Its the one fight she would never win.

RIP
Click me

Remember that when someone dances on your grave.
At least she had courage which is more than can be said for many

S.

That's someone's mother.

Ah Monday's aren't so bad afterall!!

ROT IN HELL THATCHER!!!

'It'll be the first time the 21 gun salute shoots the coffin.' - Frankie Boyle on Margaret Thatcher's funeral.

Clueless people! If we had someone like her in charge now we wouldn't be in the mess we are in. Least she had a backbone unlike cleggy weggy and CaMORON.

I will be pissing myself as my ashes are getting put in the river mersey, so if anyone wants to dance on my grave feel free


BBC Slip up or do they

Fazackerly !!

Although IMHO her dear son Mark should have been left in the desert all those years ago!

Her "enemy within" Scargill, is however still with us.

Like her or loathe her.....RIP.

Unfortunately, my local shop has just sold out of bunting and paper plates.

Must admit I am in the ROT IN HELL brigade.

Heartless, nasty, spiteful and a liar.

Also involved in the Hillsborough cover up.

Bye bit5h

Rip The Iron Lady.

finally


is all i have to say

shes getting a funeral with full military honours at st pauls, i feel a few street parties might happen!!

i hope she roasts in all eternity!!!!!!!!

She was a very strong resolute woman,it's just a shame she wasn't a socialist.R.I.P.

One of Mrs Thatchers quotes:
"I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left."

That fits nicely most of the comments on the beginning of this thread.

The Lady was not for turning, and I doubt she will turn in her grave over any of these comments .

There seem to be a lot of small minded nasty people on today.Sad.

At her funeral a 21 gun salute will be fired into her coffin....just to make sure!

Not small minded or nasty.

When I realised Margaret Thatcher was dead, I did a double fist pump and shouted, "fooking brilliant!"

Everyone around me was disgusted, and looking back, I suppose it was out of order.

Especially as I was the first paramedic at the scene.

woop woop woop

Best news all year!!

we will party tonight,this cow brought families to their knees and poverty,unless your rich or stupid you should be happy

Thatcher's politics brought untold misery to millions of ordinary Brits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thatcherism

ha ha, is it true that ATOS had just declared her fit for work?

well I shall be having a drink on the demise of Maggie Thatcher milk snatcher good riddance

BYE, THATCHER!

FINALLY, TODAY, YOU BECAME A GOOD TORY!

we were at a Demo/ Occupation when we heard. people were getting texts and grinning like mad haha

We ended up in the Brass Balance having a celebatory pint!!

Lets get 'Ding Dong The Witch is Dead' to Number 1 on Sunday

Nice comment Dilly.I wonder how the ones who made nasty comments if it were there mother who died.As Ste said it is someones mother.

People actually celebrating the death of a human being. That is beneath contempt and you should be ashamed of yourselves.

I am not rich or stupid, nor am I happy someone has died.

A mod should say thats enough, not laughing about it.Its a disgrace.Is this wiki spirit.

What disgraceful remarks by those rejoicing in her death, you have revealed what your true character is, any further posts by you in the future on any other subject, should be totally ignored by the membership and you should be seen and treated as the people you are.

She may not have endeared herself to some because of her policies but she was a true leader. May she rest in peace.

For gods sake whats the matter with you lot, you either werent around in the 80s or werent affected by the actions of this evil troll and her henchmen, a lot of people lost their jobs/ homes/ families because of her ,she showed utter contempt for the northern working class, and even said liverpool should be left to rot!! This is a site for discussion and different people are entitled to different opinions so please understand the reasons why some have little sympathy for her..

That would be too much to ask for Dilly.

It's one thing "to have little sympathy" and quite another altogether, to actually CELEBRATE a death.
Good grief, how can any right-thinking person, of ANY political persuasion, actually defend THAT? It's a total Disgrace.

Tell that to the miners and their families who she crucified you numpties, she was evil, used women to get into power with false promises

Im sure the families of the miners,or those in british manufacturing or any other industry she culled were not 'celebrating a death 'when they lost loved ones due to suicide and other repercussions of her time in charge!!.
I find it hard to believe how the powers that be will spend x millions on a funeral and security, when there are people not able to clothe or feed their children ... Now thats what i call a 'disgrace'..

Look at your past post here

It's true.

I apologise for my earlier comments. I would also like to state that Hitler wasn't as bad as people remember and I won't celebrate his death. He did a lot for Germany and the gas industry.

Or is it ok to celebrate that one? Admittedly he wasn't anybody's parent as he only had one ball (apprently).

I see families where kids go from school to dole, joining their parents and grand parents. Not out of choice but as a result of a legacy that tore so many communities apart. The North was decimated. We didn't learn that in history class, we lived through it,and still carry the scars !!

Sorry

Couldn't agree more. Strong, resolute, Inspirational Woman. I will mourne her death.

Lets have a quick look back, they were the days.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwJlZrNPviY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIMPfKvG5Bc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Thankyou mate,you started a topic with the intention to start a reaction.It is a human being who has died.

You think your better off now?

HAHAHAHAHAHHA

Nothing more to say on this topic, as it's really unnecessary to argue with anyone who would compare Margaret Thatcher to bin Laden and Hitler.
You are entitled to your opinion, same as anyone else but you really do yourselves no favours by showing such vitriolic hatred.

Vitriolic hatred?

I was espousing the stupidity of not being allowed to criticise a person's actions because of their death.....

Yes. And you have completely missed the point.
No one was saying anyone can't cricize someone's actions just because of their death. Criticize away all you like.
The objection was/is to those who were celebrating that death and yes, as I read it, there were indeed expressions of hatred and vitriol.

