Margaret Thatcher dies

[John Wright]

I'm not convinced that Scargill' strike was tyranny

I am, it was a law and order thing, out of control.

he had no support from the Labour Party

I guess they knew he was wrong.

It was also interesting to read of MT's misjudgment in the recent Hillsborough enquiry. I feel that this is another issue where her intransegence protracted the agony.

She was wrong many times of course. With Hillsborough I expect she was mis-informed at the time, by the time the truth was accepted was she unable to comment?

I think that if you try to offer a balanced view, it is difficult to consider Margaret Thatcher to have been a success.

Well there were successes and there were failures, but the transformation of British industry hasn't been all bad, cheap products from overseas did most damage, closed unprofitable businesses and caused high unemployment - e.g. I worked for Courtaulds and that's what killed them. Now we are really good at what we do good.

She appealed to the bad parts of the British physche .....

and now her death appeals to another bad part of Britain's physche...

Can you truly be that clueless?

Oh Bryn, don't be so silly.

[Mr Pee]

Thank you Frenchie for removing the highly provocative "R.I.P".

"Rest in Peace" highly provocative.

What a sick lot you are.

[Bryn]

Like the legendary Norwegian Blue, she is not resting. She is dead. She is no more. Next business.

[Flosshilde]

- and look at past PM's wikis and you read about special funerals Churchill and several others

Hmm, according to the Guardian Apart from Churchill, three other prime ministers received a full state funeral in modern times: the Duke of Wellington in 1852, Viscount Palmerston in 1865 and William Gladstone in 1898. The funerals of later prime ministers have tended to be more modest affairs.

Lady Thatcher will be honoured with a funeral of a scale not accorded to a former prime minister since the lavish spectacle of Winston Churchill's state funeral half a century ago – and much of the cost is expected to be borne by the taxpayer.
Downing Street announced that Britain's first female prime minister would receive a ceremonial funeral, with gun carriage, military procession and a service at St Paul's Cathedral, in the style of the funerals of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the Queen Mother.
One rung below a state funeral – as normally accorded to sovereigns – a ceremonial funeral requires the consent of the Queen, which has been given. There will be no public lying in state, at Thatcher's own request.
One Whitehall source said: "It will look and feel like a state funeral to all intents and purposes."

Costs are to be borne by the government and Thatcher's estate, with Downing Street declining to reveal at this stage the proportion to be met by the nation. A No 10 spokesman said the payments from the public purse would be published after the event. They will undoubtedly include the costs of the planned military procession, involving hundreds of members of the armed services, and of the major policing and security operation expected to be mounted.

I think it's in appallingly bad taste. Diana was the wife & mother of heirs to the throne, & the Queen Mother was the wife of a king & mother of a Queen. Thatcher's children? Carol, a journalist, & Mark, a ... ?

[pilamenon]

I admire her tenacity and determination to succeed in what was then a man's world. She was the strongest of prime ministers, and she was the defining political figure of the 1980s for my generation. I can also understand her bitterness at the way she was done away with. Having said that, she caused great harm by propagating a selfish, individualist mentality in Britain which has greatly reinforced our position as one of the most unequal societies in Europe. She callously helped to destroy the manufacturing sector and, having set out by quoting St Francis, she was certainly no great healer or reconciler or compromiser. And she took away free school milk.

None of which should give cause for rejoicing at her death. It appears that her old age was not a happy one, and dogged by poor health, so RIP seems a reasonable if conventional wish.

[Beef Oven]

I admire her tenacity and determination to succeed in what was then a man's world. She was the strongest of prime ministers, and she was the defining political figure of the 1980s for my generation. I can also understand her bitterness at the way she was done away with. Having said that, she caused great harm by propagating a selfish, individualist mentality in Britain which has greatly reinforced our position as one of the most unequal societies in Europe. She callously helped to destroy the manufacturing sector and, having set out by quoting St Francis, she was certainly no great healer or reconciler or compromiser. And she took away free school milk.

None of which should give cause for rejoicing at her death. It appears that her old age was not a happy one, and dogged by poor health, so RIP seems a reasonable if conventional wish.

What a sensible post - so very out of place in this thread.

[Beef Oven]

"Rest in Peace" highly provocative.

What a sick lot you are.

Quite a few boarders have shown themselves to be nasty, spiteful people. And they're supposed to be the compassionate left-fielders.

