Margaret Thatcher Dies Of A Stroke. R.i.p

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/

[craft1948]

Reminds me of the time I was threatened in pub in York for refusing to contribute to the miners' strike fund...................

[sara3]

that's shocking, craft..

[Zeuhl]

Yes craft

in the 1980s there used to be pubs in Kilburn and Willesden with regular collections for 'Irish Charities'

[craft1948]

Very high feelings at the time Sara..............Selby coalfield was just up the road.

[sara3]

I only saw it on the news, craft

[ummmm]

I was 6 in 1979.

Her policies had no effect on my life whatsoever.

I just find it saddening that people are rejoicing in the death of someone that served this country with a passion.

[emmie]

if it's remotely true there will some large scale protest or some such in Trafalgar Square friday i will most definitely stay far away.

[craft1948]

I wish you hadn't mentioned that Zeuhl. I lived in a hotel in Southampton Row, London for a year, and used to go for my Sunday lunch in an Irish pub round the corner.
It was some months later that I realised I was the only person in there reading the MoS, all the other punters had Irish newspapers and I'd been innocently throwing money into their collection bucket whilst tucking into my Yorkshire pudding..............

[Zeuhl]

The economic writing was on the wall for those communities

Could it have been done any kindlier? I doubt it. The Unions were in no mood.

Would it have made long term economic sense for some industries to have been state aided? Well Renault-Peugeot-Citroen seem to have done all right, but MT was ideologically incapable of doing that

Maggie bit the bullet - but it's understandable that it left ill feeling

[2sp_]

I wasn't around when Attila the Hun, Florence Nightingale or Henry VIII were on the go either.

Doesn't mean I can't have an opinion about them.

But, I still think we should leave the Maggie bashing for another day.

[ummmm]

Collecting for the cause, Craft.

[FredPuli43]

Well, Sharingan, she had the strange ideas 1) that an industry, coal mining, that was costing the country a fortune should not be supported.In time that led to the closure of almost all pits and the death of the industry 2)that the miners' unions should not be in a position to bring the government to its knees, as they had done before. Not surprisingly this generated a lot of hatred or ill-feeling in the areas affected, and among many Labour voters, which still persists.

Previously, the unions had forced the government into the position that there was a 3 day week and, as you may have read, there were severe restrictions on the use of electricity. The images of the time that the electorate had included those of rubbish piled up in the streets, and, more emotively, of people not being able to bury their dead.

Your researches may reveal why Labour did so badly and why she did so well with the electorate. There must be some reason !

[emmie]

i was one of those trying to work in the three day week, by candlelight no less, because the power went off. Rubbish strewn streets, endless strikes, i do remember it all, and no i didn't like it, who would.

[DangerUXD]

I wonder How they'd cope today without being able to surf the net, charge their phones, play xbox?? etc. I think we'd have a new generation of pro thatcherites of she put the power back on today eh?

[emmie]

maybe, however some actually don't know how much good she did do, they see or hear of one thing, either the milk snatching item, or the poll tax riots, and that is how some will remember or know of her.

[Zeuhl]

The defining difference for me in the late 70s/80s as a young 'Business Executive' was that (and I paraphrase)

Labour said 'there are some things so important we'll just have them and worry about how we pay for them later'

Maggie said 'UK plc needs to make some money - then we can have the things that are important'

The latter seemed far more realistic and sensible

[sp1814]

Danger

With all the talk of 'brainwashed lefties', should we not also remember that it was Conservative voters who caused her demise?

It wasn't Labour, the unions, the miners or the teachers who got rid of Thatcher - it was Conservative voters who turned on he en mass after the introduction of the Poll Tax.

And whilst you remember her political triumphs, perhaps you should also acknowledge that she had something that every politician wants but few really get - enormous luck.

She was lucky that North Sea revenues started filling the treasury coffers in the mid 80s, easing the balance of payments deficit. She was lucky on the timing of the Falklands conflict - according to Hugo Young in his excellent biography 'One Of Us', had it occurred during the following summer, the outcome could've been very different...

...and more than anything else - she was fortunate that the Labour opposition during much of the 80s was 'opposition' in name only.

I'm only referring to Baroness Thatcher the politician - not the person. I don't wish to express glee or indeed, sadness at her demise.

[DangerUXD]

Yes Sp and I reserve my main criticism of the pygmy wobblers on her own side, I mean those that ousted her and those that wanted to reverse course early on, worried about their own sorry hides. I hate Tory wets more than I hate Socialists so yes I do acknowldge your point there. She did have some luck yes but she optimised and stuck to what needed to be done, in her own words there was simply no alternative. Yes she was also fortunate that the opposition hadn't yet worked out that the sacred cows of socialism needed slaying, a certain Mr Blair saw that later, a big admirer of Mrs T. So yes I acknowldge your points SP.

[BayBoy1]

How dare they fly the flag at half mast.We only lower the flag for famous people.

[Answerprancer]

"No doubt we will get some sick comments from the left now".
Chin up old chap! I hope no comment on this news isn't too "lefty" for you.