Margaret Thatcher : State Funeral.

[zego]

I think something has been missed here. I don't think the concept of the state funeral is being put forward on the basis of her domestic agenda, which is always a very subjective matter.

The fact is that she led this country in a conflict to successfully liberate British sovereign territory and I am guessing it is for this reason that the state funeral is being suggested.

I make no comment about whether or not I support such a funeral. To debate this ahead of a person's death seems a little distasteful.

BUT there was a rather important previous fact - that her incompetent government had allowed the Argentinian dictatorship to believe that little more than a gang of scrap-metal merchants would be needed to take over the whole of the Falkland Islands with little or no opposition.

Was then very slow to respond when eventually she realised that a terrible mistake had been made, so allowing Argentinians to land troops unopposed except by the home guard.

The result was torched British troops stuck on their ships, and hundreds of teenage Argentinian conscripts sent to the bottom of the South Atlantic when trying to get out of harms way.

A totally avoidable and uneccessary bloodbath that bizarrely got the Tory support out in droves at the next election, and allowed her to continue her battle with her own populace to many peoples detriment.

 

[ryeseagull]

Full state funeral.

The country's greatest ever Prime Minister deserves no less.

Seriously? Walpole, Pitt (x2), Disraeli, Churchill?

 

[RexCathedra]

Leaders unite, dictators divide.

Which is why you haven't had a great Conservative PM -- I consider wartime Churchill a coalition/non-party PM -- since Disraeli.

Because Disraeli understood that. 'One Nation Toryism' died with him, though. And that was over a century ago.

 

[HackneyMan]

My uncle hated her as he said working in the print was like fetting £600 per week in the 198-'s for working in a "Holiday Camp". She ended that era.

Friends had a nice little set of earners going in the London Docks and she put a stop to that.

Closed The GLC where little work was done but many meetings were had and worst of all put Britain and British people first whenever she met other Leaders.

She even thought that London and eventually England would be swamped by immigrants and last week I was the only White Brit on a London Bus out of around 45 travellers.

I don't like her...putting Britain first and all that, who did she think she was?

Still all true 2 days later

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

........................................................................................................
A totally avoidable and uneccessary bloodbath that bizarrely got the Tory support out in droves at the next election, and allowed her to continue her battle with her own populace to many peoples detriment.

Maybe not quite so bizarre if it was part of a re-election plan - just evil perhaps?

 

[The Spanish]

Maybe not quite so bizarre if it was part of a re-election plan - just evil perhaps?

she probably shot kennedy and faked the moon landings too while she was at it. is there no end to her evil?

 

[Rookie]

Normal funeral will more than suffice went with the gun carriage because it was losing

 

[Paskman]

BUT there was a rather important previous fact - that her incompetent government had allowed the Argentinian dictatorship to believe that little more than a gang of scrap-metal merchants would be needed to take over the whole of the Falkland Islands with little or no opposition.

Was then very slow to respond when eventually she realised that a terrible mistake had been made, so allowing Argentinians to land troops unopposed except by the home guard.

The result was torched British troops stuck on their ships, and hundreds of teenage Argentinian conscripts sent to the bottom of the South Atlantic when trying to get out of harms way.

A totally avoidable and uneccessary bloodbath that bizarrely got the Tory support out in droves at the next election, and allowed her to continue her battle with her own populace to many peoples detriment.

Nothing to do with Argentinean dictators then?.......oh sorry forgot she was responsible for them too.

 

[Gritt23]

Crumbs!

Wasn't there something about changing peoples quotes being hit with a ban?

 

[simmo]

BUT there was a rather important previous fact - that her incompetent government had allowed the Argentinian dictatorship to believe that little more than a gang of scrap-metal merchants would be needed to take over the whole of the Falkland Islands with little or no opposition.

Was then very slow to respond when eventually she realised that a terrible mistake had been made, so allowing Argentinians to land troops unopposed except by the home guard.

The result was torched British troops stuck on their ships, and hundreds of teenage Argentinian conscripts sent to the bottom of the South Atlantic when trying to get out of harms way.

A totally avoidable and uneccessary bloodbath that bizarrely got the Tory support out in droves at the next election, and allowed her to continue her battle with her own populace to many peoples detriment.

The fact that Britain "owns" the Falklands is an anomoly. It is a bit like Argentina owning the Isle of Man it is down to bygone eras of when Britain ruled the waves and had the worlds greatest navy.

Since we stopped being a global power, probably around 1950 onwards our navy has shrunk dramatically and in the whole of the 60's and 70's as Britains economic woes continued we as a country reduced our naval capacities and with it our ability to defend an island like the Falklands. There was no reason not to continue this policy pre 1982 as we were no longer a naval superpower nor had the finances to be one and no one had attacked a British interest since probably Suez. All the things that you write were just a continuation of a policy that Britain pretty much had to take due to our declining finances post World War II. Any delay that you quote can be answered by looking at a map, the Falklands is pretty much half way round the world! it could hardly be in a worse position for Britain to defend/reclaim.

