Thatcher to be given a state funeral

[Race]

Most of that can easily be debunked but I'll just concentrate on this gem:

Probably because the crime rate SOARED under Thatcher unlike under Labour when it has been SLASHED.

Or not reported because it takes 3 days for a copper to turn up!

 

[Southover Street Seagull]

Do you people not remember the state of Britain in the 1970s?


Her Employment Acts reshaped working conditions and tipped the balance of power away from the unions who seemed intent on bringing the country to its knees.

Tipping the balance of power to the big companies and selling off the family silver in all the privatisations, so we now have none of out utility companies apart from BT that are British owned, with call centres in India that give inept service at best!

Her handling of the Falklands War actually made the Soviet Union watch carefully as it realised the West (in the form of Britain) had a genuine political will, conviction and, most importantly, the hardware to fight a war independently 8,000 miles from its homebase.

She partly caused the Falklands War by the massive cutbacks to the Navy in particular, which gave General Galtieri the green light to invade as we had limited patrols in the South Atlantic.

It was a contributory factor to the end of the Cold War.

Reagan's hard line and Gorbachev's policies brought and end to the Cold War.

Home ownership, economic stability and growth, essential transition from a manufacturing economy to a service based economy as befits a developed country. We'd have reverted to an agricultural economy if she hadn't exercised her customary vision and leadership.

Why is a service based economy more befitting for a developed country, have you never heard of Germany and France, they still have lots of manufacturing industries and I would say they are fairly developed, wouldn't you? I would say the things that befit a developed country is an excellent education system, free health care, low unemployment and low poverty rates!

Privatised firms such as BT are now global players - you couldn't even find a working payphone pre-1979!

That is total lie, have you been impressed also by the global BT moving jobs to India, taking British jobs with them?

Ask yourself why ours is now one of the strongest economy in the world (and don't be deceived into thinking it was Gordon Brown's doing! although he's doing his best to f*** it up!).

Incidentally, try comparing her straight-forward, brutally honest style with that of today's government. Do you think she would have our bobbies spending all day on their arses typing up reports while all this crime is going on. She would have got them out there breaking a few heads ( which has been sadly lacking for years now). Or the asylum shambles. The first thing she would do is rip up the criminals charter..sorry, i mean the Human Rights Act and put a bit of pride back into this country.

Thatcher's government were the ones who first removed bobbies from the beat, have a look about policing in the late seventies and early eighties.

I'm proud to be one of Thatcher's children.

I am not!

 

[clapham_gull]

Do you people not remember the state of Britain in the 1970s?

Privatised firms such as BT are now global players - you couldn't even find a working payphone pre-1979!

You can't find one now

The Falklands thing is interesting, because I understand an inquiry set up by her after the war did very much blame her government for cutting back, when the military were telling her what the consequences would be.

Understandably, that wasn't noticed much afterwards.

I think it's pretty much on the record now that our military saved her bacon over that one and some very senior people were a bit pissed off that she basked in the glory of getting a task force together, when actually it was them.

Interesting read

Obituary: Captain Nicholas Barker | Independent, The (London) | Find Articles at BNET

 

[Pavilionaire]

She got the country back on its feet and got back our self-respect globally.

To use a football analogy, it would be like, say, Gary McAllister taking Leeds from League 1 to the Prem and winning a few cups along the way before being relegated back to the Championship and then getting the sack.

 

[7:18]

Basil Fawlty whipping his car with a branch.

that has me in stitches everytime, one of the BEST comedy moments ever

 

[User removed 4]

Surely Michael Foot will be the next of our former beloved PM's to buy the farm! We could always chuck him in the back of a skip lorry, and line the route on his way to the tip.

slightly off topic but i shagged his granddaughter!

 

[Simster]

slightly off topic but i shagged his granddaughter!

"slightly" you say.

 

[User removed 4]

"slightly" you say.

 

[Trufflehound]

Or not reported because it takes 3 days for a copper to turn up!

I dialled 999 for the fire brigade while living in Hove in Thatcher's Britain.

21 YEARS LATER, and they still haven't shown up.



Fortunately, as it turned out, I was able to deal with it myself.

 

[mr sheen]

Day three, and still the feeling of crushing dismay when I open the thread to find out the old witch continues to dodge the coffin

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

Just forget that its Thatcher for a mo..... why should any prime minister get a State Funeral? They are onyl doing the job they were voted to do aren't they? Even Churchill is a push. Admittedly he was the War Leader at a time when our nation was at grave risk and for that maybe he gets the right but Thatcher? Falklands certainly cannot be equated with WW2 and as for politics... such poeple will always be divisive. I think it's a very silly thing to be even considering.

 

[simmo]

Do you people not remember the state of Britain in the 1970s?

Paddling through rubbish, bodies unburied, strikes, power cuts, spiralling inflation, limited working weeks, abysmal production, etc.

Thank God she gripped the nation and pulled it back into some shape.

