives to read similar statements about you when you are gone?

[cashman]

Originally Posted by Restless

Furthermore I cannot see how anybody is going to change their outpour to a respectful one when the funeral is going to cost 8 million.

How does it even cost 8 Million. Nuts

But were "All in this together" Her family is loaded, could understand the country paying if she was still P.M. This when the country is on its uppers,is ludicrous.

[Less]

Originally Posted by Restless

How does it even cost 8 Million. Nuts

Every penny well spent, it's a security measure.

When hell is full , the dead shall walk the earth

When that happens we don't want to give her a second chance of becoming a leader!

[Margaret Pilkington]

Cashy, you are putting the words of David Cameron in Margaret Thatchers mouth......I don't recall her having said that at any time...though, like you, my memory is becoming rusty with advancing years.

This will be my final post to this thread.