Underestimate The British Farmers At...
ChatterBank0 min ago
Maggie thatcher
135 Answers
Is there already a thread re: state funeral been made today i can read!?
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Yes, tinkerbell, you do need to swat up a bit more.
As I said in my earlier post, it is regrettable that huge numbers of people and communities were devastated by some of her policies. However, she was one of the few politicians of recent times who viewed the “long game” and did what she considered best for the country as a whole. The UK had been all but brought to its knees by the end of the 1970s: bodies were lying unburied; rubbish was festering in piles in the streets; the miners had already brought down one government. People under about fifty have absolutely no idea what it was like. In 1979 there were upwards of 5,000 industrial disputes and almost 30 million working days had been lost to strikes. Workers went on strike at the drop of a hat causing massive disruption and inconvenience. Something had to be done.
For those who think her efforts were directed solely towards the fat cats – think again. Yes, a number of people did very well. A lot of people (mainly political cronies) did very well out of Blair. There will always be people who do very well. But many “ordinary” people saw their wealth and wellbeing increase beyond their wildest dreams. GDP went up by 23% in the ten years she was in No.10. State spending on health and social security both rose by over 30%. By 1990 industrial disputes had dropped to a trickle and just 2 million working days were being lost annually. Those ten years laid the foundation for the period of growth that followed her departure, including that presided over by Blair and Brown and without it people today would be considerably worse off.
I’m amazed by some of the comments in response to this question. Of course I can understand the feelings of those directly affected such as those in mining and heavy industrial communities. But,
From the simply badly informed: “What im led to believe is that working class were left to starve basically and the upper class got the good end of the deal” (I don’t think too many of the working class died of starvation, tinkerbell, though many will tell you they did).
To the plainly absurd: “She should have had a state execution.” “id gladly pull the trigger on a firing squad for her” (Teddy_Boy).
Just as the origins of the current problems do not rest with David Cameron, the seeds of the country’s demise in the 1970s were not sown by Margaret Thatcher. They were sown years earlier by previous governments (of both persuasions) running policies of appeasement towards ever more intransigent Trades Unions. (Those old enough may remember Mr Wilson’s “beer and sandwiches” at No. 10). It was inevitable that to clear this mess casualties would occur, just as they will occur whilst the current mess is sorted out.
Oh – and she still does not warrant a State funeral.
As I said in my earlier post, it is regrettable that huge numbers of people and communities were devastated by some of her policies. However, she was one of the few politicians of recent times who viewed the “long game” and did what she considered best for the country as a whole. The UK had been all but brought to its knees by the end of the 1970s: bodies were lying unburied; rubbish was festering in piles in the streets; the miners had already brought down one government. People under about fifty have absolutely no idea what it was like. In 1979 there were upwards of 5,000 industrial disputes and almost 30 million working days had been lost to strikes. Workers went on strike at the drop of a hat causing massive disruption and inconvenience. Something had to be done.
For those who think her efforts were directed solely towards the fat cats – think again. Yes, a number of people did very well. A lot of people (mainly political cronies) did very well out of Blair. There will always be people who do very well. But many “ordinary” people saw their wealth and wellbeing increase beyond their wildest dreams. GDP went up by 23% in the ten years she was in No.10. State spending on health and social security both rose by over 30%. By 1990 industrial disputes had dropped to a trickle and just 2 million working days were being lost annually. Those ten years laid the foundation for the period of growth that followed her departure, including that presided over by Blair and Brown and without it people today would be considerably worse off.
I’m amazed by some of the comments in response to this question. Of course I can understand the feelings of those directly affected such as those in mining and heavy industrial communities. But,
From the simply badly informed: “What im led to believe is that working class were left to starve basically and the upper class got the good end of the deal” (I don’t think too many of the working class died of starvation, tinkerbell, though many will tell you they did).
To the plainly absurd: “She should have had a state execution.” “id gladly pull the trigger on a firing squad for her” (Teddy_Boy).
