So how do you feel about Margaret Thatcher's death

[teebeeohh]

well she did something, which is something most politicians don't. Problem is she kinda wrecked and everything and didn't build new things on top, yes sometimes you have to do a whole lot damage for things to get better you just shouldn't after the damage part. You also shouldn't be a gleeful, self-righteous ***** about everything. I also hated that fucking movie, for because what was her basic motivation was her desire to be right.
so yeah, ding dong the witch is dead

 

[Frission]

If we're talking about the effects Thatcher's policies had, I would like to say that the emphasis that Thatcher put on transforming Britain from a more industrial country to a more financial based country has come bite the UK in the ass with the recession.

I would even posit that we're feeling the negative effects of the policies of Thatcher and Reagan with the current financial and economic crisis.

History might remember her for having been someone who "acted", but I certainly won't applaud her for the way she handled Britain's problems. She caused a lot of suffering after all, so don't dismiss those who suffered under her as "extremists".

That said it's grotesque to have a party about her death. Thatcherism is still alive and kicking after all. Why not celebrate when that's dead?

 

[zumbledum]

If we're talking about the effects Thatcher's policies had, I would like to say that the emphasis that Thatcher put on transforming Britain from a more industrial country to a more financial based country has come bite the UK in the ass with the recession.

I would even posit that we're feeling the negative effects of the policies of Thatcher and Reagan with the current financial and economic crisis.

Actually and hard to believe as it might be todays economic situation has been in the post since 1971 and has its roots in the ruinous Vietnam war. Of course they were the starting gun and its been 4+ decades of what is termed "dollar imperialism" that's the road to this. and its going to get worse as the underlying problems get more extreme.

Its hard to evaluate the road not traveled, but its my opinion we would been in a worse state now if we hadn't endured Thatchers painful reforms.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

Even in death she's still running distraction for her parties terrible reforms...

 

[Longstreet]

Don't got the foggiest who this woman is, actually the reason i came in this thread.

Judging by the reactions though, she wasn't nice.

A well, can't care bout it.


Side question, When did the captcha go from spying on us to trying to force me into traveling with a mastercard?

 

[GreyDevil]

Margaret Thatcher was the first (and to date only) woman who served as Prime Minister of the UK. She came into office at a time when the UK was literally rotting. The unions were too powerful (that is actually starting to happen here in South Africa, just look at the Marikana mine 'massacre') the UK economy was like Greece today... pretty much gone. The UK was aso fighting in Northern Ireland against the IRA (Why the Irish hate her so much is because of this). Her rise to fame was the overhaul of the UK economy to 'rescue' it from slipping too far (by privatising many state run businesses and reducing the power of the unions), She also led the UK against Argentina in the Falklands War (which the UK won). She also led the UK to the end of the Cold War. Personally I believe that she was better than any other politician in recent times for her ability to act decisively. On a side note Nelson Mandela WAS a terrorist. This is fact. He was part of the founding of the military wing (the Umkhonto we Sizwe) of the ANC. He was involved of trying to overthrow the government of the Union of South Africa. Trust me I am a South African. I agree with another post here saying that once you have a nobel peace prize labels such as terrorist seemingly don't apply to you (I do not agree with the awarding of the nobel peace prize to both Mandela and FW De Klerk). I don't think that just the Nationalist Party in SA were the 'bad guys', the ANC did some nasty things as well (look it up in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission)

Anyway back on track I firmly believe that we need people who have the will and ability to act in modern governments like Margaret Thatcher did back in the 80's. Sure she brought suffering. I am not denying that she did not, but Britain as a whole improved because of her.

 

[Lieju]

She did what she thought was right for the country. All of her methods, although extreme and they caused the unemployment of more than a few, were done with the aim of economic prosperity in the long run. Her actions were always with the best of intentions, so I bare no malice towards her. Depending on who you ask she either set the country on course for long term economic growth or she destroyed the North of England and she's a war criminal and quite possibly the Emperor from Star Wars. Oh and she called Nelson Mandela a terrorist once.

I'm not well enough versed in the politics of the era to argue the other points, but I strongly disagree with the allegations of war crimes that crop up from time to time. Other than that I try to stay out of it.

Exactly, she may be viewed as evil by some people, but I really can't see her bad enough for people to cheer her death. I was disgusted when they did it for Bin Laden, and I'm certainly disappointed now. I don't agree with her policies at all, but I can't agree with celebrating the death of an 87 year old woman, that had been suffering dementia and failing health, from a stroke.