In 1982, Galtieri's regime was on the brink of financial crisis and economic collapse and probably the only way he could hold his regime and his country together was by a war and so invaded the Falklands. Thatcher sent a task force halfway around the world and Britain won a victory where almost every factor actually favoured the opposition, they attacked at the time of their choosing, they could launch air attacks direct from Argentina, get ships refitted at home dockyards etc. when in control of the islands could theoretically bolster the number of army personel on the ground within a few days if not hours etc. and she was actually told this by her military advisors.

The odds were very heavily stacked against Britain, but Thatcher didn't put up the white flag and give up before a shot was fired, as I am sure some other politicians would have done when faced with the same set of circumstances. She backed our superb armed forces whom magnificently won. You really honestly don't understand much about conflict or warfare if you think that it was some sort of easy or staightforward victory for Britain in the Falklands and you degrade the acheivements of the British armed forces in getting that victory.

And no she shouldn't have a state funeral either.

 

[Dandyman]

Maybe a WW2 propaganda poster but it is still bullshit, the first to fight in a Spitfire were the Brits and don't ever ever forget that Guardian reading fuckwit.

Dear me, you really are a dribbling imbecile.

Firstly the Poster does not identify any particular aircraft (a Spitfire has a very distinctive “bubble” hood). Secondly the Poles were fighting the Nazis from 01 September 1939, thirdly of the 2927 pilots listed on the Battle of Britain Roll of Honour, 574 are non-British and 145 (5% of the total) Poles. There were two Polish Squadrons during the battle - 302 “Poznanski” Squadron and 303 “Kosciuszko” Squadron. 303 Squadron recorded the highest number of kills of all Allied squadrons during the Battle.

Now go back to the crusty bed sheets and squalor of whatever sad and lonely bedsit you no doubt inhabit.

 

[Don Quixote]

I will not be happy when she dies, I will not be sad either. She is just another old woman who I don't know.

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

Still all true 2 days later

And two days later it still doesn't entitle her to a stats funeral. If it hadn't been for the argies she'd have been an ex pm darn sight earlier.
I rather like the way my naval pay was less after the falklands thanks to her thank you pay rise.

 

[Nibble]

I will raise a glass the day she dies. What is done with her body matters not a jot as long as I don't have to pay anything towards it. They can strip her to the flaps and float her through Trafalgar square with helium balloons for all I care.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

she probably shot kennedy and faked the moon landings too while she was at it. is there no end to her evil?

So probably incompetence then - far enough, there are some government papers now available on this.
In answer to your question - doubtful (imo).

 

[bullshit detector]

A f**ked up war criminal like her offspring Blair and New Labour.
We'll be having a party the day she pops her clogs, and another one on the day of the funeral....reckon a few of the neighbours won't like it though, it's probably the only day I'd like to live somewhere like Sunderland

 

[Guerrero]

She destroyed jobs and turned the nation into a nation of scroungers,who in turn spawned the violent monsters with no respect or manners who control the streets of Britains once proud nation.
She killed Britain.

 

[clapham_gull]

Nothing to do with Argentinean dictators then?.......oh sorry forgot she was responsible for them too.

A lot to do with Argentinean dictators, especially if you are giving out signals that you've given up interest in the place.

The Government was down there just before the war, attempting a negotiation to hand the islands over to Argentina. I believe we also withdrew British Citizenship from any islander without a parent or grandparent born in Britain in 1981... hastily re-established as a "thanks" after the war...

... or put it another way, an apology for taking it away in the first place.

The media has changed substantially from the early 80s. If the Falklands took place now, the whole background would be presented on 24 hour news programmes to fill up the airspace. The inevitable analysis would reflect very badly on those in power, including Maggie.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

The Financial Times has published a poll which ranks recently deposed Prime Minister Gordon Brown as the third worst Prime Minister of the post war period. Perhaps unsurprisingly Margaret Thatcher and her “heir” Tony Blair feature highly in the list with Thatcher ranked as the UK’s greatest living Prime Minister with Clement Atlee just pipping her to the overall top rank as the UK’s Best Post War Prime Minister. However one must remember this poll was conducted by largely left wing academics and as such it is perhaps unsurprising that the “father of the NHS” is afforded the top spot while the more controversial Iron Lady is ranked a close number 2.

Link -FT.com

 

[ROKERITE]

A f**ked up war criminal like her offspring Blair and New Labour.
We'll be having a party the day she pops her clogs, and another one on the day of the funeral....reckon a few of the neighbours won't like it though, it's probably the only day I'd like to live somewhere like Sunderland

It'll be a good day to separate the decent people of Britain from the dross; the decent people will be saying a quiet thankyou to our greatest post-war leader: then there's the rest like you. By the way, we have enough of the worthless in Sunderland without you deigning to join us.