Just as the origins of the current problems do not rest with David Cameron, the seeds of the country’s demise in the 1970s were not sown by Margaret Thatcher. They were sown years earlier by previous governments (of both persuasions) running policies of appeasement towards ever more intransigent Trades Unions. (Those old enough may remember Mr Wilson’s “beer and sandwiches” at No. 10). It was inevitable that to clear this mess casualties would occur, just as they will occur whilst the current mess is sorted out.
Oh – and she still does not warrant a State funeral.
I imagine that a situation similar to that now evident in Greece would have developed. Things were a little different then (there was no complication with the Single Currency) but there were vast sums of public money being poured into loss making industries. These industries were plagued by industrial problems which racked up their losses even further. Alongside this, public services were similarly affected. Bin men, grave diggers, crematorium staff, rail, bus tube and airport workers (among many others) would all “down tools” at the drop of a hat. People would not know from one day to the next what, if any, public services would be affected by “industrial action” and it had been going on for years.
Prime Minister Heath tried to tackle the problem of industrial action in the coal industry. He went to the electorate basically to ask them to decide who they would like to run the country – the Conservative government or the National Union of Mineworkers. They chose the NUM (or more accurately, they opted for a return to Harold Wilson’s Labour government).
The Labour government’s policy to deal with this was one of appeasement. Money was simply thrown at the industries to meet the unions’ demands. The country’s finances deteriorated alarmingly and more than once the government had to go to the IMF for bail out funds. The cost of government borrowing soared, inflation was rife (10% per annum not unusual), the cost of borrowing to individuals and business similarly soared. The end game would almost certainly have seen the UK going broke.
Prime Minister Heath tried to tackle the problem of industrial action in the coal industry. He went to the electorate basically to ask them to decide who they would like to run the country – the Conservative government or the National Union of Mineworkers. They chose the NUM (or more accurately, they opted for a return to Harold Wilson’s Labour government).
The Labour government’s policy to deal with this was one of appeasement. Money was simply thrown at the industries to meet the unions’ demands. The country’s finances deteriorated alarmingly and more than once the government had to go to the IMF for bail out funds. The cost of government borrowing soared, inflation was rife (10% per annum not unusual), the cost of borrowing to individuals and business similarly soared. The end game would almost certainly have seen the UK going broke.
Personally I think Magaret Thatcher was our last great Prime Minister.
The "Labour" Party from 1997 shafted the working man more than she ever did and set this country into the sad downward spiral it is now in.
I was far better off between 1984 (when I left school) and 1997 than I am now.
Before you accuse me of being a "City banker" I've worked my nuts off in a factory banging pieces of metal together for the best part of 27 years and I've seen manufacturing in my local area destroyed by Blair and Brown more than the Tories ever did,at least you were rewarded for hard work and not sitting at home on your backside.
Anyone who thinks Labour is the party of the working man /woman is deluded.
The latest lily livered comedian Labour have in charge is the most feeble leader this country could ever have.
At least Thatcher had balls.
The "Labour" Party from 1997 shafted the working man more than she ever did and set this country into the sad downward spiral it is now in.
I was far better off between 1984 (when I left school) and 1997 than I am now.
Before you accuse me of being a "City banker" I've worked my nuts off in a factory banging pieces of metal together for the best part of 27 years and I've seen manufacturing in my local area destroyed by Blair and Brown more than the Tories ever did,at least you were rewarded for hard work and not sitting at home on your backside.
Anyone who thinks Labour is the party of the working man /woman is deluded.
The latest lily livered comedian Labour have in charge is the most feeble leader this country could ever have.
At least Thatcher had balls.
Does this mean we should give all our ex-PMs a state funeral when they die? We have never done this - why should we start now? And for one as controversial as Mrs. Thatcher? I don't think so, especially if I have to help pay for it. Incidentally, I am old enough to remember her 'reign' and it was not pleasant. I also remember how embarrassed I was for her when she said "We are a grandmother" - she even used the royal "WE". There were large buttons with "Maggie for Queen" on them - sarcastic I hope. She was a complete disaster, especially with her Poll Tax and her Falklands War.
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