No need to argue people.

If it carries on the thread will be removed by the site owner.

I must accept my share of any blame for getting sucked into responding to (what I now see was) blatant trolling. Grrrrr...

Sorry, mods.

Looking back, what did Thatcher actually do with her time in office?

Kicking off with the unions who had grown too powerful and needed restraining she wasn't content with curtailing them and forging partnerships between management and workers for the common good. She set out to crush them with the old tried and tested divide and rule strategy of unemployment funded by the North Sea reserves. Create an era of mass unemployment and people will naturally fear losing their jobs as employment law was totally biased in favour of employers and she made it more so. Again I agree that the unions needed a kick up the arse but splitting communities and even families wasn't the way.

There's a huge affordable housing problem today and housing benefit's a hot topic, why? Simply because Thatcher sold off a huge proportion of the stock at knock down prices, then to compound this the government took the revenue raised not allowing councils to use it for building. Nothing wrong with tenents being allowed to buy their homes but 70% discounts take a lot of believing and they couldn't do that in the private sector.

The knock on effect now is that the majority of housing benefit paid out now goes to private landlords and per capita is far more expensive than council housing. A fact that this government wont acknowledge but nonetheless is true. The sale policy was no more than gerrymandering on a huge scale and we're still as taxpayers paying the price.

Then there's the privatisation of the utilities and state owned profitable companies. Again at knock down prices so we the public could make a quick hundred quid or so before the big boys then go on to fleece us for years to come. These companies were adding to the exchequer year on year and under control regarding what they could charge us the public, a win win, we owned them as we do the banks now. More gerrymandering, just "Ask Sid"!

The heath service and schools were ran into the ground, the waiting list for hip operations was years long as an example and many would do their bit to reduce the delay by dying before they got their op. School buildings were crumbling, books and learning tools were in scarce supply. No wonder a whole generation was lost and now form the rump of the long term unemployed.

But there was a contrast that would also come back to bite us in the arse in 2008, bank and financial services deregulation. "Big Bang" day came and the city dealers were rained on with cash, fortunes could be made in minutes and the "Yuppie" was born. The bigger the risk the higher reward and the death of the real bank manager was in sight. She knew how to look after her own doaners!

Her finest moment was the Poll Tax, the tax she portrayed to be fair as each individual would pay the same regardless of means to pay. The tax that meant that a single person living in a bedsit paid the same as the owner of a country estate, no wonder there was riots and ultimately it was her end. Unfortunately not before she'd done so much damage it was impossible for most of it to be undone.

Probably half of you making the most disgusting comments were not even born, when Mrs Thatcher was Prime Minister. If you were, you were no doubt in short pants or nappies. It would seem that you still have not grown up into any form of decent adulthood.
Those opposed to her remember the bits that have been imprinted by others, she did very much more.
I have my own opinions on her and they are not all wonderful, but I do understand she did a lot for the country in many ways which didn't please all people all of the time. So what's new? It would be a decent thing to respect the dead at least, and those who don't want to say anything worth while in accordance with decency, should refrain.
Many of these remarks show the true blood of so many. How disgusting.

She was a party to stopping a nuclear war!

I'm sorry if I upset everyone and would like to have my account closed asap please mark

why have forums where no-one can say what they think anyway

bye bye :wave:

and to the people cryin please stay away from twitter for the next two weeks

again sorry for make people cry or upsetting them

mark as I'm sooooooooo bad please delete my account no go one better delete my ip address please :wave:

I second that,

Please delete this idiots account. It amazes me how people can show such disrespect for a persons life. How would you feel if it was your mother/partner and you saw people saying such disgraceful things. You may not have agreed with her politically but she is still someone's family.

Personally, I shall neither be mourning nor celebrating. I was no fan of MT and have never voted Conservative.

Of the few good things she did for us I shall be eternally grateful for the abolition of the twin evils that were school milk and Merseyside County Council.

When it comes to the coal industry, we seem to have forgotten that it was a vile, filthy industry which killed and injured thousands and polluted the country to hell. At the time of its demise, it was leeching millions off the taxpayer in state subsidies which should righfully have gone to the schools and NHS.

Why the hell was school milk evil?

DO IT!!

as there been anyone that has died lately that has this much affect,every single person i have met in my job today hated the ground she walk on?i hated her and i will say what i like because i can

You never had to suffer it then ? I was one of the ones who was FORCED to drink it. Normal milk is white and requires refrigeration. School milk was pale yellow, nearly always sour, and never refrigerated. Kids frequently vomited upon drinking it. Lactose intolerance was an unknown condition in those days.

It was a good idea when introduced as many kids in inner city areas had little or no dairy products in their diet and showed the effects of malnutrition. Rationing also came into effect which didn't help. With the end of rationing in 1954 the problem was no more.

In the modern age, we have an epidemic of obesity amongst Britain's children. Part of this is an excess of dairy and meat in their diet.

So she did us a favour there. See ?

I'm no lover of Maggie Thatched or any of them come to that! But she was an old lady who had had a stroke and passed away peacefully with her family around her, how would you feel if it was you mother or grandmother and people were saying horrible things about her and her passing, don't forget it was a long time ago since she was prime minister, imagine how her son and daughter would feel if they heard all what is being said? It is a sad time for them, as someone on here said....some of you wouldn't of been born or were still in nappys.besides...we haven't got anyone better now have we?
Just let Maggie rest in peace.......and remember......you should never talk ill of the dead!

if you said dog shXte tastes bad there would be 10 people on hear saying no it's lovely

Just because some people where in nappies when she was in power doesnt mean they did not feel the effects of what she did. For example, we went from having a brand new built house and a really good income, to having no real income and being made homeless as a result. So although i was only young, the fact that i spent time living in B&B's and hostels shows that i suffered as a result of that bitch. It didnt stop as soon as she left power.