[Barbirollians]

One has to doubt whether a very expensive ceremonial funeral is in good taste at this time of economic meltdown and financial difficulty .

I hated margaret Thatcher in the 1980s and I thought in general her premiership was a disaster and the me me me culture her government fostered is the cause of many of our social problems today.

On the other hand , it seems that her retirement was miserable for her for all manner of reasons and I wouldn't wish that on anyone .

I imagine in many ways her passing was a relief for her and her family.

[Cornet IV]

My conclusion is the clowns on this thread might be younger than me, I'm able to recall pre-Thatcher years, I was at university during the power cuts of 1972 and the three-day-week of 1974 and was a young graduate worker during the winter of discontent prolonged by feeble trade union management.

When I got into employment I worked with a client of Rover (then British Leyland) if you know what Red Robbo did at BL then I'm sure you can imagine what effect Red Robbo had on the business of BL's customers. Quite unbelievable what was going on. Thankfully Nissan, Honda and Toyota arrived on the scene and built efficient motor plants here in the UK, still here today employing thousands of British workers, building more cars than Robbo's BL. Wish I could take Red Robbo on a tour, and to attend team quality meetings.

Anyway I believe the Thatcher years certainly brought sanity to the trade union managers. Poor Tony Benn never agreed, but he might and not say so

True, Red Robbo was a shocker but the demise of those entities of the British motor manufacturing industry beginning as successful and respected marques, subsequently being forced into partnership and finally expiring as the inglorious British Leyland Motor Holdings was not wholly of his doing. Equally to blame was the useless management (the successive heads of which were Labour government appointees) who contributed to the collapse of one of the world's greatest manufacturing enterprises. I felt sorry for poor Peter Lowry, then some sort of BL PR man, who almost daily had to report of further crises and collapse of talks in the early 'sixties. At the same time, Lord Stansgate, aka Hon Anthony Wedgwood-Benn, aka swinging Tony Benn jointly and severally were giving truckloads of taxpayers' money to de Lorean whilst at the same time sinking what was left of the British aircraft manufacturing industry.

But Robbo wasn't alone. For company he had the Jackson fellow with the ridiculous moustache "My execytive committee and me.." and, still in the steam era, the Green chap from ASLEF halting all traffic. There were many more and they popped out of the woodwork at almost every news broadcast, seemingly in competition with each other to wreak the most havoc on the foundering post-War economy. Things became so bad that Harold Wilson had to invite Vic "Eybrows" Feather and his henchmen to tea and biscuits at Number Ten. Of course, things only got worse and it is evident that remarkably few of those contributing to the cant characterising this thread were old enough to hold a contemporaneous and mature view of these times of weak government and weak leadership. And in weak leadership I include Arthur Scargill.

Margaret Thatcher and a few others brought order from chaos and regardless of one's political leanings, one should afford Mrs T every credit for managing this. In later years (of which I have less knowledge as I was domiciled abroad), her behaviour was less consistent but her positive achievements should not be denied. It would be a puerile activity for me to engage in the diatribe following the former Prime Minister's death but to Beefy and Mr Pee, I offer every encouragement in their continuing to seek a more balanced perspective.

It may be that others have sought some moderation in later posts; I have not bothered to read beyond 105!

[Resurrection Man]

Bullsh*t

.....is what you and your cronies spout all the time.

[Resurrection Man]

......

Margaret Thatcher and a few others brought order from chaos and regardless of one's political leanings, one should afford Mrs T every credit for managing this. In later years (of which I have less knowledge as I was domiciled abroad), her behaviour was less consistent but her positive achievements should not be denied. It would be a puerile activity for me to engage in the diatribe following the former Prime Minister's death but to Beefy and Mr Pee, I offer every encouragement in their continuing to seek a more balanced perspective.

It may be that others have sought some moderation in later posts; I have not bothered to read beyond 105!

Well said, Sir

[Julien Sorel]

Any reply to my #251, Resurrection Man?

[Resurrection Man]

Quite a few boarders have shown themselves to be nasty, spiteful people. And they're supposed to be the compassionate left-fielders.

They don't know the meaning of compassion. They wring their hands and mumble platitudes....whinge about anything and everything......but compassion doesn't come into it. But you know and I know that you can't reason with bigots like them.

[MrGongGong]

[MrGongGong]

Look away now sheep .............