Thatcher to be given a state funeral

[Lord Bracknell]

i always marvel at the sheer bloody cheek of them being nationalised in the first place .

Eh?

Look at the history of electricity supply. This got going in the late 19th century. Who did it? The PUBLIC sector.

The National Grid came along in the 1920s. Who did it? The PUBLIC sector.

The cheek is that Thatcher gave these public assets away to private interests.

 

[Nibble]

Thatcher should have her festering carcass hauled up to Tower Bridge and paraded for all the country to be reminded of how she screwed over the working class and f***ed our country in the arse.

 

[mr sheen]

enough bickering, can someone just finish the evil bitch off so we can have/not have the state funeral/party/mourning etc

 

[User removed 4]

Eh?

Look at the history of electricity supply. This got going in the late 19th century. Who did it? The PUBLIC sector.

The National Grid came along in the 1920s. Who did it? The PUBLIC sector.

The cheek is that Thatcher gave these public assets away to private interests.

the elctricity industry was nationalised along with others in 1948 crating the cegb

 

[simmo]

I've just come back from 2 weeks in Cyprus and it was far from cheap. In fact, in real terms it was significantly higher than 2 years ago and no doubt if the airline paid tax on their fuel then the cost would have soared even more. The staff in the hotel are all poorly paid and if they weren't the costs would go up massively.

Governments of most tourist destination countries subsidise their airlines in order to make it affordable for people to visit their countries and the major carriers of most countries have some form of subsidy or other. The possible exception being the US and a quick look at the state of their airline industry suggests that despite the competition, most US airlines are on the brink of bankruptcy and there is usually at least one in Chapter 11.

There is no doubt that competition initially led to prices being affordable but without subsidies of one form or another the prices alone would not be able to support the airlines.

EasyJet and RyanAir? A barbaric free for all for seats (unless you pay extra for speed boarding which still doesn't allocate you a seat), instant coffee at £1.80 a cup, crap sandwiches at £3.50 each, small kiddy size Pringles for £1.50, charges for checked bags but you're only allowed one even if in total they weigh less than 20Kg. Second bag will be extra please. That is how they offer cheap flights-they charge you for everything (in addition to the fuel tax not being charged) and treat you like shit.

When you get to destinations such as Thailand, Vietnam, Bali, etc., the staff at most hotels earn about a dollar a day-although I'm sure that has nothing to do with keeping prices down.

A barbaric free for all. Are you kidding me. My experience is you get on a plane to somewhere in continental Europe in your assigned seat, it takes off and lands just like all the other plane plane journeys I have been on, but what is really great it costs you around £39.

What are you expecting for £39? stewardesses dressed as Roman slave women carrying you on board shoulder high and feeding you peeled grapes off a gold platter as you lie on a chiase lounge in a silk nightgown, while a 30 piece orchestra plays classical music of your choice?

The prices of all holidays and flights to all destinations have decreased in real terms everywhere in the world regardless of whether it is first or third world. Thanks to intense competition in this industry (not explotiation of the 3rd world staff members at the end destination. When I go to Spain it is Spanish waiters whom serve me, when I went to Australia, it was Aussie tourist guides that took me on tours, when I go to America it is American receptionists whom greet me).

Destinations that were too expensive for people to go to such as Australia, are now commonplace for millions. My parents at my age wouldn't have dreamt to go to somewhere like Australia where I have been. This is because there is intense competition within this industry. It is the same in the electrical goods industry as well.

 

[London Calling]

As a question, how many of your 95 posts have been spent supporting the free trade?

LC

 

[simmo]

As a question, how many of your 95 posts have been spent supporting the free trade?

LC

I must admit I have viewed this site for numerous years and I am a Brighton fan. I have even followed a few horse betting tips off it, nearly all unsuccessful (we all know who)

I don't hardly ever comment because I don't really find threads such.... as Katie Price on Richard and Judy that thought provoking, however, I am willing to have a decent debate on certain subjects and I respect those peoples positions whom disagree with me.