And i actually thought school milk was nice lol

i wasn't alive when hitler was, does that mean i can't have an opinion about him either?

I find it hard to mourn the passing of someone who brought so much misery to so many, out of spite, and who I hold directly responsible for the deaths of many of my generation, who were left without hope.

As others in this thread have pointed out, the real tragedy is, the whole wretched cycle is being played out again now, albeit by chinless Old Etonians, and Thatcher's death is merely a distraction when the main focus should be in fighting the warped notion of "fairness" of this current lot.

Tories will always look after their own, but the sheer cynicism of the Thatcher years, and now Cameron, is hard to take, and I can understand the vitriol of some posters, under the circumstances.

Anyway, here's a poor taste joke:

Just seen the design for Thatcher's grave. It looks nice but the dancefloor needs to be a bit bigger.

Apparently three furnaces in hell have already been closed as being uneconomic. The others are scheduled for privatisation and shares will be sold to the remaining inhabitants of hell.

Just like she did when she was involved in the Hillsborough cover up.

Funny how some people seem to think only good people die.

This is Liverpool celebrating!

Also Glasgow are also having a party in the city centre.

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy" - Martin Luther King.

thats called oppinion.

I see that a nursing home was not suitable for the Baroness. It seems The Ritz is the place to pass on these days.

yes you,re right, it was a good day to bury bad news.

As a 39 year old I believe that the woman was a true legend who saw that Britain needed to change from its stale industrial base to services based industries. Sure there were casualaties but the miners and Scargill didn't help themselves with their socialist obstinate standpoint. Mining was cheaper in Europe so why not import and save money...its simple economics.

As for the North West her appointment of Heseltine saved the region as many had left to go to the South (Brain Drain) whilst only the lazy, bone idle striking scroungers were left and of course people who actually wanted to work. The former were the people who gave Liverpool a bad name in the 1980's. If they were savvy enough they could even buy their council houses...did they realsie that no they went about like marauding animals throwing petrol bombs!!

I'm sorry but the idea of a "Self Pity City" really started with this nonsense.

As for those celebrating her death.......

She was a woman. She had the courage of her convictions to stand up for what SHE really believed in. She would not be turned.

But her beliefs were SO wrong.

RE: Pickle 1984 Picture:

those people shown in your photo are the ... I refer to. Brainless idiots who were not born in the 80's but follow the ideals of their idle parents. Give them a pint of Stella and they will shout for anything...oh sorry and a load of benefits that they can scrounge off.

She still had a damn sight more balls than any of the muppets who have tried to run the country since.

Well done, Liverpool (we can always rely upon you) and well done, Glasgow!

In the war led by Margaret Thatcher’s governments – against the left, the trade unions, the post-war consensus – her side was crushingly, devastatingly, humiliatingly victorious.

In the coming days, some on the right will attempt to snuff out criticism of her legacy, arguing that it is somehow disrespectful, spiteful or ghoulish. Absurd, of course: she was a politician – the most divisive in modern British history – and what she represented must of course be debated. They will use the moment of her passing to batter Thatcherism into the national psyche: that she somehow saved Britain from ruin, put the “great” back into “Great Britain”, and so forth. Those who grew up in the Britain that Thatcher built will be patronised: you were still learning how to walk at the height of her power. And that is why it is crucial to separate Thatcherism from the woman who spearheaded it.

Thatcherism was a national catastrophe, and we remain trapped by its consequences. As her former Chancellor Geoffrey Howe put it: “Her real triumph was to have transformed not just one party but two, so that when Labour did eventually return, the great bulk of Thatcherism was accepted as irreversible.”

We are in the midst of the third great economic collapse since the Second World War: all three have taken place since Thatcherism launched its great crusade. This current crisis has roots in the Thatcherite free market experiment, which wiped out much of the country’s industrial base in favour of a deregulated financial sector.

A poisoned “debate” about social security rages in Cameron’s Britain. It focuses on the idea that there are large numbers of people stuck on benefits. It is certainly true that there were more people languishing in long-term unemployment last year than there were in all forms of unemployment 40 years ago. In large part, this is a consequence of Thatcherism’s emptying communities of millions of secure, skilled industrial jobs. Large swathes of Britain – mining villages, steel towns and so on – were devastated, and never really recovered. Even when Britain was supposedly booming, the old industrial heartlands had high levels of what is rather clinically described as “economic inactivity”.

Five million people now languish on social housing waiting lists, while billions of pounds of housing benefit line the pockets of private landlords charging rip-off rents. The scarcity of housing turns communities against each other, as immigrants or anyone deemed less deserving are scapegoated. But the guilt really lies with the Thatcherite policy of right-to-buy and failure to replace the stock that was sold off.

Champions of Thatcherism hail the crippling of the trade unions, which were battered by anti-union laws, mass unemployment, and crushing defeats of strikes, not least after the rout of the iconic miners. This has not only left workers at the mercy of their bosses, but has made them poorer, too. Four years before the crisis began, the income of the bottom half was stagnating, while for the bottom third it actually began to decline – even as corporations were posting record profits. With no unions to stand their corner, workers’ living standards have long been squeezed – driving large numbers to cheap credit.

