Goodbye Thatcher

[Govangirl]

I haven't got the time to answer every one of those points but most are based on myths about Thatcher and her policies, some are just disgraceful nonsense (i.e. the miners and their 'lucky' situation - Whit????) and ridiculous ideas about war and other leaders when she herself dallied with the likes of Pinochet and Saddam whilst denouncing Mandela.

Someone once said that in order to understand the past you have to look at the present – if that’s true then Thatcherism lives today in growing unemployment and economic inequality, no hope for young people, privatisation of the NHS and education, declining social mobility, entrenched poverty and Cameron pursuing the cruellest austerity measures. Yes, Thatcher is dead but Thatcherism is most definitely not.

And btw, those crowing about how popular she was - she never got anything close to a majority in a general election and even in 1983, her majority was just over 40%. Since 1945, the Labour government, despite the crippling war debt, regenerated the economy, introduced social security and pensions, created millions of new homes and most of all, created the NHS. From 1945 until Thatcher became PM, the economy grew by about 150% yet has never gone above 100% since! The fact that she created over 3 million unemployed was nothing to her. Oh yes, her reign was wonderful Weetoonplodder: 3million unemployed, double numbers inflation, the move from production to finance as the backbone of the country, the creation of a society devoid of all compassion, the beginning of the country's resources being given to the rich, etc. etc. We are where we are now due to the policies initiated during her reign.

She spent her whole time in power destroying the resources of those who had the least for the benefit of those who had the most. THAT is her legacy. And please remember she was in fact ousted by her own party in the end!!!!!

[Govangirl]

Oh I forgot. yeah the yanks have got Oprah for a start, what has she done to change the world, not an F***ing!

The woman has spent MILLIONS with her Foundation that builds and supports school programmes in the world's poorest nations because she has long believed that education is the door to freedom. That alone would put Maggie to shame.

Compassion, Weetoonplodder, compassion.

[Hume]

She alienated most of Scotland and the North of England with that one, but surprisingly enough it couldn't have been that bad because the Conservatives did get back in for 4th term.

It certainly won’t have been those she alienated that contributed to the Conservatives remaining in power for a fourth term, so I'm not sure that conclusion has any merit.

I was born about seven weeks before she took office as PM in 1979 so clearly I didn't live through the events that resulted in the Conservative victory that year. I've no doubt change was needed but there seems to be a lot of support for the view it was how that change was implemented that was heartless, rather than the change itself.

There is not much point in arguing that heavy industry was not coming to an end and costing a lot of money to subsidise but should it not have been wound down over a longer period, instead of just case aside? All that happened was that the subsidies then went on unemployment benefit, was it not? Maybe not quite but the social impact of that must have been huge - say, a million more people (mainly men) out of work, no longer able to have the feeling of self respect that comes with doing a hard day’s work and earning a wage, through no fault of their own.

Many of these people would have known only one thing and never achieved employment again, not because they weren’t willing to but because the communities in which they lived were decimated. These same people now have children and grandchildren, many of whom (generalising I know) have possibly not done a day’s work. However, rather than accept responsibility for the mess that was caused, the Conservatives are now 30 odd years on subjecting the poorest people in society to even more humiliating cuts to their standard of living. Of course some people just don’t want to work but the current policies lump those who would love to, together with those who are not interested, and treat them all as work-shy.

This is very different to the situation you describe, where ex-miners have done well from themselves.

You have put a lot of time in to your post weetoonplodder and probably have some valid points but it strikes me as a very glossy version of Thatcher’s time as PM. I don’t have the knowledge to counter all of your points - I was too busy kicking a ball about Hillside during her time in charge – but I see others do and well done to you Govangirl.

[Martin]

I was a couple of months too young to vote in ’79, not sure if I would have voted for her or not if I’m to be honest.
My father did. He was not a man to express regrets but I clearly remember him saying a few years later that if he could live without the hand that wrote the X in the box he would cut it off.

[gizmo]

I am still not a Maggie fan. However other than the poll tax, have any of the subsequent governments repealed any of the major changes she made. I cant think of any.
The country was up thon creek before she arrived, a lot of us did quite well during her time, she was ousted nearly a quarter of a century ago and we are still blaming her or everything.
Blaming a dead woman for everything up to and including crap bank holiday weather is getting a bit monotonous.
Some bugger must have voted for her. Still this weekends protests will be good fun, I dare say we will break out the old Maggie Maggie Maggie chants, break a couple of windows, knock a policemans helmet off and lay our plans for egging the hearse.