 

[Nemesis]

A barbaric free for all. Are you kidding me. My experience is you get on a plane to somewhere in continental Europe in your assigned seat, it takes off and lands just like all the other plane plane journeys I have been on, but what is really great it costs you around £39.

You clearly didn't read what I said because I was referring to EasyJet and Ryanair who do not assign seats prior to boarding which leads to a barbaric scrum of elbowing twats desperate to be on the plane after the 'speed boarders' have got on (who incidentally still do not have assigned seats despite paying extra).

What are you expecting for £39? stewardesses dressed as Roman slave women carrying you on board shoulder high and feeding you peeled grapes off a gold platter as you lie on a chiase lounge in a silk nightgown, while a 30 piece orchestra plays classical music of your choice?

What a pathetic attempt at patronising humour.

To paraphrase you-I note that you ignored my comments about the state of the US air industry which is as competitive as you'll find and which was the first to be de-regulated. That form of competition doesn't seem to work in the country which prides itself on competition and free trade.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

i do work in financial services but not in the credit/lending field so why would i want to resign ? and even if i did work in that field are you seriously suggesting that people are aware of every piece of legislation for the past 30 years ?

No wonder the world's financial markets are struggling if muppets like you work in the field. I am not suggesting you should know every bit of legislation...but you should be aware of significant moments in your industry....especially if you are going to shout your mouth off and counter what other people are saying.

Now resign!

 

[London Calling]

I must admit I have viewed this site for numerous years and I am a Brighton fan. I have even followed a few horse betting tips off it, nearly all unsuccessful (we all know who)

I don't hardly ever comment because I don't really find threads such.... as Katie Price on Richard and Judy that thought provoking, however, I am willing to have a decent debate on certain subjects and I respect those peoples positions whom disagree with me.

Well, whilst I don't agree with the majority of your points and viewpoints

you are certainly knocking up your post total on this one

 

[London Calling]

few travellers I would suggest hold Ryanair up as a good customer care airline, let alone on any other factor apart from basic price, which gradually, it is finding difficult to retain, since it has been caught operating with public authorities, subsidising its ground and marketing operations.

In fact is it still able to offer a flight as low as £39 anywhere with baggage? I certainly couldn't find one recently. And if you include reasonable depart flight times?......................................................

Ms LC recently got charged £12 for carrying a buggy? EW? Included as baggage? Didn't they try and charge for wheel chairs a few years ago?

 

[simmo]

You clearly didn't read what I said because I was referring to EasyJet and Ryanair who do not assign seats prior to boarding which leads to a barbaric scrum of elbowing twats desperate to be on the plane after the 'speed boarders' have got on (who incidentally still do not have assigned seats despite paying extra).



What a pathetic attempt at patronising humour.

To paraphrase you-I note that you ignored my comments about the state of the US air industry which is as competitive as you'll find and which was the first to be de-regulated. That form of competition doesn't seem to work in the country which prides itself on competition and free trade.

Well it deserved sarcasm, because it is absolute nonsence. I have been on these flights as I am sure thousands of others have. They are the same as all other flights. You get on a plane, you fly to a destination, you get off. Is that not the purpose of a flight?

I ignored it because it is minatue about the de-regulation of the US airline industry, that is irrelevant to me when I fly to anywhere except the US and it does not explain the fact that....

I can fly and have a holiday in Australia, for example, that costs the same as it did in real terms, if not less than it would 20 years ago and it is not just Australia it is all over the world.

Going back to the USA. You can get flights to New York for £199 now. When I went to the USA 20+ years ago they cost £500. Why is this? Why are electrical goods so cheap?

 

[Buzzer]

Hey chaps. I think I've got a solution to please everyone.

Thatcher can have her state funeral - in Chile.

*Buzzer saves the day again*

 

[Trufflehound]

Why don't we just render Thatcher down and use her body fat to run a fleet of biofuel taxis around London?

There you go. Rid of Thatcher AND cured global warming in one.