We could go on. Britain was one of the most equal Western European countries before the Thatcherite project began, and is now one of the most unequal. Thatcherism is not just alive and well: it courses through the veins of British political life. The current government goes where Thatcherism did not dare in its privatisation of the NHS and sledgehammering of the welfare state.

The challenge ahead is the same as it was yesterday: to tear down the whole edifice of Thatcherism, heal Britain of the damage done, and build a country run in the interests of working people. It’s a fight we must all fight. The champagne is on ice until we win it.

It was the miners who cost me my job and short working weeks every year before that. They just held the country to ransom every cold snap and to those who just wanted to get on with the job it was a pain in the arris and made life difficult. How many who are celebrating are living in houses which they bought off the council, or their folks are? She had her convictions and stood by them, rock solid lady. It was when Maggie got in that I was able to get myself back on track and for that I am eternally greatful. RIP.

How many remember the run up to Margaret Thatcher’s government. Do you remember the previous 10 years. The ‘ winter of discontent’ during 1978/79 with James Callahan as Prime Minister.
In 1972 , the Heath government, can you remember what it was like working the three day week which was due to the NUM dictating to the country and working to rule? Thus we didn’t have enough power to work a full week. Working by candle light in offices, banks, shops, etc across the whole of the country. Reduced wages, because of it. Schools were closed and attendance down to two half days per week. Hospitals struggling to cope with operations and all things related.
Many homes and businesses were without electricity for up to nine hours a day. Nearly 300 pits were closed in England and Wales due to strike action and they intended to drag it out for as long as possible. The country was almost on it’s knees.
The government had offered a 7.9% pay deal just below the 8% they wanted.

The shortage of electricity was forcing more and more factories and businesses to close. Six weeks after the start of it 1.2 million workers were laid off.
The miners and their unions were holding the country to ransom, and therefore responsible for a lot of job losses all over the country. So don’t anyone defend the miners before they really know what they are talking about. That strike lasted for 7 weeks and the next one in 1984, when they thought they could get away with the same tactics and without a ballot, failed,thanks to the strength of Mrs. Thatcher.
Do you remember the Wilson government between 1974 an 1976. We had Jack Jones and the TWGU calling the tune.
There was almost a military coup during these times. People behind the scenes, were sitting waiting for the phone call and it was very real. We didn’t know at the time but it became apparent later that it was all ready to put into motion at a given word. Everything was getting out of hand.
Feeble leaders and strong trade unions ready to cause anarchy. There is always a third element in these situations, hiding in the wings.

The dockers were always taking strike action and had been doing so for years. They wanted money for nothing. They wanted a £9 increase on £25 per week wage. What percentage is that? The shipping companies got brassed off with the militant element which was costing them a fortune, and took their ships elsewhere. What was once a major port in Liverpool, ran into decline through their own(dockers) fault.
Mrs Thatcher turned us around and pointed the country in a different direction, which was by far a better place to be, than what we had left behind. As a country, we had to move forward. People took an opportunity and made a better life for themselves. They moved to different parts of the country where the jobs were available, after all the industrial unrest. For those who have an axe to grind, then grind it, because it will be falling mainly on deaf ears, as many have heard it all before, many times.

Not really interested in what she s being blamed for 22years down the line. She did what had to be done at the time, to put this country back on track.

Just as a matter of interest, how many remember it all and how many lived with it?

Remember it and lived with it Granny. It through me off course to what I'd planned for my life but thanks to Maggie's policies I got more or less back on track, still not what I originally planned but it's survivable. Life under Callaghan, Wilson etc. was a bloody misery to my way of thinking, there was no optimism about for anything. Quite right too, I ended up spending 30 years away from my family to keep myself on an even keel. Finding out on here who the people are that I can be bothered with, some really disgusting comments. I despair.

Nothing worse than Working class tories!!!

There's qite a balanced view (for those who want one!) on the BBC web site:

What if Margaret Thatcher had never been

It reminded me of a few things I had forgotten (both for and against). Both myself and husband worked either directly or indirectly for the coal industry, if it wasn't for Mrs. T I would still live in the Midlands - so thanks Mrs T (and I hated the school milk - it was always served warm and cheesy)

And you can rest assured that by "working class" I was working mate.

Oh how true people have very short memories, or for some who make comments you may not have been there I was as was my father who was on the docks and just wanted to work.
The building strikes which saw union thugs kicking down brickwork, smashing windows of council houses and a lot more.

I was based at the shipyards in south shields during the miners strike not happy memories

It is very easy to forget Wilson Callaghan and everyone forgets what the options of the labour leadership were Micheal Foot,
Neil Kinnock.

What did Liverpool get Derek Hatton a waste of flesh, but proving the ... theory.

Contrary to popular opinion, there are a huge amount about!

Hear Hear, well said mrhanky

Something that I've always had difficulty comprehending.

Yes, I was there, Granny. The weak Labour governments were a disaster for this country. We were ruled by the militant Trades Unions, who had started out as a very necessary resistance to tyrannical employers but who eventually became as tyrannical as the employers had been. I would describe Mrs.Thatcher as a necessary evil: what she did needed doing.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...s-sick-celebration-Brixtons-streets.html

Well said Chris. The 70s where a nightmare.

Strongly agree chriskay and I'm not a Conservative btw. I consider myself to be more of a Libertarian.

I was a teenager in Birkenhead in the 1970s and they were grim times to be young. The rise of MT can be directly attributed to the rank incompetence of Wilson, Heath, and Callaghan who preceded her. Britain was in a right state; crippled by industrial disputes, a crumbling manufacturing base, and polluted to all hell. Having never embraced US style Darwinist Capitalism, we just couldn't compete with the newly emerging markets in the far east who made superior products at competitive prices.