[blueboyno1]

I can just imagine the conversation between her and Longshanks right now as they both hammered the Scots .

[lochend]

Govangirl.1153am.Excellent post,I wish i had written that!

[LANDROVER ROGER]

Govan Girl.I Love You!

[Govangirl]

I had to check several times to make sure it wasn't April Fool's Day again!!!!

The talk of the miners saddens me on here. These men shaped our history for a hundred years and for anyone in this country, never mind a leader of it, to call them, as she did, 'the enemy within' is unforgivable. Today, these miners are often only remembered for bearing the name of militants. Deep, deep shame.

However, it's clear folk are divided on here and probably everything has already been said about the woman's legacy. However, I'd like to make one thing clear. Despite my hatred for her, I abhor the dancing and celebrations on the street. For one reason, nothing has changed for me : I have hated her for so long that her passing can no longer have any effect on me. A second is that I know how painful it is to lose a mother to that cruel disease that I would not wish upon my worst enemy.

That is why I refuse to go on the other thread on here. Let there be respect by those who want to give it. Nevertheless, we with longer memories are entitled to our strong feelings if we are affected by her policies. If that is a 'scathing mentality' and 'vitriol' (unbelievable sentiments btw) then so be it.

For at the end of the day, I feel I am affording her the consideration she never gave others.

[four eyes]

She was also the original tax dodging tory. Her affairs are clouded in secrecy,her house is a tax dodge.Her and Mac alpine have still not explained the missing millions in donations.She was awful in every sense,how any sane person can be a fan is amusing and shows how stupid the general public is.As banks prepare to rob our pension funds and savings,our poor are treated like lepers and we pay for her funeral,the BBC propaganda machine rolls on.Wake up you are being shafted,your masters are laughing all the way to the bank(offshore of course,Singapore by choice) and you let them.Please listen,the Media is owned by them,the news is doctored to their version of events.You are being lied to,daily,Thatcher was only ever a pawn.

[Martin]

Govan Girl.I Love You!

I do love a Spring romance.


Some 12 years ago I had to take photographs in a small town in the north of England, it was one of the towns that Thatcher had killed off. I sat in the one remaining pub having a pint with an old lad in his 80’s. A tear ran down his cheek as he told me what his town had been like before Thatcher.
It was a sad place; the four working men’s clubs had been closed, most of the young folk were off their heads on methadone and white cider. There was a general air of hopelessness and despair, it was like a fog that swirled around you.
I left the pub with the old fella, we walked along the street and he pointed out what thriving little businesses had once occupied now derelict and boarded up shops. We turned a corner and he pointed to a side road and told me that was where I needed to be but to maybe think twice about sending the pics to my client as it would probably break her heart to see the street she had cherished memories of.
It was in that town that the enormity of what that old bat had done really hit home to me.

[Govangirl]

http://entertainment.stv.tv/blogs/221062-margaret-thatcher-ought-to-be-buried-in-scotland/

[blueboyno1]

Great posts G.G.
All those who stick up for her, should remember one thing .Without unions we would all be working for 2 bob an hour and she tried to abolish unions . Thank god she never had her way.

[four eyes]

Great posts G.G.
All those who stick up for her, should remember one thing .Without unions we would all be working for 2 bob an hour and she tried to abolish unions . Thank god she never had her way.

despite what you're saying, a thankfully small minority are only too happy to continue the Thatcher cheerleading. I would suspect that they're the ones living in large houses, paying minimum tax, with very little recourse to critical thinking.

Heres a link to Sir James Goldsmith in 1994,he was of course correct.Thatcher was our downfall,she oversaw the destruction and took payment from those who wanted Globalization.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... PQrz8F0dBI

Watch all of it he is a Capitalist,total arse and also very right in his prediction.

[EMDEE]

It's only to be expected from the individuals concerned, but is the behaviour of George Galloway and Dennis Skinner in trying to disrupt the procedure of the House of Commons either:

1. Being the usual thorn in the flesh of Parliament, or

2. Speaking for a large minority (or majority) of the electorate.

Personally I think that although it goes without saying that they have strong feelings on the matter, as many others do, there comes a point where being an ignoramus, albeit a highly articulate one, starts to become a bit boring and begins to defeat your own cause, and looks like a childish attempt to score points in a personal agenda.

After all, it's not outwith the realms of possibility that there are a lot of people who didn't like Mrs Thatcher don't like George Galloway either.