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

[Corygal]

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...

LadyClariceCannockMonty

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.

Let me put it like this. I think Gordon Brown is a dreadful man and was an awful PM. My feelings about him are just as strong as people who dislike MT. If I had been in the audience at the games, and Brown had stood up to make a speech and other people started booing him, I wouldn't join in. I'd think that it was childish and immature and that they should pack it in.

It's possible - at least amongst the percentage of a population with a brain - to separate the policies of an individual with the performance of a particular office that the individual carries out. It's possible to act respectfully even if you don't feel any respect for a person.

It's possible - at least amongst the percentage of a population with a brain
Point proven.

'I'd think that it was childish and immature and that they should pack it in.'

Well, that's up to you. Others felt and feel differently. I wouldn't have joined in booing Osborne, as it happens, but I'd never object to a bit of booing in the kind of context we're talking about.

And it's possible to 'act respectfully', sure, but people also have a choice about whether they do or not. And I'd hazard a guess that at least some of the booers had a brain, too.

'The Booers' were there to support the Paralympians and cheer on Team GB. They were an excited crowd in a hugely impressive stadium, who were making noise and cheering at everything. So the chancellor came out and received what I believe to be a good natured boo. That is all. A non event.

The atmosphere at probably every Olympic and Paralympic event was one of celebration, where people were friendly and helpful to strangers and everyone was there to have a good time. I'm not sure why people think that completely disappeared because the chancellor was out there for all of about five minutes.

Dawndonna

Bless you Clouds.

Anybody paid attention to the news that Mp's today went back to Parliament early to sit about and 'talk' about Ms Thatcher and for that mark of paying respects they can claim up to 3,500 in expenses for them AND their families - you know because they had to go back early from their Easter breaks... Bless them, what a bloody inconvenience, having to get back to work early to talk about the passing of a past Prime Minister when still on Easter Break. A week or so after Easter anyhow and long, long after they stopped selling mini eggs in the giant packs in the shops - the latter upsets me as much as the expenses - I love mini eggs.

bet they are all booking flights and trains as we type boom with their heartfelt sympathies read and hand out ready for the expenses

boom

I can't help but wonder if Tony Blair will get a similar funeral in the future. After all he was in power for almost as long and divided opinion in a very similar way. What happens if David Cameron is re-elected and also lasts for a similar time period? Have the floodgates just opened and these type of funerals will become the norm?

It seems as though the decision making process needs to be reviewed as it doesn't sound as though anyone has ever come up with any rules on who should/shouldn't qualify.

Alpha I don't think Blair will get the funeral, the derision however, will follow, just as it has with Thatcher.

As for who should/shouldn't qualify, I have no idea. Thatcher herself was against a state funeral, stating it would be divisive. I think (as I stated earlier somewhere around these boards) that that is the sole reason Gordon Brown opted for the state funeral!

Margret Thatcher asked for a private family funeral, no pomp or procession - she asked to be buried next to her husband. I think I am correct in both those things, its certainly what I heard on he news yesterday... Whatever anybody's thoughts on her as a person or as a Prime Minister, those were her last wishes as she wanted them to be - both of them have been denied to her.
I am Welsh, I am a miners daughter - we lived opposite a mines rescue station also. We suffered dreadfully back then. I was 13 at the time it all started. I intensely distrust and dislike Tory politicians as a result and all the Tory cuts going on today only strengthen my distrust and dislike and she was, in my opinion, which is fueled by direct effects of her policies upon my family and I, the worst of the lot.
I would never, ever deny a person their last wishes - I can understand and agree on the no burial, the cremation because to see a vandalised grave, its so unkind on the family left behind. But it is also unkind on the family to know their mum can not be buried next to their dad, as she wanted.

alphablock what happens if Cameron is voted in again! My brain can't go there - it refuses, it starts screaming, 'No....' Over and over again... He wasn't voted in this time, technically, so lets hope everybody who failed to vote last time around actually does go and vote next time around?

