Was Mrs. T good for Britain?

[nicko31]

Not suprisingly Mrs. T's passes divides opinion, some feel she is the greatest PM we've ever had, others are toasting her passing. IMO, in 1979 she was just what we needed, she made some much needed reforms, Internationally she stood up for Britain and helped end the cold war. Yet she created greed, had no time for failure and run down public services. Overall 6/10, she was good for Britain but only just..

 

[sully]

Not suprisingly Mrs. T's passes divides opinion, some feel she is the greatest PM we've ever had, others are toasting her passing. IMO, in 1979 she was just what we needed, she made some much needed reforms, Internationally she stood up for Britain and helped end the cold war. Yet she created greed, had no time for failure and run down public services. Overall 6/10, she was good for Britain but only just..

Agreed.

It's funny that she's always described as a love or hate figure, but I'm nowhere near either end of the scale. As you say, overall, I think she was just on the good side of "fence". The options at the time would more than likely have led us to a much worse place.

 

[Icy Gull]

If you lived through the years before she came to office with the country crippled by the power of the unions and long drawn out strikes that they initiated virtually every week somewhere, you might see her in a different light. She was exactly what this country needed imo. Her voice, condescending manner, her stubborness and her inability to compromise didn't help her cause in the eyes of many though.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

She didn't create greed. It's been part of humanity since the beginning of time.

 

[vegster]

After hearing her famous " Where there is discord let us bring harmony etc. " speech again, I had forgotten how quickly SHE forgot the essence of that quote when in power. There was only her way or the highway despite how much anger and resentment people had at her divisive policies. When the going got tough she would wrap herself up in the Union flag and say " I'm battling for Britain " When her tenure seemed it might be over, she flogged off every state interest she could for a tax cut bribe in order to stay in power.

Even her own party eventually realised the harm she had done to the nation and dumped her, she famously said "They’ve got the usual Socialist disease — they’ve run out of other people’s money." However, her "money" was the infrastructure of everyone in the nation, the famous " free market economy " has been lapped up by the foreign shareholders who now run for profit and own a large chunk of our once great nation.



She died in luxury in The Ritz, while many of us live in poverty. Food Banks are are multiplying and the disabled have their benefits cut or withdrawn. We have hardly any manufacturing industry left, we just make coffee's in franchises as minimum wage slaves. The average wage in the UK is supposed to be £26,600, I know no-one who earns that. That is her legacy.

 

[Icy Gull]

She died in luxury in The Ritz, while many of us live in poverty. Food Banks are are multiplying and the disabled have their benefits cut or withdrawn. We have hardly any manufacturing industry left, we just make coffee's in franchises as minimum wage slaves. The average wage in the UK is supposed to be £26,600, I know no-one who earns that. That is her legacy.

Kind of convenient to still be able to blame her for today's ills I guess, if ridiculous.

 

[Questions]

After hearing her famous " Where there is discord let us bring harmony etc. " speech again, I had forgotten how quickly SHE forgot the essence of that quote when in power. There was only her way or the highway despite how much anger and resentment people at her divisive policies. When the going got tough she would wrap herself up in the Union flag and say " I'm battling for Britain " When her tenure seemed it might be over, she flogged off every state interest she could for a tax cut bribe in order to stay in power.


Even her own party eventually realised the harm she had done to the nation and dumped her, she famously said "They’ve got the usual Socialist disease — they’ve run out of other people’s money." However, her "money" was the infrastructure of everyone in the nation, the famous " free market economy " has been lapped up by the foreign shareholders who now run for profit and own a large chunk of our once great nation.



She died in luxury in The Ritz, while many of us live in poverty. Food Banks are are multiplying and the disabled have their benefits cut or withdrawn. We have hardly any manufacturing industry left, we just make coffee's in franchises as minimum wage slaves. The average wage in the UK is supposed to be £26,600, I know no-one who earns that. That is her legacy.

Very well said in the main Vegster.......... But you,ve forgotten what we charged to do your bathroom

 

[vegster]

Kind of convenient to still be able to blame her for today's ills I guess, if ridiculous.

Not disagreeing with the previous two paragraphs of my post I notice ?