We also tend to forget that picketing was no more than bullying of those who wished to exercise their right to go to work without asking permission of the very unions whom they were paying to look after them.

I wonder how things would have turned out if Michael Foot or Neil Kinnock had become PM though.

Elizabeth, is it not disrespectful to say she had balls, they are an unnatural appendage on a woman.

I agree with NickLeg, the damage she caused is almost irreparable. We will never have a strong manufacturing base again because all the old skills have gone, the old communities have gone. It was her ideaology that the economic future of our country could be based on services(which no-one can now afford) banking and finance, which we all know about and that the market would regulate itself, yeah,.As for the sell off of utilities! people can't afford to heat their homes because of gas and electricity prices and soon won't be able to afford a bath because of rising costs in their water bills. So did "great woman " do it all on her own? no she was surrounded by loke minded people for who GREED IS GOOD.

I am only a workinclasshero

aint seen you do much work.

Okay, just a few points to remember,
It was a labour minister, Edward Short, who actually abolished milk for secondary students.
Children up to the age of seven were still provided with milk.
Thatcher was actually against the policy but was forced into it by the rest of the party.
She was staying at the Ritz because she was struggling to cope with stairs, and lets be honest if you had enough money and a choice between the ritz and a care home which would you choose?

As for the mining industry it was one which needed to be controlled before they were able to control the country. Had they not got greedy with power then maybe there wouldn't have been the issues that had arisen.

I'm only 21 so I wasn't even alive for any part of her time in office however all it takes is a little research to find out these facts. So for those of you who who have all these disgusting comments to make about another human dying, think about your frail mother who struggles with stairs and who has maybe done things they regret because they have been pressured into them and how you would feel if on that persons death people started saying some of the above comments. How would you feel?

[quote=NickLeg]

In the war led by Margaret Thatcher’s governments – against the left, the trade unions, the post-war consensus – her side was crushingly, devastatingly, humiliatingly victorious.

In the coming days, some on the right will attempt to snuff out criticism of her legacy, arguing that it is somehow disrespectful, spiteful or ghoulish. Absurd, of course: she was a politician – the most divisive in modern British history – and what she represented must of course be debated. They will use the moment of her passing to batter Thatcherism into the national psyche: that she somehow saved Britain from ruin, put the “great” back into “Great Britain”, and so forth. Those who grew up in the Britain that Thatcher built will be patronised: you were still learning how to walk at the height of her power. And that is why it is crucial to separate Thatcherism from the woman who spearheaded it.

Thatcherism was a national catastrophe, and we remain trapped by its consequences. As her former Chancellor Geoffrey Howe put it: “Her real triumph was to have transformed not just one party but two, so that when Labour did eventually return, the great bulk of Thatcherism was accepted as irreversible.”

We are in the midst of the third great economic collapse since the Second World War: all three have taken place since Thatcherism launched its great crusade. This current crisis has roots in the Thatcherite free market experiment, which wiped out much of the country’s industrial base in favour of a deregulated financial sector.

A poisoned “debate” about social security rages in Cameron’s Britain. It focuses on the idea that there are large numbers of people stuck on benefits. It is certainly true that there were more people languishing in long-term unemployment last year than there were in all forms of unemployment 40 years ago. In large part, this is a consequence of Thatcherism’s emptying communities of millions of secure, skilled industrial jobs. Large swathes of Britain – mining villages, steel towns and so on – were devastated, and never really recovered. Even when Britain was supposedly booming, the old industrial heartlands had high levels of what is rather clinically described as “economic inactivity”.

Five million people now languish on social housing waiting lists, while billions of pounds of housing benefit line the pockets of private landlords charging rip-off rents. The scarcity of housing turns communities against each other, as immigrants or anyone deemed less deserving are scapegoated. But the guilt really lies with the Thatcherite policy of right-to-buy and failure to replace the stock that was sold off.

Champions of Thatcherism hail the crippling of the trade unions, which were battered by anti-union laws, mass unemployment, and crushing defeats of strikes, not least after the rout of the iconic miners. This has not only left workers at the mercy of their bosses, but has made them poorer, too. Four years before the crisis began, the income of the bottom half was stagnating, while for the bottom third it actually began to decline – even as corporations were posting record profits. With no unions to stand their corner, workers’ living standards have long been squeezed – driving large numbers to cheap credit.

We could go on. Britain was one of the most equal Western European countries before the Thatcherite project began, and is now one of the most unequal. Thatcherism is not just alive and well: it courses through the veins of British political life. The current government goes where Thatcherism did not dare in its privatisation of the NHS and sledgehammering of the welfare state.

The challenge ahead is the same as it was yesterday: to tear down the whole edifice of Thatcherism, heal Britain of the damage done, and build a country run in the interests of working people. It’s a fight we must all fight. The champagne is on ice until we win it.Well said Nickleg,I too cannot believe the amount of "I'am not a tory,tory working class people on here, it is sad she has passed away as eventually we all will however I am sure the rest of us wont have created as much misery and division and the legacy of greed as she did, there are non so blind as those that dont wish to see.
I sincerely hope none of you "I am not a tory" types dont lose your employment in the future and feel the cold fingers of the Thatcherism legacy rip from you your self respect and everything you have worked for and be labelled scrounger. To finish is buying a council house cheap worth selling your souls and self respect for? I am not a tory but... Iam not a racist but.......

