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?

hah, you googled talbot.

Privatisation.
you can't stop that bolting horse.

lower state aid to industry and non-intervention in private sector strikes

didn't we just bail out the banks? that's hardly hands-off. and what industry? she fucked it.

increased share ownership
see under privatisation

deregulation of the financial system,
yep, that worked well. (see global financial crisis).

reduction in direct taxes and an increase in indirect taxes
sneaky taxes... nice.

{inflation targeted as a key indicator

Increased take-up of private pensions

introduction of the first national curriculum

introduction of competition into the NHS}

you think these are good things? have they been popular with NHS staff, with teachers, have pensions done well under her financial dereg'ing?

strengthening the Western allioance against the Soviets (and the subsequent successful resolution of the Cold War.

what would be gained by reversing this?

now that you've laid out your argument, talbot, you're basically saying that her policies, the ones that have wrecked so much, have been taken up by greedy, powerful people, the same greedy powerful people that TB had to court to get labour electable... so why would a thatcherite PM (blair) seek to offend those voters?

now that i see what you're actually saying, i'd answer that the fact that her 'i'm alright jack, pocket the cash' approach would require a revolution to shift, so entrenched is it in our degraded population. i refer you again to my first answer:

"By AitchTwoOh on Sun 14-Jun-09 00:43:22
that evil witch ruined everything. and to think that she entered no 10 with the words of st francis of assisi. "

I'm not making any comment on whether or not any of the above are good or otherwise, simply pointing that no government has reversed them. Thus any argument that she was "evil" or whatever should presumably equally apply to each and every subsequent government as they have perpetuated these policies.

Don't accept the horse has bolted argument as privatisation and deregulation was significantly expanded under subsequent governments.

i think its a pretty pointless argument then, tbh. you have to make a judgement about the policy. she set the rot in.

I agree you have to make a judgement about the policy but of course that should apply to each and every government that perpetuates said policy.

i think that's naive, tbh, given that in order to be electable the craven TB had to appeal to the greedy, selfish i'm alright jacks who voted the tories in three times while not giving a shit about what happened in the rest of the country. nothing short of a revolution could change this society (not that there's any such thing, of course ) after she demolished the desire to act collectively and take care of those less fortunate.

We'll have to agree to disagree.

talbot...you have to look at the policies that effected the ordinary man in the street.....

selling off council houses was a killer...she wanted everyone to have a mortgage so they wouldn't strike (even if they could)....anyone with a half decent job bought their council house ...sold it 5 years later for a massive profit and spent the rest of their lives talking about house prices....she created the me, me, me, generation...

anyway....nothing more to say on this thread.....i wont be crying when she dies...

And did the Blair govt reverse the policy on pwnership of council houses?

No they didn't talbot. There is a 5 year waiting list in some areas for a council house, whilst in these same areas, residents are allowed to buy theirs after a certain period of time.

It's bizarre.

there are hardly any left, talbot, but from what i observ under this govt housing assocs have proliferated and i know they have limited the right to buy scheme.

Not really, not according to this they haven't, they practically encourage it.

Custy works for a Housing Association, she'd know more about this.

But I think I understand talbot's main point, that as abhorrent as Thatchers policies were, subsequent governments haven't been falling over themselves to reverse any policies. That's because her policies were dedicated to capitalism and the people who profited were the bankers, the policiticans, the rich and wealthy. She also enabled the Tories to become a very rich party in its own right, thanks to large donations from businessmen eager to keep the capitalist system going.

So whilst her policies make money for the government, why should they rush to reverse them?

Absolutely SWC. It's strange how Thatcher managed in a relatively short period of time to change almost every facet of this country and yet everyone says that "oh well of course it couldn't be reversed now". If she could do it, why couldn't other PM's?

"If she was wrong, we were wrong."

i think what you mean here is 'if she was wrong, anyone who voted for her was wrong".

rhubarb, i wonder if this is an england/scotland thing re the housing assocs. i don't know of any round here that still have a right to buy scheme. they do i think in the scuzzier areas, but not anywhere you'd actually want to live, iykwim?

Well yes and presumably anyone who voted for Tony Blair was also wrong given that his key policies are identical to hers.

The vast majority of council estates here are rapidly being bought up, whilst young families and other people are on the waiting list for years. The government can put a stop to that, but they won't. The government sell the council houses to the HAs, who then sell them off for a hefty profit.

Labour may say they loathe Thatcher, but they've hardly gone out of their way to right the so many wrongs she did.

I am so glad i know nowt about Politics - this thread is hurting my Brain.

I have only ever heard her name, i know nothing of what she did and didn't do i think i shall keep it at that and go back to my knowlageless existance.

Titsalina!

That's very brave of you admitting to ignorance and being proud of it!

I seriously know nothing, i am ignortant to all aspects of politics and i don't plan to change that, to be fair i am only young i wasn't around when Thatcher was in power. Saying that i now Gordon Brown in Priminister but that is my limit when it comes to politics.

ignorance isn't bliss.....everyone should know a little bit about politics

that's kinda depressing tbh titsalina, and how parties like the bnp get in. i'm not sure i'd be so thrilled with myself.

i'm only goiing on where i live, rhubs, but i really don't think there's any council housing stock left tbh.

and look, talbot, i do get your point on this, i just disagree with it and think you're being an apologist for thatcher by way of criticising those who came after her. it's a pretty hackneyed tactic that ignores the fact that she was the crucible for a lot of ideas that have come to have a parlous effect on our country. you listed them earlier, while claiming the right not to express a view on them.

i don't particularly find what came after her that relevant to how much i loathe her for starting the process, but for the record i also cannot stand Princess Tony.

should say i knew john smith a bit. we could have had something with him, i think, he was a pragmatic labourite but not craven like blair.

Of course I have a view on the policies but my views just weren't material to the point I was trying to make.

Anway Aitch, it's been nice talking to you and at least we agree on Princess Tony!

There is some left here, and there was in Carlisle too. Very quickly being bought up however. The HA controls a good deal of it now.

is there only one HA or are there loads of little ones? i'm wondering if it's just a different system here.

i had a pal who was desperate for a house due to DV, they offered her temp accom in our area but said she'd have to move if she wanted a permanent council place (with no right to buy i'm pretty sure).