Yeah, it wasn't like she was even in power anymore. At least with Bin laden you can argue that his death brought an end to something bad.

But it wasn't like Thatcher was hiding in a cave somewhere where she could launch surprise milk-stealing heists from or something.

I guess it's positive in general that people like her won't live forever so that change can happen, but I don't think it's in good taste (or make sense)to be happy she is dead.

Even in death she's still running distraction for her parties terrible reforms...

What do you mean?

 

[Crispee]

I don't know my history so I don't really know what made her so popular, but why celebrate her death? And how is it possible for so many people to celebrate the death of one person and still feel morally superior? Yeah, cheer that somebody's dead, that doesn't make you a monster at all.

 

[BristolBerserker]

I'm deeply saddened by the death of the Iron Lady.Britain was sick and Maggie gave it the medicine it needed even if it was bitter to some. The reason why she is hated is by the left is because they were and still are obsessed with the past and what the state owed them. She looked to the future and saw Britain could be great again and made it so. She will long be remembered while those who spew bile at her memory and our current back-boneless politicians are long forgotten. R.I.P Maggie, you did what needed to be done.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

What do you mean?

The massive cuts that the Conservative were getting so much grief over you know. Giving the rich a £100000 a year tax cut but then taking £4000 a year off middle income earners...

And then Maggie dies and the papers are full of her and not of them.

:|

Also people quoting the daily mail...they are a conservative paper and about as objective as Fox News.

 

[flarty]

I am an American and I just want to know how most people feel about her death.

She was basically Reagan in Drag.

Good Riddance.

 

[Hawk eye1466]

I'm a little indifferent mostly because I'm American and don't know anything but the brief summaries the news mentioned off hand, the thing I'm confused about is yeah she seemed very unpopular but I've never known people to be celebrating to the point of almost rioting in the street because of a politicians death. Granted I usually ignore politicians but this seems pretty extreme.

 

[Zombie Sodomy]

It makes no sense for people to celebrate her death. She sounds like an old ***** but she stopped being influential a long time ago. That was the time to celebrate; this is just pointless spite.

 

[ZCAB]

At least she's the reason British music from the early to mid 80s was so awesome.

 

[SirPlindington]

Her period of relevance passed far before I was born. I know what she did, but I personally can't see it in the same way someone older might. So I guess I find it... interesting? And I suppose a bit satisfying, but not especially important to me.

 

[Jedi-Hunter4]

I feel about her death the same way I felt about Bin Laden's death: the departure of a human being who caused countless suffering, but a human being nevertheless. I can't find a reason to celebrate someone losing their life.

I'm sorry but I just don't get how on earth you can compare Margret Thatcher to Bin Laden. Tell me about the time Thatcher helped organised the mass murder of Men, Women and Children?

I'm not going to celebrate somebody dying but I sure as hell won't mourn. Margaret Thatcher was a vile woman who's negative effects are still being felt to this day and caused suffering to millions.

The first part, fair enough, much much better attitude than most. But the second part...

Justify that. Working Class people of the time I can understand hating her, they got fucked over big time for the sake of the country, big time. But pretty much every British person that is not in an unskilled labour job in Britain owes her massively for the track she set us on economically, an everyone owes her generally that the economy is not in a worse state than it is.

she shut down the labour industries because she had the vision to see that while they were profitable at the time in the future it wasn't a viable idea for a country of 60 million people with one of the highest GDP's in the world to attempt to continue to be a manufacturing country. (in mind as well, she predicted in the early 90's that a single currency in Europe could lead to an economic crash, she also warned about tying ourselves to the EU parliament, an issue we are now paying millions to hold a referendum on)

She started us onto the economy we have now where for the most part uneducated labour is localized to trade needs like building, pluming and generally stuff that keeps the country going, while we make money out of a higher percentage of specialized educated professionals, like engineers, banking, computing etc

Which she was right, there's no way we could complete with china or india, or would have been able to for the last 20 years. Our economy would of gone down the pan totally. The working class disliked her because she taxed them and closed down unskilled labour jobs that were not viable economically.

Everyone makes mistakes but the positives in her time in office included:
- Proceeded with driving out the Argentinean's after their invasion of the Falklands, despite advice not to, protecting British territory and British citizens and their right to be British. Which more than helped our standing on the the world political spectrum which has so many beneficial effects it's unreal.
-Shut down out manufacturing economy which was not viable in the long run, which also got rid of the massive and overpowered trade unions of the time.
- Set us on the economic plane we have now with a much higher amount of educated professionals
- Secured the economy by any means possible (do you know just how bad it was in the 70's?)

