to think that surely not EVERYONE hates Maggie?

[LadyOfTheManor]

Seriously, unless you're a miner or from a mining family, or Welsh... ok well even if you are, surely not EVERYONE hates Maggie T?

I'm a tad young, I was born in her "reign", but I did my degree in Politics and although I didn't really live under her (it was Major until I was 11) I couldn't see what she did that was SO terrible-let alone the sheer hostility when her name is mentioned here (in Wales!).

[outnumbered passes LadyWellian a glass]

This recession is nothing compared to both the recessions under the tories.

I am saving up so I can get a nice bottle of something fizzy for when Maggie pops her clogs. I shall drink it wearing a miners' helmet.

Bagged and Tagged - who on this thread wants to KILL Thatcher
and Gordon Brown didn't cuddle up to despots, for a start.

Bagged and tagged - I didn't say I wanted to kill her, and this post isn't about Gordon Brown... But I would say that the people who blame Labour this recession often conveniently forget that the tories are no stranger to fiscal f*ckups themselves, and while this recession is part of a global economic downturn, (I'm not saying be was blameless) Margaret Thatcher managed to bring one about all by her self.

Bless her

Weeeeeell, Pinochet quite likes her, and the Apartheid regime in South Africa was very appreciative that she blocked expulsion from the Commonwealth and wouldn't implement sanctions.
Always interesting to see who someone's friends are before you judge...

As a Yorkshire woman who lives in Wales (who lived under Thatcher) I say - I thank you for breaking the unions - no matter what anyone says - we could not have carried on under their demands. The battle had already been won, it had moved on to another field. They were the author of theor own demise

& as much as I hate Blair & his disingenuous & venal politics I will not dance on his grave I will merely consider him foolish & vain

I think that the foolish people were the ones that elected him leader of the labour party- I think he knew exactly what he was doing.

pascoe, I thought you must be quite young but, whatever your age and life experience, you sound naive to me. You've bought into a big fat lie (imo, obv) and seem scared to let it go. It's as jejune to suggest I compare national & global economies to my household budget as it is to suggest a nation should be run like a corner grocer's!

Btw, Thatch used that "no society" line frequently, in various circumstances. They are not all documented in Wikipedia, which is the only place I looked this evening. I first heard it during one of her rallying speeches shortly after election. Even my right-wing boyfriend was shocked.

Thanks outnumbered, I posted and ran but cheers! (where's that wine glass emoticon?)

That bitch stole my milk

Kirriemummy, may I add, she made Ronald Reagan look good.

'For it is only with the wealth that those people create that the poor, the sick and the dying will receive any kind of assistance at all.'

Go and tell that to people in inner cities across America.

Seriously, unless you're a miner or from a mining family, or Welsh... ok well even if you are, surely not EVERYONE hates Maggie T?

HMMM so as the (Oxford educated, scholarship girl) grand daughter of a Welsh miner it's alright to despise everything she stood for then?

HATE her

Really shocked by some of the language and vitriol on this thread. Sounds so niave and ignorant. There's no point in being 'caring' and 'compassionate' if the country has no money (which it didn't at the end of the 70s).

Running a country isn't about being fluffy and soft, it's about making hard nosed decisions for the whole country - which may be unpopular but are needed. For example atm we have a vast debt which has to be reduced, coalation are making unpopular choices for the long term good of the economy. If they don't people will like them better now, but we'll end up needing IMF bailouts etc again. Last labour govt basically bought votes by overspending and taking short term populist decisions.

Fable about the little girl and the unemployed man is so true. Socialism doesn't work.

Would one of you please explain what you would have done about the mines? Would you just have kept subsidising them?

Comparing the NHS of the 60's and now is as good as meaningless - medical inflation is much higher than inflation in general. We have a much older population now.

[sigh] as I explained earlier on the thread, the Falklands are British due to self-determination, not Empire. The people that live there are British and want to be governed by Britain ergo we have the moral obligation to defend them.

Besides, there has been a British settlement on the islands since the late 1700s, a good 30 or so years before Argentina even existed! If they are to be "given back" to anyone it should be the French who were the first to inhabit the islands.

spongefingerssavedmylife "No point in being caring and compassionate" Brilliant! thats what we'll put on her grave.
Honestly forgetting the rights and wrongs of closing the mines, to consign whole communities to the scrapheap taking their jobs, thier pride and their self respect and leave these people with nothing was unforgivable.

but what was the alternative happyscouse?

Maybe if the mines hadn't been subsidised for so long the problem wouldn't have been so bad.

What about if some MNers get together and form a co-op and see if they can get one of the old mines going again? Yay! Then your children will all have fab jobs!

What this thread has reinforced for me is that the left really have very little understanding of economics. The real "little englanders" are the left who fail to understand our position in the global economy. They want everyone to be artificially employed and they want the buck to stop with the government. Personal responsibility is only applicable to "rich" people although no one wants to define rich as it's so subjective. The personal hatred that is spouted against Lady Thatcher is puerile and saddening at the same time.

Personally I think Blair and Brown should be at the Hague charged with war crimes and fiscal incompetence but I won't be wasting champagne on their demise.

Actually reading the majority of posts on here has really restored my faith. Despite her determination to make us a nation of self serving bastards thinking only of ourselves I am heartened by the number of people who realise what she did was so wrong.I will totally bring up my children to belive in society,to belive that it matters how your actions effect every single individual. I am proud of this and I am proud of the vast majority of MN.I think OP you have had your answer loud and clear.

Restored your faith in what? Peoples blind ability to stick their fingers in their ears, close their eyes and only see what they want to see.

Are people really questioning the Falklands War. Argentina invades sovereign territory with our people on and people think we should just sit back . Regarding the economic restructuring of the 1980s, it was inevitable, primary industries can't survive in developed economies.

"the Left"? Whats that then? How very arrogant of you to assume people don't understand when in fact they disagree. Very Right Wing of you.