Her Employment Acts reshaped working conditions and tipped the balance of power away from the unions who seemed intent on bringing the country to its knees.

Her handling of the Falklands War actually made the Soviet Union watch carefully as it realised the West (in the form of Britain) had a genuine political will, conviction and, most importantly, the hardware to fight a war independently 8,000 miles from its homebase.

It was a contributory factor to the end of the Cold War.

Home ownership, economic stability and growth, essential transition from a manufacturing economy to a service based economy as befits a developed country. We'd have reverted to an agricultural economy if she hadn't exercised her customary vision and leadership.

Privatised firms such as BT are now global players - you couldn't even find a working payphone pre-1979!

Ask yourself why ours is now one of the strongest economy in the world (and don't be deceived into thinking it was Gordon Brown's doing! although he's doing his best to f*** it up!).

Incidentally, try comparing her straight-forward, brutally honest style with that of today's government. Do you think she would have our bobbies spending all day on their arses typing up reports while all this crime is going on. She would have got them out there breaking a few heads ( which has been sadly lacking for years now). Or the asylum shambles. The first thing she would do is rip up the criminals charter..sorry, i mean the Human Rights Act and put a bit of pride back into this country

I'm proud to be one of Thatcher's children.

This is so true. Britain was becoming a 3rd World country. Idi Amin (leader of Uganda) was having charity events in Uganda to raise money for for British people during the 3 day week!!!!

This shows how far this once great country was going down the tubes, we were dying on our feet, we were the laughing stock of the Western world, the sick man of Europe. It was going to take drastic action and the therapy was incredibly painful at the time but it worked. No other leader would have the guts to do anything like that, they would have done a u-turn when it got really tough Thatcher didn't.

France is heading down this path as well (it is not as bad as Britain was) will they have a leader strong enough to deal with it.

 

[Trufflehound]

should any prime minister get a State Funeral?

Diana got one for "once being married to a jug-eared inbred halfwit".

So I think the qualifying criteria are pretty low.

 

[Simster]

These people who thinks the sun shone out of Maggie's arse.

Care to comment on her relationship with "good friend" General Pinochet who overthrew an elected head of state and slaughtered thousands of political opponents in cold blood - or that lovely Pic Botha who was running a tin pot apartheid state.


Thought not.

 

[Mendoza]

Can I reconsider ? 15 pages

 

[Nemesis]

Day three, and still the feeling of crushing dismay when I open the thread to find out the old witch continues to dodge the coffin

My sentiments exactly.

 

[simmo]

These people who thinks the sun shone out of Maggie's arse.

Care to comment on her relationship with "good friend" General Pinochet who overthrew an elected head of state and slaughtered thousands of political opponents in cold blood - or that lovely Pic Botha who was running a tin pot apartheid state.


Thought not.

This is a pitiful argument, every leader throughout the history of time has had dubious allies, because those allies tend to be the enemies of their enemies. These allies and enemies come and go as time changes. As Henry Kissinger correctly said you don't have permanent allies you have permanent interests.

Churchill whom is the greatest leader Britain ever had major ally was Stalin (one of the most evil men in the history of the world) and at the time he was right to do so as he was fighting Hitler.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Home ownership, economic stability and growth, essential transition from a manufacturing economy to a service based economy as befits a developed country. We'd have reverted to an agricultural economy if she hadn't exercised her customary vision and leadership. .

The essential transition from a manufacturing economy to a service based one? This is part of the problem. We dont make anything and we are a lot poorer for it. Germany are still the king of exports. That could have been us had we not gone down a totally service based route.

Home ownership..she teased people with the idea and then the record repossessions came and took them away. Economic stability....E.R.M.......interestest rates hiked up and abused to at one point 16%.

Do you know what you are talking about?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

..anyway. We can go on and on with this. I personally dont think anyone will sway me from my belief that she has made this country a poor and desperate place full of greed and selfishness.

Please make your way to Osborne Villas on the day of her death and join my party.

 

[simmo]

The essential transition from a manufacturing economy to a service based one? This is part of the problem. We dont make anything and we are a lot poorer for it. Germany are still the king of exports. That could have been us had we not gone down a totally service based route.

Home ownership..she teased people with the idea and then the record repossessions came and took them away. Economic stability....E.R.M.......interestest rates hiked up and abused to at one point 16%.

Do you know what you are talking about?

Any manufacturing industries that we had eventually became crippled by the all powerful unions. How could any of our products be viable to a potential international buyer on a global stage when all the time the workers in that industry where going on strike.

Take cars for instance the workers at British Leyland were striking all the time in the 70's. If you are say Dutch and have a choice between a British Leyland manufactured car that is 6 months late due to strikes or a Volkswagen what are you going to buy?

The problem with the manufacturing industries and their decline was not Thatcher, but the unions. Their leaders greed and political (mainly Communist) motives led to the downfall of Britain's manufacturing industry.