If Tony Blair and Neil Kinnock to name but two can manage and find it in them to show respect via words at this point in time for somebody who has passed away then I think we all can learn a lesson from them and act with the same accord. The funeral is a waste of public money but it is happening. The lady in question was herself questionable but she is now dead. Neither one of those things is going to change.
Wednesday will be a dvd day here - no Tv, no news. If you do not like what is happening, ignore it do not go and disrupt a funeral. The person who is dead won't give a s**t - but her children and Grandchildren will be hurt. Its not their fault, none of it. Its the people left behind who hurt. Maggie Thatcher is sat somewhere with an expensive glass of port in hand not caring two buggers what the hell we do down here. She was still somebody's mum and somebody's Nan...

boom - yes to all of that. I'm just pleased the whole circus will only last a week. Meanwhile people try to get on with their lives. The thought of another 4 yrs of Thatcher's drones isn't worth contemplating. As Billy Bragg said "don't celebrate, organise."
I've seen too many people die around me to have the slightest notion to admire funeral-disrupters. But I can see why on the day some civil disobedience, and a bit of criminal disobedience tbh, would be fine. Just as long as we all vote out the Condems at the first opportunity.

I think that Joe and Peter Haines may well disagree with you.
Not sure who they were, but if you meant Peter Hain, he's hardly in the same league as Helen Suzman as an opponent of Apartheid. More importantly, he was a Labour MP, so possibly a little less neutral on MT than a liberal parliamentarian from another country?

Apart from which Thatcher's 'grubby little terrorist' description of Mandela hardly does your stance credit, does it.

In fairness to Thatcher, the ANC was a terrorist organisation. Its aim was to overthrow the government, it had nowhere close to the military power to do so, so what "military action" it took, planting bombs, sometime in places where people would be killed, killing "collaborators" etc. could only have advanced their aims by instilling fear in various target populations. That's by definition terrorism.

In fairness to you, someone did have to point out to Thatcher that before Mandela went into prison, bombs had only been planted where they would destroy infrastructure rather than kill people.

Yes, you're right on the spellling. It was a bad night last night.
However, before Peter was a Labour MP, he had 'left' South Africa and whilst an MP still had BOSS trying to frame him for bank robbery.

(Joe is his father).

A Marxist govt in Pretoria was never, ever a likelihood.

Eh?! The ANC and the SA Communist Party were at the very least deeply symbiotic. The (miracle) of the lack of communism is (I'd guess) due to a combination of the negotiated handover of power by whites, but more importantly the very recent and sudden collapse of the Soviet Union discrediting communism.

Crumbs chris join the hamster on the fear-fantisist bench, please?

A Marxist govt in Pretoria was never, ever a likelihood. Even IF it was, SA would have been a democracy and so chose it's path of self-determination?

As for the second part, never heard the phrase "One man, one vote, once?" That describes what happened in half the world after de-colonialisation. How do you think today's Zimbabweans would feel to be told that everything's OK with their country because Mugabe was fairly elected 30-odd years ago?

Apart from Botswana, what other African countries were acceptably democratic and well-governed at the time Thatcher was in power? (I'm using "democratic" as the antithesis of communist because that's how things worked.)

(Apologies for any incoherence in this post, 3-year nagging me to play with her, I'm off.)

I do actually rather suspect that Cameron and co are gagging for a few riots on the day of the funeral, hence the fact that they are making such a big deal out of it. They want an excuse to demonize the poor even further and quite probably to bring in some additional repressive laws to keep the unwashed feral scum in their place.

Sorry chris you're rambling again, with respect. SA and Zimbabwei are two quite different countries - differing political structures, different histories, differing wealth, differing ethnic make-ups. I'm afraid you haven't got past the fear thing to justify supporting racism, which MT did support.

I agree Solid. If anyone protests they will say it was mainly poor/low waged/unemployed people who were protesting and use it against them in propaganda like they did with the Philpott case only one week ago.

May I just say that the 3,500 pounds (my pound sign on laptop is broken!) Mp's can claim to go today to debate the passing of M Thatcher - I would like it all to go to Glenda Jackson. Please. Every penny of it... Outstanding she was - outstanding.

I still don't want to see riots at a funeral but the above was simply a class act and the way to do it if you want to object to Ms Thatcher...
Applause for Glenda Jackson.

SGB - i think you are right, I also think they are enjoying the distraction for the left's anger over the cuts. the narrative of any protests and the media coverage is the anger at what Thatcher did all those years ago. If not, then there was always the chance this summer there would be protests over the cuts - that would be a direct challenge to the current government's policies. This will (hopefully for them) diffuse the anger at the cuts, making any protests being centred on old policies they have nothing to do with.

No one is talking about bedroom tax, universal credit, disability benefit changes anymore. We're all busy talking about a woman who left centre stage 23 years ago.