Margaret Thatcher's in hospital,Is this the beginning of the end? How will you mark the day? Black arm band or party 7.

[Cowwomanmoo]

After looking at the news about Mr T I found my self on wikiquote.

Classic:

In an interview with George Negus for the Australian TV program 60 minutes, the following exchange occurred:
Negus: Why do people stop us in the street almost and tell us that Margaret Thatcher isn't just inflexible, she's not just single-minded, on occasions she't plain pig-headed and won't be told by anybody?
Thatcher: Would you tell me who has stopped you in the street and said that?
Negus: Ordinary Britons...
Thatcher: Where?
Negus: In conversation, in pubs...
Thatcher (interrupting): I thought you'd just come from Belize
Negus: Oh this is not the first time we've been here.
Thatcher: Will you well me who, and where and when.
Negus: Ordinary Britons in restaurants and cabs
Thatcher: How many?
Negus: ...in cabs
Thatcher: How many?
Negus:I would say at least one in two
Thatcher:Why won't you tell me their names and who they are?

well if she does peg it then I will be definitely be digging out my Arthur Scargill outfit and dancing all the way to the bloody mines. Or at least , the places where they used to be.

The entire family is shameful IMO - what with the lovely arms dealing mercenary son and the 'what's so offensive about calling people golliwogs anyway' daughter. Not to mention the vile 'let's do loads of business with the apartheid Afrikaans diamond merchants' Denis. They make me ashamed to be British actually.

Absolutely agree edam! I also remember that Carrington refused to send a sub to patrol the area. David Owen [who he?] suggested at the time that a bit of "sabre rattling" might have averted the entire conflict.

Re: the NHS her legacy is still with us. Hence B&Bs implicit faith in "Trusts" and PFI projects. Over the years we have seen a massive rise in "outsourcing" with all its attendant problems [including inept cleaning firms and poorly trained staff] administrative and management salaries have ballooned and and millions has been wasted on management "consultants", PR, and crap computer programmes. Meanwhile, patients and staff have basically been left to get on with it.

Blimey Lucia, we keep agreeing on this thread... which is quite alarming given we are usually opposed! But your comments about the way the NHS has been messed about are spot-on.

Except that staff haven't been left alone to get on with it - if only! Constant re-organisation and interference has made it bloody hard for anyone to do their job.

yy dp, there was also no-one else to vote for. gawd, do you remember when labour had a chance against major and blew it with 'y'aaaaalright? Y'AAAAAAAALRIIIIIIIGHT?'

You've got the wrong end of the stick Rhubarb.Again. I have never condoned dancing on her grave.I expressed that in my first post.
You seem confused.

mrsruffallo, that was a general point, not expressly directed towards you. Sorry, I do tend to organise my posts a bit randomly don't I!

edam: I stand corrected by your expertise!

(I remember Ian McDonald reading the 'official' version of the day's events in the Falklands, also Brian 'I counted them all in and I counted them all out' Hanrahan')That kind of reporting would be deemed extraordinary nowadays.

Also can't stand Margaret Thatcher. Think the 'broken arm' is a euphamism for losing her marbles though.

Lucia, I agree with the power of the media. yes it was the Thatcher govt that cut back the garrisons in the South Atlantic that sent the wrong signal. But equally the Labour party was divided at the time, remember the SDP was a result of the split in the labour party which split their vote and prolonged the Thatcher Govt.
I do think the Thatcher Govt were quite clever in the sale of council homes, the privitisation of the utility companies and so on as the working class who benefited bought into it big time. That said alot of them did well from buying their houses and did get onto the housing ladder wereas previously they wouldn't have been able to. Then again that has screwed the social housing in this country to this day. You know today people can buy their council house and let it back on an agreed contract for upto five years from the same council who sold them the house? What on earth is the point of that?

margotfonteyn: Oh god yes, Briah Hanrahan - completely forgot about him! Remember all the fuss about Prince Andrew and Koo Stark after he got back from active service? I recall one headline [the Mail I think] was "How Could He?"

bonkers. did you see what i wrote about keith joseph, bgd, it was part of a union-crusher policy that whole 'give 'em something to lose' thing.

Lucia, are you feeling OK? Only it's not like you to refer to someone else's expertise...

(Being serious for a moment, I'm not a doc or nurse and don't work for the NHS, am merely a hack with very good contacts who has been writing about it for best part of 20 years and seen the policy merry go-round up close. I used to be one of a very tiny handful of people who actually understood how GPs got paid but then they went and negotiated a new contract, blast them!)

Aitch, I was a student in the 80's in Newcastle studying politics and I remember the Keith Joseph quote about destroying the miners for revenge. I was quite shocked when I saw it and we are all paying the consequences now. (there hasn't been a decent fast bowler come out of Yorkshire for years....)(You'll only get that if you like cricket)(I'll get my coat)

BGD: Oh yes, who could forget the SDP and the Gang of Four? I still have the 1987 Spitting Image Election Special on video! "The surge David, the surge.... Oh I've surged too early"! Not forgetting the final piece "The Bastardgarten"!

Spitting Image was class, it really hit the nail on the head. Loved the sketch with Denis and Margeret Thatcher in bed. Denis was sleeping but talking...Arthur Scargill...Michael Foot..Neil Kinnock..Them Margeret Thatcher jumped on him and said Oohh Denis I love it when you talk dirty...

edam: You will find that I'm not nearly as black as the picture that has been painted of me on other boards on this site!

I realised after I'd posted that short reply that it might have appeared to be sarcastic [not enough emoticons I'm afraid] so I hope you didn't think I was being unpleasant because I wasn't.

he was a wicked, wicked, clever, wicked bastard, that keith joseph. but maggie loved him. [bagpuss]

can't help you with the cricket i'm afraid, wrong side of the country. although dh was a decent bowler, claim to fame that he bowled out brian lara who i believe was pretty good himself.

BGD: I agree that in the 80s it was at its zenith with some biting sarcasm and so many [later famous] comedians cut their teeth in those series. However, I always feel a bit sorry for Steve Nallon because once Thatcher was kicked out he basically lost his most famous job!

I think you'll find the same happened to MIke Yarwood when Harold Wilson went as well... I tell you, politics, it's a comedians graveyard..

maybe nallon will be able to squeeze a few shekels out of the telly bods when they (inevitably) come calling to make the 'misunderstood maggie' documentary after she kicks it.

Aitch, I hope dh looks after the hand that bowled the ball. He must dine out on that?

BGD: Ah yes he sort of disappeared too didn't he? It was Janet Brown who played Thatcher opposite his Jim Callaghan, wasn't it?

God, now I really am showing my age!

mostly people here say brian who but if he's in the company of aussies they go WILD for his tales. apparently a lot of west indian etc cricketers used to play in the east coast amateur leagues to get visas (or something like that) to then go and play in england. anyway, it was something to do with that, a kinda testimonial thing for one of those guys (you'd recognise the name, will ask dh for you later) and lara showed up in support. dh admits that he doesn't think lara was trying very hard that day, but still...

are you 39, lucia?

lol aitch...yes i remember it, it was painful....i still cringe thinking about it..