Baroness Thatcher Dead

[Wildrover]

I wonder how many people posting actually lived in the era before her election and knew just how appalling the state of the country was and, tough as it was, she almost single handidly turned things round. Unpopular she was, and still is, in mining and car making areas but the pits and factories were being paid for by the tax payer and losing money as if it were going out of fashion. The unions were holding everyone to ransom and, frankly, something had to be done - they would have all gone bust anyway.

The poll tax was her disaster but I remember when it was first mooted and basically it was a sound idea - anyone working in a household paid their portion of tax. I think the problem was that for the moderate amongst us, the actual figure for each of us was set too high. As a pair living together with no kids at that time, my rates went up and not down as I was led to believe it would under the new system!

If you lived through the era, then you are more likely to mourn her passing and regret that the current crop of politicians are pale by her standards.

I can remember the 70's, the 3 day week, power cuts etc.

I also remember the 80's, no jobs at all, families divided, whole towns/villages thrown on the scrapheap.

Life may have been better in London and the South but don't tell me it was better up here.

Like someone else mentioned, the term "managed decline" was never used down South.

I did live through the era and I raised a glass last night, good riddance.

 

[chrisd]

I can remember the 70's, the 3 day week, power cuts etc.

I also remember the 80's, no jobs at all, families divided, whole towns/villages thrown on the scrapheap.

Life may have been better in London and the South but don't tell me it was better up here.

Like someone else mentioned, the term "managed decline" was never used down South.

I did live through the era and I raised a glass last night, good riddance.

We are all entitled to our own opinion and I am sure that yours is stated with the same conviction as mine and that is politics for you. I dont get though, the raising of a glass to anyone dying and fear that it's just that sort of comment that led Mike H to issue his warnings of decency on the forum only last week.

Shame on you for that last sentence!

 

[thecraw]

tick tick tick!

 

[Val]

Her big political defeat was the Poll Tax. I could never understand the problem with it though, the principal that everyone earning in a household should pay towards local services seemed quite fair.

Was it fair for a YTS trainee on £35 a week in 1991 to pay £6 a week poll tax? I don't think so. The concept was no doubt correct it was how it was implemented that was wrong.

I find this North/South, Scottish/English diatribe quite remarkable.

She pretty much exacerbated the divide.

And therein lies the problem. How can you govern for people like that? People who take pleasure in an old lady's death. She hasn't been a force in politics for 23 years. Now you have George Galloway, a sitting MP, saying he hopes she burns in hell! Isn't he the leader of the Respect Party? Respect? You couldn't make it up.

Did Thatcher respect the Scottish people when she introduced the poll tax in Scotland a year before the rest of the UK? Is it any wonder the Torries are hated up here? She is probably one of the reasons we have the SNP as strong as it is and that is unforgiveable

Just about sums it up. Well said Snelly.
I bet myself, and many others like me, wouldn't now own our own homes were it not for Maggie.

That is a given Smiffy, I said it yesterday on here that those who hated the Torries in the 80's are now probably living like Torries of the 80's.

 

[Adi2Dassler]

I find this North/South, Scottish/English diatribe quite remarkable. The size of the chips on some shoulders is concerning you can really feel the depth of what seems real divisive hatred festering.

How on earth can this nation move on with any form of unity while people paint whole geographical areas with the same brush. The comments about people north of preston having problems with heating their houses would be funny if it was not so pathetic, does anyone honestly think all the elderly south of that parallel are sitting with the heat on and windows open.

Give me strength

Hopefully we won't be ;-)

And therein lies the problem. How can you govern for people like that? People who take pleasure in an old lady's death. She hasn't been a force in politics for 23 years. Now you have George Galloway, a sitting MP, saying he hopes she burns in hell! Isn't he the leader of the Respect Party? Respect? You couldn't make it up.

Galloway is a prize knob.Anyone who voted for him gets what they deserve.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

It is unseemly and demeaning to dance upon a grave.

 

[Val]

It is unseemly and demeaning to dance upon a grave.

Off course it is but no everyone will show respect as many have seen deep consequences of her governments actions so it's understandable that people will be happy.

 

[CMAC]

Here's a comment I heard on a political radio discussion programme this morning.......

I paraphrase........."yes she made mistakes, but if the policies were so bad for Scotland why didn't Labour reverse them when they came to power, and why hasn't the SNP now reversed them?"

I don't know how much or any of that is true but a good point I thought.........

 

[CMAC]

We are all entitled to our own opinion and I am sure that yours is stated with the same conviction as mine and that is politics for you. I dont get though, the raising of a glass to anyone dying and fear that it's just that sort of comment that led Mike H to issue his warnings of decency on the forum only last week.

Shame on you for that last sentence!

well said.

 

[Stuart_Wales]

I live in the South Wales valleys. And her handywork is still clear to see to this day. I 100% disagree with toasting any death, but she wont be missed in these parts.

RIP

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

So everything she did was ok?

There may be some blind people on the left to good things she did, but my god, some absolutely myopic people on the right who thought she done no wrong.

I'm absolutely not saying that everything she did was OK - but does doing somthing that someone else disagrees with make you flawed? I just don't think it's an apt word tyo use to descrivbe her. If you think was flawed you won;t be able to undeerstand what she was trying to achieve - whetehr you agree with it or not. Semantics maybe and I know what you are getting at. I was no fan of Thatcher and she is still the main reason I cannot see myself voting Tory - ever. Never have - possibly never will.