Say what you want about her as an individual, she was one of the strongest and most effective prime minsters Britian has ever had. She did EXACTLY what she said she would do when she campaigned for office (one of the reasons I'm so baffled why anyone complains), During her first re-election it was a huge landslide and this was after many of the acts people so often criticize her for. To me there's a strong under current of hate towards her because she was a very strong woman, who said what she thought and did what she thought was right for the country rather than giving into peer pressure.

On the topic of what I think of her and the opinions allot hold on her.

In my experience the vast majority who seem to hate on her in the public have next to no knowledge about anything in particular other than shouting she cost people their jobs and brought in a tax. With no comprehension as to why. I would take thatcher any day over the spinless majority that inhabit parliament and No.10 today. Can you imagine David Cameron standing up to an invasion?

To me she was a very good Prime Minister and she did what was in the best interest for the country as a whole, with no regard for the human aspect though but the country as a whole benefited from that. She was genuinely a patriot an I think other than Churchill she's the only politician I've ever said that about. She did EXACTLY, get that EXACTLY what she said she would when she campagained during the election. So I don't see how people can complain so much about her, the majority of the country voted for her, by a large margin on occasion and she did exactly what she said she would.

On the day of the funeral I'll be raising a glass to the service she did the country.

 

[Barciad]

Typical responses from those born during and after her term who didn't experience what came before her.

The never ending curse of youth.

True, there were problems, but the 'cure' created even greater problems.
Instead of outdated manufacturing methods and too many union leaders drunk on their own power you have the following:-

Over powerful bosses
Over powerful landlords
Over powerful financiers
Out of control journalists
Corrupt and out of touch politicians

In other words, we have, as Peter Oborne remarked 'a feral elite' which shats daily on us normal people. Plus, you might also remember this little 'financial crisis' that we've been having of late. De-regulate the banks, she said, what could possibly go wrong? Jesus wept.

Dearie me, Margaret Thatcher didn't "deregulate the banks", she deregulated the mortgage market, which is something entirely different. Gordon Brown and Tony Blair setup the FSA and deregulated the banks.

Doth mine eyes deceive me or is someone trying to push the 'Big Bang' onto someone else? You do know what the 'Big Bang' was, don't you. And you haven't even begun to talk exchange controls.

The reckless levels of lending that caused the credit crunch in the UK where a direct result of the relaxtion of regulation and "light touch approach" of the FSA, created by Gordon "prudence" Brown, with Tony's support. They were indirect architects of such wonderful ideas as self-cert mortgages for the "self employed". They didn't give a monkeys so long as they had enough money to keep their union masters happy with payrises and the vote bribes flowing to ever greater numbers of people. The 70s was a shameful time for England, google "the British disease", and Thatcher ended it - at least now the lights stay on because people can't just stop doing their job until they are bribed back to work. Just have a look at London transport "workers" demanding triple time, plus two day off in leiu for Boxing Day for a tiny taster of what it was like.

To avoid getting dragged into the blinkered partisanship you seem to indulge in, Brown did some good stuff too - primarily making the Bank of England apolitical.

I have little time for Brown. He was driven solely by his ambition to become Prime Minister. This caused him to inflict on the country a whole host of ridiculous policies. However, what was the motivation behind them? He knew that if he ever stood a chance of getting the top job, it meant keeping the party united. This meant not picking a fight with Blair openly, no matter what Sir Grin-a-lot did. Hence Iraq, hence the lack of city regulation, hence the deficit spending, during a boom, because he believed that the boom would last forever.
However, what was New Labour? When Thatcher was asked what her greatest legacy was, 'New Labour' was her answer. Blair and Brown sold themselves on the continuation of Tory (i.e. Thatcherite) economic policy. This meant continuing to do the same things that Thatcher and Major had done. I.e. deregulation, privitisation etc. And I almost forgot, the selling off of the council houses. Year Zero of the great property bubble that continues to this day.
That you keep ignoring (amongst others) the Big Bang and its effects shows a one-eyed indulgence that I will never be capable of.

 

[MarsProbe]

The Iron Lady...may she rust in peace.

Just had to use that one.

I think she was in power in the 80s, so the chances are I wasn't old enough back then to really be aware of what she did and what effects it had. As such, I have no strong feelings one way or another. regarding her death. Therefore, you could probably say I feel the same way regarding her death as I would the death of the most other politicians around today. Certainly not worth an outpouring of grief, but not something I would celebrate either. Of course, if someone does want to grieve or have a public celebration in a city square, then so be it.