To think that it's perfectly fine to be pleased someone is dead when they caused such a lot of harm?

[LoopaDaLoopa]

So, all these people saying it is inappropriate to speak ill of the dead are all positive and nice about Pol Pot are they? Stalin? Hitler?

Just because someone dies does not make them a nice person.

And did you feel sorry for Saddam Hussain's family? Or did it not cross your mind?

It was New Labour who didn't reverse anything, and they have their own brand of shitty behaviour for us to deal with.

With regard to the Council Housing sell off you have to ask yourself what did the councils do with the money they made from the sales? They certainly didn't reinvest it in maintaining the remainder of their housing stock. Well not in Manchester anyway! That's a whole other thread.

Transcript of the "Rejoice" speech from the Margaret Thatcher Foundation:

MT

[video clip begins].
Ladies and gentlemen. The Secretary of State for Defence has just come over to give me some very good news and I think you'd like to have it at once.

[Text from video clip ends. BBC Radio News Report begins:]

JN

[BBC Radio News Report begins]

The message we have got is that British troops landed on South Georgia this afternoon, shortly after 4 pm London time. They have now successfully taken control of Grytviken; at about 6 pm London time, the white flag was hoisted in Grytviken beside the Argentine flag. Shortly afterwards, the Argentine forces there surrendered to British forces. The Argentine forces offered only limited resistance to the British troops. Our forces were landed by helicopter and were supported by a number of warships, together with a Royal Fleet Auxiliary. During the first phase of this opinion, our own helicopters engaged the Argentine submarine, Santa Fé, off South Georgia. This submarine was detected at first light and was engaged because it posed a threat to our men and to the British warships launching the landing. So far, no British casualties have been reported. At present we have no information on the Argentine casualty position. [video clip begins] The Commander of the operation has sent the following message:"Be pleased to inform Her Majesty that the White Ensign flies alongside the Union Jack in South Georgia. God save the Queen."

Press

What happens next Mr Nott ? What's your reaction ??

MT

Just rejoice at that news and congratulate our forces and the marines.

[MT answers emphatically then turns towards the door of No.10]

Goodnight.

[Begins walking back to the door of No. 10]

Press

Are we going to war with Argentina Mrs Thatcher?

MT

[pausing on the doorstep of No. 10]

Rejoice.

stressbybessy its because council house sales enabled people to get on the property ladder. Or they don't pay tax OR work in local government and get backhanders. It is bizarre; the average salary in my area is slightly above the national average, yet we are surrounded by megabucks houses. I don't just mean a few, but swathes of them. Allegedly this is a strong ex-mining, Labour area. DH and I are mere professionals and had to do buy a wreck and do it up slowly.

So why is it that countries like Germany, still have strong traditional industries and a far better manufacturing base than the UK? Is it because the Germans have a stronger work ethic and have better working practices?

Councils don't want to have anything to do with housing. It's too expensive, too much hard work and not glamourous enough. Hence so many council homes being turned over to HAs.

ppfruit Mrs Thatcher wasn't technically a right winger, but a neo-liberal.

If you look into political ideology, the notion of polarisation comes into play, which is possibly what you are getting at in your last post?

So MT 'rejoiced' in the deaths of others did she?
And you MT haters (I neither loved or hated her) think its wrong do you?
But it's ok to rejoice over her death because of that?
And you don't think that in some small way that makes you just as bad?

IMO the answer LessMiss to that question is to do with the 2ndW.W. completely decimating the old German industries so they had to rebuild and modernise which for some reason wasn't done here.

The miner's strike was obviously very divisive. And I can understand why ex-miner's still hate her. But I feel their blame is misplaced.

Flatpackhamster posted a very interesting article the other day which I can't find now. If anyone can find it and link it I'd be grateful.

The gist of it was that basically mining was VERY uneconomical. They needed large subsidies (> £1.5billion p/a) just to stay alive and even more subsidies to convince UK companies to buy UK coal (since they could get it cheaper from abroad). When Scargill was asked what losses he think were acceptable to keep unprofitable mines in operation his reply was something like: "..the loss is without limit"

In that sort of context all Thatcher was doing was refusing to let the NUM hold the UK to ransom.

If they want to blame someone, maybe blame Scargill for convincing miner's to strike when there really wasn't an alternative.

Skargill is the true villain, it's true.

If you read up on the unions in the seventies it is, with rare exceptions, an awful story. Want to start a new company, employing people? Forget about it. Unless you operate under union, uneconomic terms, you haven't a hope. Want a job for life? If you have union connections or your father works for XXX--you're in. Fairness didn't come into it. Women or black/Asian people? Not a hope. White and male was what mattered.

The unions actually carried out strikes during WW2 FGS: in essential industries. That's how much love they had for their countrymen. It beats me how anyone can defend these undemocratic dinosaurs. They may have had their place earlier in the twentieth century, but by the seventies they did their members, and the rest of us, more harm than good.

Stephanie Powers Most of the money from council house sales went to the government, not the local authority. They were only allowed to keep 28% of the capital receipts. Not enough with which to buy land to build more, nor enough to keep a large housing stock in good order. That's the way Maggie planned it, so that the Local Authority would lose the bulk of their housing to housing associations which are essentially run as a business. What she didn't plan for was that many would operate on a charitable basis. She was hoping for more business investment.

'New Labour could 've changed some of the policies and didn't bother' I'm not supporting them for one minute

IMO Party Politics is a load of crap and hot air. So much bleedin' hot air!!

Niceguy
Check out The Times obituary on Rex Hunt.
Sorry, but she was in the wrong.

Yes true LaQueen and Abraid but you don't get (well you used not to) anyone calling for the downfall of old boy upperclass enclaves .To be fair though MT wasn't keen on the Upper class old boy networks either.

They HATED her

Yeah and a GROCERS' DAUGHTER to boot !!!! "She was from TRADE doncha know"

Margaret Thatcher was not appreciated by me or anyone in my family but we can't speak ill of the dead and I am sorry for those mourning her loss but I cannot understand why her funeral will be held with 'full military honours' as she was nothing to do with the army except sending soldiers to their death in the Falklands, just because, it seems to me, that her popularity in UK was waning.

Of course she fancied herself as your name!!!

The Queen I mean! I agree varya BTW

she was nothing to do with the army except sending soldiers to their death in the Falklands

Huh? She sent the soldiers to recapture land which the UK owned and liberate UK citizens whom had been held hostage in effect by Argentina.

If that is not what people join the armed services to do, I don't know what is! Of course some inevitably would die. Something she was painfully aware of and personally wrote letters to each fallen soldier.

she seemed brave after the IRA bombing in Brighton.