| Thatcher dead 12:56 - Apr 8 with 88151 views | six_foot_two |
Skynews are are saying Magaret Thatcher has died of a stroke |  | | |  |
| Thatcher dead on 14:08 - Apr 8 with 2356 views | stevec |
| Thatcher dead on 13:51 - Apr 8 by TacticalR |
Oddly enough, I've been thinking about Thatcher over the last few days because her name seems to crop up here fairly regularly.
1) I can understand why people hate Thatcher, but I believe they do so for the wrong reasons. A lot of people hate her because they see her actions as arising from the sheer brutality of her personality. In fact the British establishment had already abandoned classical Keynesianism prior to Thatcher. Conservative Prime Minster Ted Heath had tried to put through 'Thatcherite' measures (without much success) in the early 1970s. Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan signalled the abandonment of Keynesianism in 1976:
'We used to think that you could spend your way out of a recession and increase employment by cutting taxes and boosting government spending. I tell you in all candour that that option no longer exists.'
In other words, the actions of Thatcher, far from being dictated by individual psychology, were dictated by attempts to do whatever was necessary to revive British capitalism.
2) While Thatcher won all her battles and 'saw off' her opponents, it has become more obvious than ever that she lost the war: Thatcher completely failed in her primary goal of reviving British capitalism. |
Nice to see a reasoned denouncement instead of the usual shallow vitriol coming from other detractors but can I ask this - who in your opinion was a better Prime Minister, lets say in the last 45-50 years ?
Wilson - Heath - Callaghan - Major - Blair - Brown - Cameron ?
3 Labour leaders who conspired to bankrupt the country (as does Labour every time it gets a sustained period of office). Heath who, unlike Thatcher, tried to fight the unions and failed, Major who allowed the left leaning Clarke to piss all over him, or Cameron who hasn't exactly set the world alight so far.
I suspect you don't have an answer to this, as there isn't one. Still, any takers? |  | | |
| Thatcher dead on 14:09 - Apr 8 with 2343 views | LOTR |
| Thatcher dead on 14:02 - Apr 8 by Gloucs_R |
Lots of lefties on here today, not working lads?  |
Already finished for the day mate, helps being 7 hours ahead of you lads in Blighty. |  | | |
| Thatcher dead on 14:10 - Apr 8 with 2300 views | THEBUSH |
| Thatcher dead on 14:02 - Apr 8 by Gloucs_R |
Lots of lefties on here today, not working lads? |
No, all lost our jobs coz of Thatchers far reaching policies  |  | | |
| Thatcher dead on 14:10 - Apr 8 with 2297 views | RangersAreBack |
The country was in the doldrums when she rocked up. Record inflation, high taxation, record levels of debt, economy controlled by the IMF, rubbish not being collected and strikes left, right and centre. She performed miracles under the circumstances.
My family managed to drag itself out of poverty thanks to hard work coupled with the opportunity to buy our council home and shares in the former state-owned businesses. Today my reward for hard work is to watch bone-idol people being gifted social housing in prime locations.
Manufacturing was creaking at the seams when she took office, thanks in part to damaging strikes (a la British Leyland). Again she answered the critics call by moving the country towards a new age. The City, in particular, became one of the most vibrant and successful financial centres in the world.
Ulitimately her rejection of consensus cost her but it's worth remembering that she was the first female Prime Minister in a male dominated world when the "equality" buzz word didn't exist. |  | | |
| Thatcher dead on 14:11 - Apr 8 with 2287 views | nadera78 |
No. Just the rich doing that to the rest of us now. | | | |
| Thatcher dead on 14:12 - Apr 8 with 2281 views | sexton |
| Thatcher dead on 14:11 - Apr 8 by nadera78 |
No. Just the rich doing that to the rest of us now. |
+1 |  | | |
| Thatcher dead on 14:12 - Apr 8 with 2278 views | stowmarketrange |
Now its the bosses that have that power like they always did.The classic line from any manager now to any genuine greivence at work is "if you don't like it,f--k off".
Some democracy. |  | | |
| Thatcher dead on 14:13 - Apr 8 with 2266 views | stowmarketrange |
Now its the bosses that have that power like they always did.The classic line from any manager now to any genuine greivence at work is "if you don't like it,f--k off".