Well said Nickleg,I too did'nt realise how many "I am not a Tory but" live amongst us lets hope that they are not unfortunate enough to lose their employment in the future and feel the cold fingers of Thatchers legacy strip everything they have worked for from them along with their self respect and be labelled scrounger or become ill or disabled that is the reality of thatcherism no mercy, and yet people have sympathy for her passing perhaps it was the cheap council house they bought that brought the rose tinted specs into play.
We will all pass on one day but I think the majority of us wont leave as much misery and division as she has managed to do.Would anyone like to contribute toward Generalissimo's Pinochettes family expenses so they can attent the big event, I know the tories have a perchant for dictators.

Early 70's, couldn't get a job unless I was in a Union. Couldn't join the Union unless I had a job. Still had to pay my way, no help from the UAB. Streets filled with rubbish, bodies in morgues, no heating because the miners were out, power cuts to electric for the same reason. Dockers on strike, British Leyland and other car companies always on strike, Seamen always agitating for strike action etc etc Oh yes, 70's under Labour wasn't half great.

The Truth.
ANNE SCARGILL: Ex-wife of former NUM leader Arthur Scargill, said: 'She was intent on smashing the trade unions and in it she smashed the country.
'She called us the enemy within. There was only one enemy within and that was her.
'When you think about what's happened yesterday I know it's probably not good but I was really really happy…that woman caused us such distress and upset and here we were fighting for survival, not for a wage increase, and she's just smashed our communities and the woman she what… she weren't a woman she was evil.'
DEREK HATTON: The former Liverpool councillor said: 'The issue isn't about whether she is dead. I regret for the sake of millions of people that she was ever born.'
'She promoted a form of greed in business that we've never known before and it's continued ever since. She actually changed the whole face of this country in a way, that you know, people wouldn't have even anticipated.
'Even her successors got away with murder, literally, for example Blair in Iraq, that they wouldn't have got away with had it not been for what she did.'
ALAN CUMMINGS: The chairman of Durham Miners' Association, said the timing of the events, on the 20th anniversary of their pit closing, was 'remarkable' and 'one of those quirks'.
He said: 'She couldn't be cremated on a better day. We are planning to have a colliery band and we are inviting ex-miners and their families to go back over their memories of the strike and what has happened since the closure of the pit. I couldn't stand her. She had a very patronising manner and I could have put my foot through the television whenever I saw her on there.'
MORRISSEY: The singer tweeted: 'Every move she made was charged by negativity; she destroyed the British manufacturing industry, she hated the miners, she hated the arts, she hated the Irish Freedom Fighters and allowed them to die, she hated the English poor and did nothing at all to help them, she hated Greenpeace and environmental protectionists, she was the only European political leader who opposed a ban on the ivory trade, she had no wit and no warmth and even her own cabinet booted her out.'
JOEY BARTON: The footballer posted: 'I'd say RIP Maggie but it wouldn't be true. If heaven exists that old witch won't be there.'
KEN LOACH: The film director said: 'How should we honour her? Let's privatise her funeral. Put it out to competitive tender and accept the cheapest bid. It's what she would have wanted.'
FRANKIE BOYLE: The comedian tweeted: 'All that Thatcher achieved was to ensure that people living in Garbage Camps a hundred years from now will think that Hitler was a woman.'
IRVINE WELSH: The author wrote: 'So, if u take out Orgreave, destroying communities, Belgrano/Falklands, Hillsborough, protecting nonces, child poverty, Pinochet, she was ok.'
PETER TATCHELL: The gay rights activist tweeted: 'Thatcher was an autocrat. She suppressed miners, civil liberties, inner cities, local government & #LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people]
RUSSELL BRAND: The comedian, in an article in Huffington Post, said: 'If you behave like there's no such thing as society, in the end there isn't. Her death must be sad for the handful of people she was nice to and the rich people who got richer under her stewardship. It isn't sad for anyone else. There are pangs of nostalgia, yes, because for me she's all tied up with Hi-De-Hi and Speak and Spell and Blockbusters and “follow the bear”.'
ANDY KERSHAW: The former Radio 1 DJ tweeted: 'She was uncaring about the disadvantaged and counted Chile dictator Augusto Pinochet and Jimmy Savile among her friends. To Thatcher, Nelson Mandela was another terrorist. The discord she brought to this country is still deafening.'
MARK STEEL: The comedian wrote: 'What a terrible shame – that it wasn't 87 years earlier.'
ROSS NOBLE: The comedian tweeted: 'Bloody typical that Thatcher dies when I am in Australia. I hate to miss a good street party.'
ALEX CALLINICOS: Professor of European Studies at King's College, London, and member of the Central Committee of the Socialist Workers Party, he said: 'Murder was Thatcher's business. Sometimes the murder was metaphorical – of industries and communities. It still destroyed people's lives. Sometimes the murder was real. Thatcher over-saw the ongoing dirty war in Ireland.'
ERNESTO ALBERTO ALONSO: The president of the National Committee of Argentine Falklands Veterans said: 'She will be remembered as a leader who brought nothing positive to humanity.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ng-bile-Lady-Thatcher.html#ixzz2Q45LWe6u
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Bandy
Also:
One and a half million unemployed at the end of Callaghan's reign in office.Population then was approx. 46 million. now about 54 million.