 

[dougdeep]

Nobody did more to end the cold war.

 

[Icy Gull]

Not disagreeing with the previous two paragraphs of my post I notice ?

I am not for a minute suggesting she was anywhere near perfect but having lived though the Wilson and Heath years we needed someone strong in power, warts and all. This country was an absolute shambles when she took over.

 

[Questions]

Kind of convenient to still be able to blame her for today's ills I guess, if ridiculous.

She kept me out of work for 2 years but I 'm sure it was for the good of the country though. She invented the cash in hand society in my trade.

 

[Muzzy]

I am not for a minute suggesting she was anywhere near perfect but having lived though the Wilson and Heath years we needed someone strong in power, warts and all. This country was an absolute shambles when she took over.

It still is!!!

 

[Icy Gull]

She kept me out of work for 2 years but I 'm sure it was for the good of the country though. She invented the cash in hand society in my trade.

Interesting, please expand, I'm not quite sure how Thatcher could stop you working tbh. I am quite good mates with a miner from Doncaster who had spent 30 years down the mines, he retrained as an electrician and plumber and prospered after a couple of tough years and now regrets how long he actually spent down the mines.

 

[soistes]

If you lived through the years before she came to office with the country crippled by the power of the unions and long drawn out strikes that they initiated virtually every week somewhere, you might see her in a different light. She was exactly what this country needed imo. Her voice, condescending manner, her stubborness and her inability to compromise didn't help her cause in the eyes of many though.

I lived through those years, but take absolutely the opposite view to you -- in my view, she was the last thing we needed, and the changes she wrought to society and the economy were pernicious ones, the consequences of which we're still living with.
But as others have said that just shows how much she polarised people's views. Depends which side of the fence you were on, I guess.

 

[dragonred]

those who remember the pre MT days will remember a country in terminal decline, MP's that were either idiots, weaklings or bordering on lunatics and a country that was bordering on third world - 30+ years and people who didn't live through it simply cannot picture what it was like.....That the country was held to complete ransom by lunatics like Scargill, Hatton and the Trade Union barons says it all - a lot of her ideas and solutions went way too far (and I certainly don't agree with all she did) but equally if she hadn't done what she did, and it couldn't be done without complete resolve and a commitment to stand her ground, we would still be third world - The North being industrialised was always going to get it worse so within reason those regions were always going to hate change - people can change history how they like but it is no co-incidence new labour, especially Blair who was definitely a follower of MT rather than previous Labour MP's, actually thought well of her and simply took her model and softened it to make it more acceptable. People should just let her rest in peace, I am sure the silent majority feel she did more good than bad when the scales are weighed up time.

 

[cirC]

I am not for a minute suggesting she was anywhere near perfect but having lived though the Wilson and Heath years we needed someone strong in power, warts and all. This country was an absolute shambles when she took over.

Correct.If Scargill wanted to run the country he should have stood to be an MP and not try to bring down a government,like it or not,that was elected by the populace.
His political attitude took the miners down the road to nowhere and there in truth lies the blame.

 

[Titus]

If you were going into war, who would you rather have running it, Thatcher or Cameron?

 

[supaseagull]

She was very good for London & the South East but terrible for the rest of the country.

Very few people who've lived down here all their lives cannot even begin to understand the destruction her and her government undertook in the North, Wales & Scotland.

 

[vegster]

Correct.If Scargill wanted to run the country he should have stood to be an MP and not try to bring down a government,like it or not,that was elected by the populace.
His political attitude took the miners down the road to nowhere and there in truth lies the blame.

And now we have virtually no coal industry left and have used nearly all of our North Sea Gas and we have to buy gas from abroad at prices that fluctuate, usually upwards. We have to bribe foreign energy companies with grants and tax breaks to build wind farms and nuclear plants to provide the energy we need. Then, when built we will be paying our German/Dutch/French shareholders a nice guaranteed return for the next 40 years.

Welcome to franchise Britain.

 

[piersa]

She kept me out of work for 2 years but I 'm sure it was for the good of the country though. She invented the cash in hand society in my trade.

Were you wallowing in self pity or did you take a hard look at yourself and get out there and do something about it like many people did then?.................I thought not.