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?

I'm not dismissing the value of hard work- just the direction in which it is aplied matters also. Far too many people slog their guts out doing voluntary work, in jobs like social work, picking up the litter in the park or giving kids something to do in the evening and neer get a good word said about them. I'm not convinced about youtr businessman thing- tehre is value in tax and employment but unless DH is unusual (he's not) the reason for starting up alone isn't to create societal benefit but to keep the profit (one day anyway LOL).

I have been very careful not to get carried away about MrsT n this thread becuase of the initial OP, but I don't personally remember anything about her time. however I was in athe wrong place at the wrong time- an industrial town council estate, a child with the school strikes we had, a teen under her working in the NHS and then as a young adult struggling to keep a job becuase the businesses were collapsing.
That doesn't mena I don't see the negatives of other Governments either- of course I do- but add in that my family would be targetted by a lot of what I suspect the Tories would bring in (not directly targetted obv PMSL, am not paranoid ) because we're on a very low income ATM with chidlren relying on disabled provision in schools- I see no reason to be optimistic about the potential Tory Governments of the future and can only thank God for devolution as a mitigating factor.

But then the Tories here are saying the first thing they would do is cancel free prescriptions- I know you dont get them in england but when we came here it was amazing, no more not getting prescritoions because we couldn't afford to get them amde up........ DH could actually afford to get on meds he needed. A big thing.

The big problem I suppose with the tories is the assumoption that everyone can pull themselves up by the bootstraps and get on. Alot of people could I know but there is a core of people who can't for very good reasons, or in the process of doing so and they need protecting and support. Dismiss peoples wories about alck of jobs and tell them to get on their bike.... well except thsoe who are dependant on family or care for them, need to be close to specialist educational proviosn or healthcare, or are out of work and just cannot afford it..... Ok then

'but I don't personally remember anything positive about her time

'DH could actually afford to get on meds he needed. A big thing.'

Yes, but who really pays for 'free' prescriptions. I don't mean to sound harsh (and I'm certainly glad that your husband can now have his prescriptions and I hope they're helping him) but I'm about to go into the chemist to pick up some prescriptions for myself and it's expensive. Meanwhile I'm struggling to pay my biggest tax bill ever. So, effectively, I'm paying for my prescription and those of people in Scotland.

How is that fair?

how is it fair that peachy's husband is sick and mine isn't? how is it fair that sometimes he can't afford to get medicine and mine doesn't even need it? life is not fair, i think that govt should be doing more to help those less fortunate out, not less. but then that's rather the point, isn't it? maybe you think peachy's dh should just get on his bike?

abraid, how fair was it that the North Sea Oil tax revenue financed the country in the 80's?

abraid I do get what you are sayning- what you need though is an English Assembly isn't it? Or you could do what we did and move (hey! we gotr on our biks PMSL)

Actually in fairness I reckon they paid for themselves many times over, in terms of time off work / tax paid. There's an issue there also I think.

I'd change the system slightly over the entire UK: all first and second prescriptions for a med paid for by patient unless getting the benefitsas per english rules; use thesaving in Wales / Scotland to fund repeats then for those with longer term health needs.

A sort of midway.

Very few people can't afford one or two charges, but if you have longer term health needs its a real cost- BIl has severe life threatening ulcerative colitis, DH had severe depression (i'm talikng very severe), chrionic IBS and liver problems (from badreaction to meds); he should be off all of them with 6 mnths (yay! only taking last batch of anti d's now) but would ahve been a very severe cost to us before, and they kept him in work paying taxes.

Thre's currently a prescrition cert isn't there? Something like that then, but funded.

because like peachy says, swc, it's perfectly obvious that what's needed is an english assembly, if that's what you lot want. not my concern.

plenty's not fair, tbh it's was a pretty crude and emotive question from abraid. and people landed with surprisingly big tax bills have made surprisingly big amounts of money first. i think what Maggie Thatcher would suggest is that better management of funds is required in future if she's struggling to pay for prescription bills now.

She was the first woman primeminister - does that count for anything? Her policies might have been shite, she may have "ruined" everything, but i believe she believed she was doing the right thing. Just like gordon brown, tony blair, john major thought they were doing the right thing.

I will be sad if she dies but im most certainly not a supporter of her politics.

You cannot compare Thatcers cons with todays Labour as they are different times. Thatcher's goverment has left a poisen in the throat in many, just look at the riots and unions and how they were treated, unhappy people....I am very unhappy with todays goverment like many for many reasons (grr...banks). I am more worried with the media sways the public. The media seems to say and the public believes...what do others think ( I am possibly talking crap). What is news today, we need to know whats going on bit sometimes I think they manipulte to the point of stupid....scare mongering.