Margaret Thatcher dies

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It brings the entire Radio 3 Forum into disrepute.

I agree.

[Mr Pee]

There are one or two interesting and thoughtful posts in this thread from both ends of the argument but they are swamped by the most tasteless bigoted bile from those not concerned about debate it has ever been my misfortune to have read on the Forum. Indeed, had this thread been about anyone else it would have been closed down long ago.

It brings the entire Radio 3 Forum into disrepute.

[ahinton]

Do be quiet.

I am not seeking to upset a serious argument here - but, as you go on to write,

I would just like to know from Beef Oven how he has come to know so much about my employment history during the 1980s as to make such an assertion.

...and that is up to Beef Oven to provide details. So - never mind the pearls, the insight or anything else possibly connected therewith for the time being, perhaps...

[Stunsworth]

However, would the same pits have had to be closed anyway considering the dire state of the economy

Probably not, North Sea oil was at, or near to, its peak of production during the 80s. As a matter of fact just where _did_ all the revenue from the North Sea go? Paying unemployment benefit for the 3 millon + who were out of work surely couldn't have used it all up.

[ahinton]

Scargill was no fool. With any other Prime Minister he would almost certainly have won. However, would the same pits have had to be closed anyway considering the dire state of the economy?. Further loans from the IMF and all that. Unemployment was already rising under Labour. If nothing else, Thatcher brought everything to a head and brought forward the inevitable. That's not to say she (or at least her Government) didn't make big mistakes like the horrendous Poll Tax and stupidly and infamously use the Scots (of all people!) as guinea-pigs. She did however allow council tenants to buy their own homes, which otherwise would have been only a dream for many of them.

The following article gives the objectively non-partisan view, imho:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22076886

Accepted, insofar as it goes - but MT possibly stood to make great things for Britain but blew it, I fear, as a direct consequence of the quite sickening arrogance that she developed and the insensitive and inflexible manner and conduct that was all too soon to become her hallmark.

[ahinton]

Well, we'll never know will we? So your post is, once again, rather a waste of space.

On precisely what specific grounds?

[MrGongGong]

On precisely what specific grounds?

It's not fitting into the Peester view of the world
so therefore it's nonsense

[ahinton]

Really? He attempted to draw some completely meaningless parallel between a recent election in Kazakhstan and Lady Thatcher's electoral majorities here, and in an earlier post described her cabinet colleagues as 'rogues and psychopaths'.

"Meaningless" only because you say so, as far as I can tell - and without your bothering to inform any of us as to why you claim to consider them to be so.

Do you really think either of those posts add anything remotely worthwhile to the discussion?

I realise that you're not asking me, of course - and I do not wish to intrude - but I do think that they are by no means irrelevant to this discussion, actually.

[ahinton]

It's not fitting into the Peester view of the world
so therefore it's nonsense

Ah - I see now; thank you for your help with this.

[eighthobstruction]

I realise that you're not asking me, of course - and I do not wish to intrude - but I do think that they are by no means irrelevant to this discussion, actually.

....Thank you for your confirmation....

[amateur51]

It's not fitting into the Peester view of the world
so therefore it's nonsense

[Beef Oven]

It's not fitting into the Peester view of the world
so therefore it's nonsense

Oi GG, stop pinching my arguments

[Flosshilde]

A remarkable piece from Russell Brand (yes, that Russell Brand)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/apr/09/russell-brand-margaret-thatcher

[Resurrection Man]

Here's a few more statistics Pee....

!982 Number of Coal Mines in South Yorkshire 56

!989 .................................................. ........2

Lets say 500 workers at each mine................26,000 unemployed and that is just South Yorkshire

Lets say each worker has a spouse and 2 children....104, 000 people.....just in South Yorkshire....

And funded by ? Bankrupt the country....underperforming pits...not economically viable. Tough.

[teamsaint]

So why wasn't that logic applied to the banks, if its such a great policy?