Casper
Do you mind telling me why that should be a problem to you? It's not a very costructive remark and without any political clout.Just let me explain. Maybe some are no longer Tory because not all people stick with the same point of view. Over the years policies change ,from all parties and depending on what's happening around the world and in the country, people are entitled to changer their opinions and which party they vote for. That is democracy, in case you hadn't heard of it. If, going back to 1970's the voters of Britain had, had enough, of the weak Governments and those same people changed their views and elected Margaret Thatcher, they saw the results she made in getting the country back on it's feet, was subsequently re-elected on two more occassions. So she couldn't have been all bad.Who we vote for is not really the issue in this case, it is who we saw as our best bet in 1979,to bring back normality to our way of life.
Generally, over the years people have voted according to their present beliefs for the good of all. Not just for the 'me me me' tribe.

When your mate Nickleg says 'we' and you agree with his words, does that mean you and him or does it mean somebody else too, possibly a political party?

For one who is only 21 you are to be commended for having taken the trouble to do that 'bit of research' and to have shown the acumen to form your own conclusions rather than being swayed by the histeria of others. I also remember the 3 day week, trying to keep a business running and staff properly employed. I also remember the anger of those staff when they saw the bullying and grasping behaviour of miners and other groups. Sure, miners working underground have a difficult and often dangerous job and rightly should be rewarded as such - but not to the excesses being demanded at the time.

Snod

@RedLance: by what authority do you preface your list of quotes by those people, "the truth"? In my book they are mostly un-funny "comedians" or members of the loony left; e.g. Derek Hatton and a member of the Socialist Workers' Party (does that really still exist)?

If you read my post I havent denied you your democratic right and privilage to vote for whom you like,what I critised was the mealy mouthed comments "Iam not a tory but" by all means comment how you like but put it under the right banner all those that wish to test the lay of the land usually start with the words eg: Iam not but, I have sympathy for her family and friends for their loss but that doesnt detract from the fact that all in all she was a nasty vicious woman who believed only her and her kind have the right to wave the union flag and represent and rule Great Britain,its the working class of this country that have paid the biggest part of the butchers bill in all the wars we have fought and still do today, the Falklands her claim to fame was a cigarette paper away from failure, touch and go, yes indeed she had no fear in sending someone elses sons to claim her third term in government, it was okay to gamble with somebody elses life.God forbid any more oaps die this winter because they cant afford to keep warm while the utilities she sold off rake in the profits, and yes I speak only for myself in support of nickleg it is quite disingenious of you to imply otherwise.

If you're not a Socialist at 21 you have no heart. Still be a Socialist at 41 and you have no brain. Can't remember who said it.

Casper:
The Falklands War was in 1982 her first term in office, 30 yrs ago. Very sadly, lives were lost and that unfortunately is what happens in wars.Did you know anyone who served in the Falklands war?
Most recently of course we all know the 'fame' surrounding the blood bath in Iraq.
Croatia,Bosnia and Afghanistan all during the term of Mr.Blair. Far more lives lost in those wars. So why is that not an issue?
Poland was another example of her on the world stage and the Cold Was was diffused by her and Prsident Reagan along with the Russia President of the day.
I;m afraid the issue of us tory pensioners not being able to keep warm, can hardly be blamed on her.We couldn't keep warm during the winter of the miners strikes either

just trying to lighten the mood and sick of people defending her and what she done to most of country, we all have an opinion on her and I happen to agree with these.

Its funny how the goverment is making all these cut backs, redundancies,etc the the normal working class people struggling to pay the bills and survive.Yet they can find 10 million for the cost of the funeral

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/45966
No state funeral for Maggie Thatcher
please sign,
why should the tax payers have to fork out £8m so she can have a state funeral, if her family cannot afford to pay for her funeral, let her have a paupers one.

Probably not. This seems to have come up as a replacement.

http://www.newworker.org/

Otherise known as the New Communist Party.

30 years on, we could be a mini North Vietnam....great! The children of today and tomorrow will love the transition period. Just a little like one of those computer games, but for real.Doubt I will be here,nor will all the Tories from the old days be here but could have possibly been shot for bad behaviour. That's when all will sing( No dancing.Not allowed) in unison..bring back Maggie!!!! they will also be shot!

Why are you all still contributing to this thread?? Pointless, waste of time in my opinion. Bicker bicker squabble squabble.

Either come to the Party (St Georges Hall at 6pm on Thatchers funeral)or don't.

Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead but Thatherism lives on.Horrible cow. I, personally hope that she Rots in Hell.

and £10m on security!!!!

Signed and shared Rotty

yes rudebox, it's very strange how austerity has been forgotten and this huge sum of money can be found for her funeral. Cameron and Osborne should hang their heads in shame.

Because we can!

Fair do's Granny. Carry on......

governments have billions of pounds in reserve,but like any good housewife you dont spend the lot in one go you budget for things you keep a reserve for events.this is why you have low inflation,yes the "working class" get hit the most because there is more of them and they cost more to service(nhs,benefits etc)
the country is not skint it just as to start reining in its expenditure

[youtube]RtiaReNsHOo[/youtube]
I remember sitting at the tea table under candle light`in the kitchen we had two 12v bulbs stuck on a strip of wood powered off a car battery my Dad knocked together.

Auther Scargill .. Surely he has to account for some of the misery .. I wonder if the miners had had the good fortune of somebody else to represent them` if things would of turned out any better instead of striking and forcing the country to buy cheap coal else where? in doing so speeding up the process of closing of all pits

He won`t speak of the strikes ..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22079887

Lets face it to many strikes not just Coal miners but every where .. they had to stop!

