Margaret Thatcher dies

[Flosshilde]

I see in The Telegraph that suggestions are being sought for a suitable memorial for MT. Surely there are countless already in existence e.g Shotton?

'If you seek her memorial, look around you'

Or there's always the ghastly statue that was decapitated - preferably in its decapitated state.

[An_Inspector_Calls]

But it comes back to the point that (regardless of whether Council Z's Housing was provided at a profit or loss) it was a public service.

But there's no written law, holy writ that says that housing has to be entirely a public service. I see nothing wrong with the public sector providing a certain amount of housing at low rents (surely possible now that so many building materials allow houses to be nearly maintenance free) and some provided by the private sector - at a profit. Commissioning government services from the private sector is accepted in certain areas so why can't this model be applied to housing - and the health service for that matter?

[eighthobstruction]

But there's no written law, holy writ that says that housing has to be entirely a public service. I see nothing wrong with the public sector providing a certain amount of housing at low rents (surely possible now that so many building materials allow houses to be nearly maintenance free) and some provided by the private sector - at a profit. Commissioning government services from the private sector is accepted in certain areas so why can't this model be applied to housing - and the health service for that matter?

I award THIS above post the most totally humourous of the whole thread.....in fact of any thread REF Politics ever attempted on this board....What is this genre called Pathos , Bathos???....or is it a sort of Optimism spelled D-E-N-I-A-L....

[An_Inspector_Calls]

Were the miners "greedy"? http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/w...00/2809239.stm

Yes. They wanted the public to keep on buying coal from pits that were uneconomical. The proposal was to improve the viability of the mines by mechanisation, lay-off a proportion of the workforce, and close the least viable pits. The NUM wanted no pit closures.

Whether or not we'd gone through the 1984 debacle, its difficult to see how at present any coal-mining in the UK can be viable with coal so cheap on world markets. So they were going to close anyway.

[eighthobstruction]

Yes. They wanted the public to keep on buying coal from pits that were uneconomical. The proposal was to improve the viability of the mines by mechanisation, lay-off a proportion of the workforce, and close the least viable pits. The NUM wanted no pit closures.

Whether or not we'd gone through the 1984 debacle, its difficult to see how at present any coal-mining in the UK can be viable with coal so cheap on world markets. So they were going to close anyway.

Yes there is truth in what you say there, but i do not believe that is all of the story, just SOME of the story....

[Flosshilde]

Oh yes

The weasel seems to be staring at the rabbit rather intently. The latter might get across the road safely, but I wouldn't give much for his chances once he's on the other side.

[rank_and_file]

With mounting distaste I have read most of the posts on this thread which seems to bring out the most disgraceful and vile wishes from most of the left-wing contributors. Without doubt most of the posters would be quite at home with the historical so-called nursing ethic at Stafford Hospital

To think that the music of Bach or Schubert might bring you to tears, yet you post in this completely heartless, bitter, ill-informed and uncharitable manner about a woman so recently deceased after a long and unpleasant illness. Talk about hypocrites - you should be disgusted with your completely un-Christian thoughts and wishes: I wonder how you can live with yourselves?

I am leaving this forum never to return, and resigning from FoR3 which seems to have lost its raison d’etre. I would hope, ff, that any human being deserves a little bit of charity, even if it is only “RIP.”

[Flosshilde]

A rather hysterical response. What's "disgraceful & vile" about expressing disagreement - even dislike - for her policies & practices?

[Julien Sorel]

With mounting distaste I have read most of the posts on this thread which seems to bring out the most disgraceful and vile wishes from most of the left-wing contributors. Without doubt most of the posters would be quite at home with the historical so-called nursing ethic at Stafford Hospital

To think that the music of Bach or Schubert might bring you to tears, yet you post in this completely heartless, bitter, ill-informed and uncharitable manner about a woman so recently deceased after a long and unpleasant illness. Talk about hypocrites - you should be disgusted with your completely un-Christian thoughts and wishes: I wonder how you can live with yourselves?

I am leaving this forum never to return, and resigning from FoR3 which seems to have lost its raison d’etre. I would hope, ff, that any human being deserves a little bit of charity, even if it is only “RIP.”

Pinochet http://www.newyorker.com/online/blog...r-exhumed.html
Suharto http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...ndonesia.world

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2010/10/suharto-indonesia-rights

http://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/106020

Pol Pot http://www.globalresearch.ca/how-tha...ol-pot/5330873

And you talk about hypocrisy?

[eighthobstruction]

One does notice (seemingly) that there is a direct correlation between the difference in posts coming from (in general) approx above the River Trent and those below River Trent ....

[french frank]

Well, I could close the thread and have resignations or leave it open and have resignations.

But this appears to be our second resignation from FoR3 (not the forum), and FoR3 is more important to me than the forum which is frankly getting to be more trouble than it's worth.

The alternative is to close Platform 3 and become just a Radio 3/music/arts forum.