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AIBU?

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Original poster

to think Thatcher's funeral procession will attract protesters throughout UK?

293 replies

Corygal · 09/04/2013 07:36

Strikes me they're really pushing it with a full military fanfare and procession through the streets of London - it's catnip for every pissed off Briton in the country to come and have a go.

The last people who had this amount of fuss were Queen Mum and Diana, neither of whom exactly attracted violent dissent. But a parade through virtually every main thoroughfare of the capital for Mrs Thatcher...

OP posts:
Dawndonna · 10/04/2013 08:47

Isityou
I'm 54 and here I am speaking out.

twofingerstoGideon · 10/04/2013 08:52

Isityou I'm well over 40 and I'm speaking out too. Although I will not be 'celebrating', ie. drinking champagne in the streets, I will certainly add my voice to any others protesting about the lavish - and in my view quite unprecedented and undeserved - funeral. I know considerably more than 'jack shit' about the Thatcher years, too, having lived through them.

ChocsAwayInMyGob · 10/04/2013 09:13

I'm 43 and I lived through the Thatcher years. Yes, all PMs get things wrong, but she had a catastrophic effect on the poor, more so than any PM in living memory.

DreamsTurnToGoldDust · 10/04/2013 09:41

I was certainly around during the Thatcher years, whilst I wont be partying or protesting I can certainly understand those that will. I really am opposed to the funeral, I think a politician that divided the country so much such as she did should be buried in private, and find it hard to believe that anyone would be niave to think that the whole country will be mourning her loss.

We live in a free society, one that allows people to demonstrate their views, so be it.

Dawndonna · 10/04/2013 09:44

grovel
I think that Joe and Peter Haines may well disagree with you.
Apart from which Thatcher's 'grubby little terrorist' description of Mandela hardly does your stance credit, does it.

ajandjjmum · 10/04/2013 09:55

Under her govt. Britain regained respect throughout the world, which meant that we had the opportunity to gain individual self-respect - the value of that cannot be counted in monetary terms.

I too am 54, and remember well the Winter of Discontent, which was the result of several weak governments taking more and more stick from the unions, giving in to increased demands and crippling companies so that they could no longer afford to employ people. It wasn't fun.

BrittaPie · 10/04/2013 10:05

Tbf, we've had a bit of a tinderbox for a while with the cuts and the benefit changes really kicking in. Almost everyone is seeing something they love attacked, even if they agree with it. Many people don't, and previously non political people are starting to get restless.

The funeral could be the spark that sets it off.

Imagine looking at losing your house, your job, your local library where you could have looked for work, legal aid to fight your case, having to pay for csa or your benefit will be cut even more, seeing your teenager out of work too, the youth club shut, etc etc etc. Now imagine seeing all that pomp for a politician. Even if you don't have any interest in the history, party politics or socialism, you'd be pissed off, right?

I'm a Fabian, I'm not rubbing my hands the way some of my SWP friends are, but it is hard to deny that things could kick off.

The worry is that Tories will use unrest as an excuse to do...who knows what? It'll be bad news for the working class anyway.

Fargo86 · 10/04/2013 10:07

I think the protest will be a damp squib.

ajandjjmum · 10/04/2013 10:12

We're nearly all working class! Our income has reduced by half and it's a struggle at the moment - but I accept that we have to deal with it. If the money's not there, we can't spend it. Being pissed off won't help.

Although I think MT did a lot of good for this country (not ALL good), I think £8M is a huge amount to spend on a funeral, but then I see other huge figures being spent (wasted) that I don't agree with, and there's hardly a whimper from anyone.

AmberLeaf · 10/04/2013 10:19

but these people in their twenties know jack shit about the Maggie Thatcher years

That's bullshit.

Her reign is history, you didn't have to be there to know about it, it is all very well documented.

I haven't seen many people aged 40 and above speaking out

You can't have looked far then.

ATJabberwocky · 10/04/2013 10:23

It's disgraceful for groups to plan to dance on graves, destroy the grave and attempt to disrupt the service. Show some respect for the dead.

Dawndonna · 10/04/2013 10:24

It's disgraceful for groups to plan to dance on graves, destroy the grave and attempt to disrupt the service. Show some respect for the dead
No.

CloudsAndTrees · 10/04/2013 10:32

I also hope there is no 'disruption' at her funeral. But I'd also hope there is a mass of civil disobedience as much as is possible elsewhere. Reminds me of Osbourne at the Olympics when it dawned on him that the boo-ing of him at an awards ceremony was sustained and not just a 'joke'.