 

[Sweep]

Did Thatcher respect the Scottish people when she introduced the poll tax in Scotland a year before the rest of the UK? Is it any wonder the Torries are hated up here? She is probably one of the reasons we have the SNP as strong as it is and that is unforgiveable .

Sorry, when I said respect I should have said common basic human decency. The very minimum standards of behaviour we can expect from each other. What ever your politics, there can be no excuse for disrespecting the dead within hours of their passing. Incidentally , it is often forgotten that the Community Charge (as it was called) was included in the Tory manifesto for the 1987 General Election. The nation voted for it. However, as cabinet minister Parkinson said at the time "nothing concentrates the mind more than a bill hitting the door mat." It is also true that Mrs. T wasn't happy with it but also thought the Rates system unfair. She wanted to scrap local government tax altogether but was persuaded that there should be some link between the taxpayer and local authority as this may help lower taxing authorities to be elected. If we are being fair we should accept that this is a problem that is still wrestled with by today's politicians eg the Lib Dems mansion tax.

 

[Shaunmg]

I was a coal miner for 22 years and saw out 3 strikes 1972, 74 and 84 being the most bitter. During the late 60s early 70s the miners pay had fallen way behind the average industrial worker in the UK.

Coal was plentiful, oil was cheap. The miners had no bargaining power, that was until the Arab oil crisis of that era. I remember as a young miner in 1972 we had to buy our own tools, picks, shovels and even our safety helmets and boots. It was all deducted from your pay. If you had a day sick they would stop 2 days pay, for 2 days it was 3, and so on. That’s why we stuck in the early 70s. Not to bring a government down

1984; Forget union leaders, Arthur Scargill and the likes. Her attack was against miners and their families, most of whom never attended a union meeting in the lives, they just wanted to protect their jobs and family. She tried to starve us and our kids into submission. She introduced sweeping emergency powers using the police as her private political army, no cost spared. She closed every single avenue whether it be free school meals or slightest monetary benefit for the desperate miner’s families.

She had 2 objectives, revenge for 72 and 74 and to break the unions. If that meant closing down an industry and devastating whole towns and communities for ever more, then as far as she was concerned it was a price worth paying. She didn’t care about the families

She went further; her policies saw the whole of manufacturing industry destroyed in favour of a southern based financial and banking economy. 3.5 million Unemployed, to fiddled the figures she moved droves onto disability allowance rather than dole, the fore runner of today’s much discredited DLA. We have seen the result of her shift from industry to banking. So thanks for that Maggie, your legacy lives on

So now may she rest in peace, alongside the souls of the conscript young sailors she sent to the bottom of the South Atlantic

 

[patricks148]

Here's a comment I heard on a political radio discussion programme this morning.......

I paraphrase........."yes she made mistakes, but if the policies were so bad for Scotland why didn't Labour reverse them when they came to power, and why hasn't the SNP now reversed them?"

I don't know how much or any of that is true but a good point I thought.........

Where would they get the money from?
All sold off for a fraction of what they were worth, just not viable.
As for Council house sales, great for the few that got a house cheap, but not for the councils that built them and could not use the proceeds to build more.

What do we have now, a massive shortage of affordable housing!

 

[SocketRocket]

Where would they get the money from?
All sold off for a fraction of what they were worth, just not viable.
As for Council house sales, great for the few that got a house cheap, but not for the councils that built them and could not use the proceeds to build more.

What do we have now, a massive shortage of affordable housing!

Not surprising there is a shortage of housing when we have allowed over 4 million people into the country over the last decade. We were never going to build houses for that number. Cant blame her for that one.

 

[HotDogAssassin]

the souls of the conscript young sailors she sent to the bottom of the South Atlantic

You put forward a very reasoned and intelligent statement, but REALLY let yourself down with your final comment.

 

[SyR]

Where would they get the money from?
All sold off for a fraction of what they were worth, just not viable.
As for Council house sales, great for the few that got a house cheap, but not for the councils that built them and could not use the proceeds to build more.

What do we have now, a massive shortage of affordable housing!

Totally agree!

 

[Slime]

So are you not bothered about the ones North of Preston?

Can you hear yourself? Maybe not the rich ones living on the banks of the seaside towns, but I'm on about the old and infirm who can only think about which de-nationalised, corporate, monolithic utilities company to pay £1,500 a year to.

Well, you should have made that clear in your post then, maybe we would have understod what you meant.

I find this North/South, Scottish/English diatribe quite remarkable. The size of the chips on some shoulders is concerning you can really feel the depth of what seems real divisive hatred festering.

How on earth can this nation move on with any form of unity while people paint whole geographical areas with the same brush. The comments about people north of preston having problems with heating their houses would be funny if it was not so pathetic, does anyone honestly think all the elderly south of that parallel are sitting with the heat on and windows open.

Give me strength

What SocketRocket said.

I can remember the 70's, the 3 day week, power cuts etc.

I also remember the 80's, no jobs at all, families divided, whole towns/villages thrown on the scrapheap.

Life may have been better in London and the South but don't tell me it was better up here.

Like someone else mentioned, the term "managed decline" was never used down South.

I did live through the era and I raised a glass last night, good riddance.

You're a sick puppy. Celebrating the death of an old lady who is a mother and a grandmother is really quite disturbing.

Slime.

 

[Deleted member 1418]

I live in the South Wales valleys. And her handywork is still clear to see to this day. I 100% disagree with toasting any death, but she wont be missed in these parts.

RIP

A touch of class about this post.

 

[JPH]

Well no tears from me

Her support for the apartheid regime in SA was a particularly sad policy

Unions are the reason we get sick pay , holidays etc

She had her way you'd get nothing