Some democracy. | | | |
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| Thatcher dead on 14:14 - Apr 8 with 2260 views | Sudbury_Hill_R |
| Thatcher dead on 14:02 - Apr 8 by six_foot_two |
I am surprised no one has mentioned the miners strike, the defeat of the NUM bought about the beginning of the end for union power in this country. |
Yes. And totally decimated half my family and whole communities in South Yorkshire that to this day have never recovered. |  | | |
| Thatcher dead on 14:15 - Apr 8 with 2240 views | Lewes_r |
| Thatcher dead on 14:11 - Apr 8 by nadera78 |
No. Just the rich doing that to the rest of us now. |
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| Thatcher dead on 14:15 - Apr 8 with 2238 views | Juzzie |
Well, I do agree that it wasn't of her own making but could there have been another way of dealing with it other than going all "Saving Private Ryan"?
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| Thatcher dead on 14:18 - Apr 8 with 2220 views | THEBUSH |
Bit OTT don't you think | | | |
| Thatcher dead on 14:19 - Apr 8 with 2212 views | SomersetHoops |
In my opinion, in her first two terms she did a lot of good redressing the balance between the government and unions, but after that she became too fundamentally right wing. We need a rule like they have in France where a premier can only serve two consecutive terms. The left wing hated her because she reduced their power to disrupt the country whenever they felt like it, but for me this is one of the good things she did.
A lot of the politically fundamental things she did like mass privatisations have atually resulted in in bad value for our country and its people at the expense of profits and overpaid jobs for the mostly foreign fat cats now running most of our utility industries. I can't think of many other countries allowing this and I feel sad that we have allowed it. If the new nuclear plants go ahead, they will be owned and operated by foreign companies and I think its a serious mistake to allow this in terms of the possibilty of accidents resulting from management without a commitment to our country. It also gives a company partly owned and controlled by a foreign government control over our power generation, which in my opinion should not be allowed.
All the privatisations give a short term gain to the exchequer while costing us all far more in the long run. The real problem is the short term strategy employed by governments not prepared to invest in the long term infrastructure of our country. As far as I can see this is the result of the dreadful group of politicians we have, none of whom see past short term vote winning and are not prepared to sell the idea of investing in our own country for the long term benefit of all.
Part of this was started under Thatcher, but none of her successors have had the guts or resources to put it right and some of the Labour leaders have made things far worse with massive PFI projects which we will all be paying over the odds for, for years to come. |  |
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| Thatcher dead on 14:19 - Apr 8 with 2209 views | stowmarketrange |
So if were being unjustly treated at work and possibly victimised and bullied,who would you turn to for help? | | | |
| Thatcher dead on 14:21 - Apr 8 with 2198 views | DWQPR |
| Thatcher dead on 14:02 - Apr 8 by six_foot_two |
I am surprised no one has mentioned the miners strike, the defeat of the NUM bought about the beginning of the end for union power in this country. |
And ironically the party she did the most favours to in stemming the power of the unions was the Labour Party, who could, without the unions strength could create 'New Labour'. | |
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| Thatcher dead on 14:23 - Apr 8 with 2184 views | hoopdog |
| Thatcher dead on 14:02 - Apr 8 by six_foot_two |
I am surprised no one has mentioned the miners strike, the defeat of the NUM bought about the beginning of the end for union power in this country. |
Yeah she did really well closing the kent mines down didnt she ! ,knowing the channel tunnel was going to creat millions of tons of spoil that had to be disposed of that could have gone by rail straight down the pits for a fraction of what the cost was to dispose of it came to , but never mind it was a good earner for the boys | | | |
| Thatcher dead on 14:24 - Apr 8 with 2175 views | ElHoop |
I think that the Falklands War was partly her fault as she sold off or withdrew the patrol boat or whatever it was that used to patrol that part of the world, just before it kicked off. It sent the wrong signal.
As for who was a better leader, we'd have probably have had better leaders if the 1970's themselves had been different. It really was a shit time for politics with the hard left and the IRA making life very unpleasant for all politicians. Thatcher was just a product of the times. Had it been different we might have had Whitelaw as Tory leader and David Owen as Labour leader. Maybe they would have been better than Thatcher and Blair. Owen was pretty obviously better than Kinnock and Foot. It would have been a different game anyway.
