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?

The IRA's statement after the bombing was- ?Today we were unlucky, but remember we only have to be lucky once ? you will have to be lucky always.?

I think I would've shit myself. Those boys meant business.

niceguy When you say the U.K 'owned' the Falklands how exactly did we get to 'own' it then? Was it by walking into it and saying we owned it? is it not nearer Argentina by a thousand miles or so than the U.K.?

We got rid of our empire a long time ago why should we want a pile of rocks in the middle of nowhere?

why should we want a pile of rocks in the middle of nowhere?

Self determination, innit?

yep - Self determination says the Falklands is UK.

ppeatfruit. Geography isn't really useful in determining 'ownership' If so Alaska is closer to Russia and joined to Canada. I'm sure the US would not think that therefore Russia/Canada own Alaska.

You can read the history of the Falkland's yourself and it's a bit messy as you can imagine from discovering an island in the 1600's!

As for the pile of rocks in the middle of nowhere, I honestly think had Argentina waited a bit longer, Maggie probably would have sold it to them. It had no strategic value and economically insignificant. But once another country invades your territory, you can't just say 'oh well'. If someone invaded the Shetland islands, should we just say 'ah well, it's just a small little island and noone really wants it anyway'

Because the Falkland Islanders are British Citizens and wish to remain so.

Re the Falklands, british were there in the 1500's, but didn't have control in the modern sense of the word. The Argentinian claim relates to a period post 1800, but prior to the time when it came under British Territory in 1833 (about 3 years of Argentinian claim) it had also been French and Spanish (when the pope divided the world into Spanish and Portugese areas)

'A pile of rocks in the middle of nowhere'

The waters around the Falklands contain oil & lots of it, but apart from that minor fact it's British with British people living on it, but hey, let's just roll over & give it up.

Why do you think the Argentines wanted 'a pile of rocks in the middle of nowhere' if they weren't going to benefit from it?

Condolences to Lady Thatcher's friends and family, I myself have nothing but the utmost respect for her. And I expect that she herself would simply deliver a suitably scathing rebuke to those "dancing on her grave", she was always very eloquent.

She's at peace now, anyway, and free of her illness too, bless her. All those pathetic things rioting? They have to continue to live in the hellhole that planet Earth is fast becoming. But this time there isn't anyone willing or able to step up and ring in the required changes.

Off-topic: what should Britain's response to North Korea be?

After the Falklands she wouldn't allow anyone disabled on the victory parades.

Off-topic: what should Britain's response to North Korea be?

Pretty much ignore them. As a mate of mine always says.

Who is the biggest idiot? The idiot? Or the person trying to reason with them?

As far as North Korea goes, don't feed the troll.

I wonder how many people on these threads actually remember her doing any of these things. I am 35 so was 1 when she came to power and 12 when she left. I can't remember knowing anything about her politics. A lot of people on my Facebook doing the gravedancing thing are about 10 years my junior so i am baffled.

Of course I know what she did now but I can't manage to care either way if she is dead or not. She had no place in my life as for most of it she was retired and was hardly heard of. I feel sorry for her family as I would for anyone that had died but I can't understand why people get either pleased or desperately sad that someone they didn't know (celebrity/royal/politician), dies.

Interesting about the Falklands maybe its the oil that the U.K. wants. The Shetlands use to be Norwegian didn't they? (just to muddy the waters a bit more

My dad went to the Falklands to fight.
He signed up to the army in the first instance because of lack of opportunities in the north east. He knew exactly what he was getting in to. He fought for Queen and country and to this day is very proud to have. He's a solid labour supporter (being from the north east) but he didn't think twice about fighting for our country. He respected MT, he may not have liked her, but he knew that if she had given in to Argentinas demands, others would have followed suit.
'Tis a shame that upon taken redundancy from the forces he was effectively left to fend for himself. Any politician who pledged to look after our veterans would get my interest.
Before anyone chirps up saying something along the lines of 'see Thatcher didn't even look after our squaddies', he left after she was ousted fron Number 10.

I'm 54. I was a councillor when she was still in power. I am old enough to remember it all.

Iam 62 and am old enough to remember it all too Snicker

Dawndonna Interesting to be a councillor then; how did you and your colleagues feel about the capping of the councils at that time?

Re the Falklands, british were there in the 1500's, but didn't have control in the modern sense of the word. The Argentinian claim relates to a period post 1800, but prior to the time when it came under British Territory in 1833 (about 3 years of Argentinian claim) it had also been French and Spanish (when the pope divided the world into Spanish and Portugese areas)

Quite.
I'd happily claim all territories East of the Mid Atlantic back to the Portuguese.

Which section does NK belong to, though?

Never mind. I've just checked and NK belongs to the Portuguese section.
Better keep things as they are.

"After the Falklands she wouldn't allow anyone disabled on the victory parades."

Evidence please.

If this is true she was a bit shit at hiding Simon Weston away....

Self-determination? Like when she called the ANC and Nelson Mandela terrorists for fighting for their own country, where the minority oppressed the majority, based on skin colour.

People have very short memories. This country was on its knees before Thatcher was elected.

Union bosses got to vote on behalf of the whole union, wasn't it Thatcher who insisted on every union member getting a vote therefore stopping the country being brought to its knees by the union bosses, who really didn't always have the union members best interests at heart?

Yes mining and manufacturing declined but this would have happened at some point under a conservative or labour government and Thatcher had the foresight to see that economies would be underpinned by the financial services sector. Britain would be the poor relative of Europe if that had not have happened.