 

[Storer68]

Why are electrical goods so cheap?

Because the Chinese (and that will be a SOCIALIST/COMMUNIST administration! - hardly one of Thatcher's mob ) make them all at rockbottom labour costs and take no account of workers rights or improving working conditions.

Much like the Lancashire cotton mills in the nineteenth century.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Well it deserved sarcasm, because it is absolute nonsence. I have been on these flights as I am sure thousands of others have. They are the same as all other flights. You get on a plane, you fly to a destination, you get off. Is that not the purpose of a flight?

I ignored it because it is minatue about the de-regulation of the US airline industry, that is irrelevant to me when I fly to anywhere except the US and it does not explain the fact that....

I can fly and have a holiday in Australia, for example, that costs the same as it did in real terms, if not less than it would 20 years ago and it is not just Australia it is all over the world.

Going back to the USA. You can get flights to New York for £199 now. When I went to the USA 20+ years ago they cost £500. Why is this? Why are electrical goods so cheap?

you could get flights for 199 20 years ago...I even recall they used to give them away with vacuum cleaners

 

[simmo]

Well, whilst I don't agree with the majority of your points and viewpoints

you are certainly knocking up your post total on this one

I know I have, but it is hard not to stop as it is quite funny listenting to all the excuses people make as to what it is other than competition that makes a(ny) product/service better.

It is this very reason that Communism failed. There was no competition within any industries, therefore there was no necessity to improve the end product, therefore the quality of these goods fell further and further behind the West in every sphere, financially, militarily,social services everything, and in the end the communist system to all intense and purposes collapsed.

Take a look at East/West Germany. East Germany had the Trabant, West Germany had Audi/Mercedes/BMW/Volkswagen all competing against each other. Why were West German cars better than the Easts? They were all German engineers working on them, so no excuse there. The plants were in Germany, so no exploitation of cheap third world labour. So whats the excuse going to be this time?

 

[Southover Street Seagull]

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.

I heard a story that when too many cars had been made on the production lines the management at BL used to stir up trouble, thereby causing a wildcat strike, thereby halting production for a few days.
It wasn't just militant unions who caused the problems in the 70's it was weak and poor management too. But don't let that get in the way of your blinkered views of trade unions!

 

[Southover Street Seagull]

So now you agree she was a half good prime minister by crushing the unions!

I said in an earlier update that the French have their problems and are not disimilar to ours in the 70's but are not so severe.

The French have not crushed their Unions. International businesses will not locate in France because the labour laws lean over too far towards the workers/unions and leaves the French business environment uncompetetive. In France if you are in higher education you are told to do a masters because there are no jobs for you. My aunt whom can speak 5 languages took over a year to get a job in and around Paris. This doesn't happen in England because we have much more flexible labour laws because we are not suffocated by the unions.

I believe no-one can by law, in France, work over a 35 (maybe a bit higher) hour week even if you want to and the Unions will not allow the governement to change this. Sakorzy run on a ticket to change this and his opponent Royale?? didn't. He won the election will he have the guts like Thatcher did to take on the Unions with their inevitable strikes to change it.

The French still own all their public utilities and still have car companies that make cars in France and are French owned.
What has Britain got?

 

[London Calling]

I know I have, but it is hard not to stop as it is quite funny listenting to all the excuses people make as to what it is other than competition that makes a(ny) product/service better.

It is this very reason that Communism failed. There was no competition within any industries, therefore there was no necessity to improve the end product, therefore the quality of these goods fell further and further behind the West in every sphere, financially, militarily,social services everything, and in the end the communist system to all intense and purposes collapsed.

Take a look at East/West Germany. East Germany had the Trabant, West Germany had Audi/Mercedes/BMW/Volkswagen all competing against each other. Why were West German cars better than the Easts? They were all German engineers working on them, so no excuse there. The plants were in Germany, so no exploitation of cheap third world labour. So whats the excuse going to be this time?

East Germany prodeced "card coard cut outs" for its home market, whilst VW etc produced for the world market.