[Post edited 1 Jan 1970 1:00]
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| Thatcher dead on 14:29 - Apr 8 with 2128 views | Kendo_Nagasaki |
just lob her in the thames
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| Psycho killer Qu'est-ce que c'est? |
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| Thatcher dead on 14:29 - Apr 8 with 2115 views | FredManRave |
| Thatcher dead on 14:19 - Apr 8 by stowmarketrange |
So if were being unjustly treated at work and possibly victimised and bullied,who would you turn to for help? |
Who did Bosingwa turn to? |  |
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| Thatcher dead on 14:34 - Apr 8 with 2074 views | themodfather |
a controversial figure...to some she gave them a chance to but a "council" home for a tory vote ( hence hosuing crisis today??), she kept the falklands british ans stood up to brussels.
however mass unemployment, near civil war with the miners and unions, cities rioting will be the viewpoint of others.
scottish oil and gas started the revival and would have under any govt.
i reckon some will ask for a state funeral! | | | |
| Thatcher dead on 14:37 - Apr 8 with 2045 views | finney |
As we speak history is being re wrote and people asking for a state funeral.
I take no joy in the death of anyone not even her that said she messed up so many lives.
And all those who say good things about her i will hold my words which is unlike me.
But the day she goes into the ground people will be kicking off on both sides there will be trouble.
No tears from me that is for sure.
Satan will be shitting himself like many of us hes just lost his job because of Thatcher. |  | | |
| Thatcher dead on 14:38 - Apr 8 with 2035 views | doogi55 |
a great politician knows when to take advice that was her biggest downfall.
falklands she had no choice there really.
70s the left and unions where out of control
sell the council house but didnt build new ones with the money stupid short term policy.
privitise the utiltys we paying the price for that policy now.
then we have the poll tax stupid policy always going to end up in trouble. | | | |
| Thatcher dead on 14:39 - Apr 8 with 2028 views | SomersetHoops |
Oh and another thing she did was to put that ars*hole Michael Edwardes in charge of the failing British car industry, which ensured it did die off. She should have picked someone to bring it back to life rather than what she did which was to nail down the coffin. Now all our car industry is controlled by foreign countries who can abandon us when they find other places cheaper than here to set up their plants.
This will be a major threat to our manufacturing as the new countries where labour costs are a third or less than ours, get established in the EU. | |
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| Thatcher dead on 14:39 - Apr 8 with 2028 views | smegma |
| Thatcher dead on 14:10 - Apr 8 by RangersAreBack |
The country was in the doldrums when she rocked up. Record inflation, high taxation, record levels of debt, economy controlled by the IMF, rubbish not being collected and strikes left, right and centre. She performed miracles under the circumstances.
My family managed to drag itself out of poverty thanks to hard work coupled with the opportunity to buy our council home and shares in the former state-owned businesses. Today my reward for hard work is to watch bone-idol people being gifted social housing in prime locations.
Manufacturing was creaking at the seams when she took office, thanks in part to damaging strikes (a la British Leyland). Again she answered the critics call by moving the country towards a new age. The City, in particular, became one of the most vibrant and successful financial centres in the world.
Ulitimately her rejection of consensus cost her but it's worth remembering that she was the first female Prime Minister in a male dominated world when the "equality" buzz word didn't exist. |
You missed the bit it where she managed to treble unemployment in her first term as PM when Saatch & Saatchi produced a poster for the 79 election with a picture of a dole queue and the words 'Labours Not Working'. No other PM has been able to achieve this feat before her or since, so congratulations are in order.
And selling off council houses and not replacing them is a problem that is still around today , some 30 years after the policy was introduced. Very happy you got out of poverty on the back of selling off all the countries assets but look at the state we are in today. We were told back then by selling off the utility companies it would lead to cheaper prices for all consumers of electricity, gas,water & telephones when the complete opposite has happened. We were told the discovery of North Sea Oil would mean cheaper prices at the petrol pumps ? Yeah right.
She may have stood up to the EEC (EU) but remember it was her predecessor Heath who got us into in the first place. Since then EVERY PM of either colour rozette has kowtowed to Brussels as they're all the same, only in it for themselves.
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| Thatcher dead on 14:39 - Apr 8 with 2024 views | Bedford_R |
I am sorry for her kids and granchildren and other family members. I'm sure she will be missed by them. They'll be sad that the grand old lady has passed away.
As for her politics I am glad she is gone. She destroyed our northern and manufacturing industries. She decimated our unions. In my early working life I was terrified of her and her fascist ways. When labour came to power after that Tory reign she started I punched the air with joy...
I have been affected in my working life by her and her policies. I was employed by one of the industries she had privatised. I was made redundant from that company unjustly. It was my union that stood up for me and I sued the buggers twice and won twice - they won't be doing that again. None of this would have happened if that company was still in national hands. Just glad she hasn't totally killed off the union movement.
Rot in hell you sick twisted biatch....... |  |
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