The booing that Osbourne got wasn't nearly as bad as people on the left like to make out. I was lucky enough to be there that night, the crowd was excited and were making a noise at anything. Obviously, it's a big stadium and I can't speak for everyone that was in it, but the booing was a very low level, and good natured reaction to someone that simply wasn't one of the paralympians. Everyone had smiles on their faces and were looking round in surprise at each other that other people had made the same little booing noise that that had just done. It really truly wasn't anywhere near as bad as some people like to think.

infamouspoo · 10/04/2013 11:25

45 and speaking out.
Just because someone is dead you dont suddenly have to sow some respect.

handcream · 10/04/2013 11:26

I was there on that day during the Olympics. It was unecessary. He looked very uncomfortable and imho not appropriate at an event like this.

LadyClariceCannockMonty · 10/04/2013 11:30

I don't know why it's not appropriate, or why it shows a 'lack of class', for people to express their feelings about a public figure if they make a public appearance at a public event. If Osborne had been attending as a private citizen, just sitting in the stands, and someone had pointed him out and people had booed/jeered, that would have been different.

LadyClariceCannockMonty · 10/04/2013 11:31

PS of course he looked uncomfortable. I don't think that's a problem. It's a democracy and, again in the context of a public event, everyone has a democratic right to express their opinion.

Dawndonna · 10/04/2013 11:36

The booing that Osbourne got wasn't nearly as bad as people on the left like to make out. I was lucky enough to be there that night, the crowd was excited and were making a noise at anything.
Funny. My very Tory brother was there and is far more honest about the event than you.

NiceTabard · 10/04/2013 11:36

If I was given the opportunity to boo gideon I would grasp it keenly with both hands Grin

flatpackhamster · 10/04/2013 11:36

LadyClariceCannockMonty

I don't know why it's not appropriate, or why it shows a 'lack of class', for people to express their feelings about a public figure if they make a public appearance at a public event. If Osborne had been attending as a private citizen, just sitting in the stands, and someone had pointed him out and people had booed/jeered, that would have been different.

Because the world was watching, and it was Britain's chance to showcase itself. Just as the Leftoids who are threatening to riot at Thatcher's funeral show a lack of class, booing at the Olympics because you disagree with the politics of the person on the stage shows a lack of class.

It's immature, it's petty, and it achieves nothing except to make everyone else look at you and think 'Grow up'. Who are you reaching out to? [[http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danhodges/100211461/if-labour-cant-show-restraint-today-it-will-say-more-about-them-than-it-does-about-margaret-thatcher/ Dan Hodges' article in the Telegraph today] talks about this lack of maturity from the left.

flatpackhamster · 10/04/2013 11:37

Damn it. Fixed article link.

Dawndonna · 10/04/2013 11:39

Leftoids and you go on about immaturity.

As for lack of class, well just take a look around you. Look at your benefit bashing on various threads. You at your leftoid bashing and then come back and discuss class.

Class is something very few people have, and the word is frequently used in the wrong context, in your case, for example, I don't mean a lack of class, that is something I know little about, although have suspicions. What I actually mean is a lack of grace.

CloudsAndTrees · 10/04/2013 11:42

I'm just giving my impression of what happened around me Dawn, like I said, it's a big stadium. I'm not saying people generally like Osbourne, they don't, myself included. I'm just saying that the booing wasn't as bad as some people like to believe.

I can honestly, hand on my heart, say that where I was, everyone was booing fairly quietly, without any malice, and people has smiles on their faces as they continued to boo.

I can assure you that while your brother may be being honest about what he witnessed, I am being equally so. Whether or not that fits into your agenda is another matter entirely.

Dawndonna · 10/04/2013 11:45

Of course it doesn't fit into my agenda Clouds, neither does my brother's politics!

Seriously though, your wording on the second post is great, it's stating that you felt it wasn't as bad, rather than stating as fact that it wasn't as bad. I'm going to pm you with a bit of an apology!

LadyClariceCannockMonty · 10/04/2013 11:48

flatpack, I would not jump to the conclusion that the whole world was looking on with a cats-bum mouth as people booed. Sure, some of them might have been, but others may be neutral or, imagine this if you can, even agree with the booers.

IMO it's a bit insecure and Hyacinth Bucket-ish to worry so much about a bit of booing spoiling 'Britain's chance to showcase itself', or to care if some people out of a massive worldwide audience might have been thinking 'Grow up' (and I certainly don't believe that 'everyone else' was thinking that.)