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?

Anyone remember her 'testing out' the Poll Tax in Scotland to punish us for being a bunch of lefties?

I grew up in a family that did well under the Conservatives but who is now suffering as a result of the current administration's policies.

It really does depend on your personal experiences as to which direction your political viewpoint will lean.

The thing is, nobody can ever get it right, no matter what they promise, mistakes will always happen.

I will celebrate.

Not because I wish her dead, she has no teeth now, a sad washed up old mad woman. But.....

Thatcher has become an icon for all that was utterly fuckwittery about the 80's politics, and on top of that she was a venomous nasty flag bearer.

I will celebrate the passing of an past era and and icon of selfish individualistic poisonous damaging inhumane town crier.

I would celebrate but in the context that she stood for such unkindness and a 'fuck 'em' individualism and I would want to let off fireworks and play music and dance and say 'you know what? I think there is a society here and I want to make it better and I have faith in people'

Oh yes, the good old poll tax!!
was paying the same for 1 room as someone who lived in a mansion house, 5 mins away.
not a very good idea at all.

V true flappy.'All political carears end in Failure'.

You're right Flappy. Negative personal experience does lead to bitterness.

What I could never get my head round though was the 'greed is good' and look after number 1 mentality that sat so well with Thatcherism. She stated that there was no such thing as society so it was basically tough cheese on anyone in need or who hadn't the opportunities in life that others had.

No matter what people feel about Gordon Brown and Labour surely their social policies have been more morally sound, and to be honest that is how I judge people. Idealistic maybe but morally right in my opinion.

Maybe we should form our own political party then?

We know how we would like to see the country being run, don't think we could do any worse a job

Goodnight all,Im taking my giant 38 week pg belly to 'sleep' I'm hopeing she wont be there in my nightmares.
"Please dont take my milk away..mumble.. dribble"

Goodnight, going to head off to bed too. No doubt will be woken up in about 5 hours time by dd's!!

1st weekend of dh's 7 month deployment almost over, only another 27 more to go. Thanks Tony Blair & Gordon Brown, can't blame the conservatives for this one!!

Goodnight all. Maybe one day everyone will be happy. See I'm being all idealistic again!

Bloody woman I can't stand her, but I won't wish anyone dead.

I will smile when she has passed away and agree that the world is a better place without her in it.

I've experienced first hand what she did to families and whole communities. No matter how much the current government are messing up, the damage done by that woman will always be far greater.

at least she had balls not like gb yOu nasty lot ,im at your replys

I'm a labour voter. Reading these replies makes me sick tbh. People talk of being moral and forgiving but where is hers? I'm not a lover but surely she deserves some sympathy? Live by your convictions and grant someone peace, what's done can't be undone, try and move on from that and improve things.

I don't wish death on anyone. Everyone has a life outside of their career, what about their family?

I got excited about her end being nigh, only to realise it's just a broken arm. But will scour the news lest it be something less trivial.
She fucked my family's lives up with her policies.
I don't wish her dead but will not mourn her passing.
I live near her birthplace
Dread the public offerings to celebrate her lifes work when she meets her maker.

Thatcher's ethos created a culture of greed and consumerism in this country. What's behind the current recession? Er, the country's culture of greed and consumerism! Her policies were damaging long term and for that she has a lot to answer for.
Gordon Brown has had a terrible press. His beliefs are quite sound IMO, but he has made some fundamental mistakes. It is not his fault though that the country is in recession. And at least he has had the courage to publicly apologize for some of his mistakes, which Thatcher never did. He may be 'weak' but look where a 'strong' leader (I.e. Thatcher) got us. I'd take weak but decent over morally reprehensible any day.

ONly the left would celebrate the illness or demise of anyone. They are so much less caring than the right it so often seems and yet seem to think they have a monopoly on care.

Thatcher did so much good. She got this country working again although sadly her payment back of the national debt was completely scuppered by Gordon Brown and look at the mess we are now in with tax rates going up to 51.5% (and effectively 70% because of pension changes for some) just like in the 70s.

Although perhaps we wil do even better under the Old Etonian than the butcher's daughter. She also showed that women could run this nation which was a huge boost for women of the UK.

I am not celebrating her illness or demise, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. But we are taking the opportunity to review her legacy.
She did not get my grandfather working again (a coalminer), nor half the mining town in which I grew up. Nor did she help my mother get back to work as there were no affordable childcare options in the eighties. Unemployment was at it's highest under Thatcher, the country resorted to riots, schools were failing and she killed off our national industries and exports. She put us firmly in America's pocket. So how exactly did she get this country "working again"?

How are the right more caring than the left? Is that not a huge generalisation?
As for celebrating the "illness or demise" of people, when Mandela was mentioned further up this thread I was reminded of the "hang nelson mandela" t-shirts widely available at Tory conferences during the period, and even sported by some MP's if memory serves correct.

another "shan't celebrate but certainly shan't moan"-er here. Maggies legacy was the destruction of british production and I am gobsmacked that people can forgive that. a lot of people made a lot of money (in the short term) under her leadership, but a lot more p[eople were living below the breadline because of it.
tell the miners and steelworkers that "she got this country working again", tell people like me that grew up in unemployed households that not only had no food 2 days before giro day (and by no food i mean totally empty cupboards) that "she got this country working again" because they will all laugh in your face.

she did do a lot for women in politics, but unfortunately her policies stunk and wrecked this country.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-BZIWSI5UQ

Talk of Thatcher takes me back to my very angry passionate teenage years, I find. I'm not really like that any more. I need to work on that! because I still feel anger and hatred for what she did to people. Blair and brown seem incompetent, stupid, and after iraq I wouldn't ascribe any moral high ground to them.
But that time, the INTENTION to create division, hate, suspicion, the destruction of communities and encouraging pride in not caring about anyone else...

It doesn't bring out the best in me

I won't be sad, but I won't be dancing in the streets either.
My abiding memory of growing up in Scotland during the Thatcher era was just how polarised things became. The rich seemed to get much more obviously wealthy and it didn't seem to matter that whole communities were forced into a cycle of unemployment and poverty, particularly if they were unlikely to vote Tory.

I shall be partying and moaning at the fact as a tax payer I'll be paying for her State funeral

In fact, this clip of Frankie Boyle probably best demonstrates how Scots feel about Thatcher.

This thread is about an old lady, with dementia, now in hospital with a broken arm.

Im no fan of Thatcher, but I dont think its appropriate to start thinking about how you are going to celebrate her death.

I grew up abroad, and was in my teens in the 80s so my life was really not directly affected by MT.
I so remember my dad swearing at the telly when she was on. Myself, I had a vague but definite sense of unease at her certainty about everything.
Now (and for some time) I am appalled what she did to parts of British society and thereby to the whole country. Were I now live and have done for the last 16 years the consequences of her policies still linger with 3rd generation unemployment and all the social misery and lack of perspective that goes with it.
I will not be dancing on her grave but will sincerely hope that any future Tory government (and surely we ARE heading that way?) will have more humane and socially responsible policies rather than lining their own pockets and hankering after the glories of an Empire that no longer exists.