Yes I am well aware of when the Falklands war was,as I said all the jingoism, god save the Queen etc was capitalised upon by thatcher and there is no doubt and it is well documented that this helped her win a second term in parliament, as to your point about people do die in wars, you are quite correct the point I was making was about the posing with the armed forces on as many occassions as possible to make political gain, I noticed she never appeared with the casulties of that war who were not allowed to parade in their uniforms in maggies celebrations in case it had a negative effect on her propaganda.
I see you also deny her part in selling off of the utilities to the lowest bidders and the blatant profiteering that goes on today by the energy companies all part and parcel of thatcherism the tory ethos sell sell sell but make sure you buy your shares, get in there boys kerching,the search and rescue kerching, our armed forces will be next hired out to fight someone elses war,as you say granny how you vote is your business,but I could'nt with all honesty vote for some of the vermin that purport to run this country eg: IDS trying to claim £9 for a cocktail on expenses,looking at trying to lower the minimum wage I could go on and on but Iam sure you get the gist, in the unlikely event they win another term the oap will be targeted so start buying some more woolies granny.

Arthur Scargill was a rat, a giant rat.
Van, do you remember the Green Goddesses?

Firefighters strike of 1977

quote: There was a less significant strike by firefighters in the Winter of Discontent (late 1978 and early 1979), where once again the Green Goddesses were drafted in to cover; it is largely forgotten by many as it occurred at a time when a significant percentage of public sector workers were on strike.
[1]""

That included the gravediggers of Liverpool. Nobody could bury their dead in that very cold winter of 1978/79 and at the same time, the Americans were offering to send food parcels over here.

Casper, I did not deny that Mrs Thatcher floated the utility companies on the stock exchange, I did say that she can hardly be blamed for the high cost of energy now. Had we not had such hugely inflated wages over the last decade,plus many, many other contributary factors, prices would have been much more 'user friendly'. I shall not go into economics on this thread.
Many wish to call her for every mortal thing that affects them now in life. As a matter of interest, do you have any suggestions as what should have been the alternative to Mrs. Thatcher being elected at the time? That I would like to know.
Anyway, love her or hate her she put the house in order at the time.
Won't be needing to buy anymore winter woollies thanks Casper.Childhood skills, like knitting, sewing and home cooking, can save a furtune. Would you like me to knit you a jumper? Maybe we could start a bartering system.

Thanks for the link, Granny. So, the lunatic Left is still with us. I see that they claim to be a Marxist/Leninist party; obviously haven't learned from recent history.
Judging by some of the contributions to this thread, I suspect they have some members here.

To knit and cook is very comendable granny thank you for your kind offer, I see you have a modicum of compassion something which Mrs T sadly lacked in,thank you take care.

Would Margaret Thatcher have been able to do what she did without having North Sea oil and selling off state assets( Where would the money for the Falklands war have came from?)
Will the history of Tory selling off assets carry on for short term gains
Royal MaIl,NHS, the publicly owned banks?

In her first four year term, North Sea revenues contributed £20.3bn to the exchequer – 8pc of the total £258bn of tax receipts over that period, official figures show. Today, as a proportion of the total tax take, that would translate into a £45bn annual windfall – a sum larger than the entire corporation tax bill. Instead, the oil and gas industry is forecast to contribute just £6.8bn this year, just 1.1pc of tax revenues. In the 1980s, the oil boom also supported 200,000 jobs and vastly improved the nation’s trade position.

North Sea oil provided Mrs Thatcher the cover to implement essential reforms to modernise Britain. Mr Osborne’s best hope came from the 4G spectrum auction and a sell-off of the state bank shares. 4G raised £1.2bn less than hoped, and the disposal of Northern Rock stock – the only financial sector exit to date – was priced at a loss. Making a profit from either Lloyds or RBS looks a very forlorn hope.

The Chancellor’s aims today are perhaps just as vital for long-term national prosperity as Mrs Thatcher’s were 30 years ago. Britain can not hope to return to its pre-2008 strategy of pinning economic hopes on rampant credit growth. Mr Osborne may have inherited a 21st century version of Mrs Thatcher’s problems. Now he needs a little of her luck.

[youtube]XDtClJYJBj8[/youtube]

Well said Glenda!

What people don't seem to twig is that most of them are champagne socialists anyway, unless there's a vote to be had they wouldn't cross the street to talk to you. Glenda is just a raving feminist luvvie who thinks she's an intellectual just because she played QEI. She is more strident and bullying than Maggie ever was. Just look at the bile in the eyes. There's obviously a lot of left whingers on here but the rest of us are entitled to have a view. My view comes from 70 years of living and making my mind up which side of centre to sit on and I'm comfortable with that. Believe me, you won't know where you stand yourelves later, it depends what life throws at you and in my case what the Socialists/Communists take away.

I Have no problem about the cost of Margret Thatchers funeral,but I do think it should have been put out to private tender, is not what the Tories did with Waste disposal ..

Thanks for that vanmanone, I haven't sung that for a long time, but I'll sing it all day.

I can't recall getting highly inflated wages Granny, maybe it was just you?

my ex worked at vauxhalls & they were on strike same time as the miners over the corsa being built in Spain or werever they came in from.He went on picket duty at the docks on the east coast can't remember the name,the police were stopping cars full of men as it was the time of the flying pickets.I know he ended up getting arrested at some point while he was there.

Yes you are probably right with some of your comments,however to use your parlence communists, socialists, left whingers,if you like to stick labels,they did at least drop a few crumbs to the majority of people in this country eg; the minimum wage amongst other things, what have the tories done look after the wealthy and now wish to reduce the minimum wage from its already pathetic level,you imply you are of pensionable age well dont expect the tories to look after your interests should they retain power.
You speak of which side of centre to sit on perhaps you dont realise that we are dealing with a far right wing party,as to bile it comes from the stomach and is expelled through the mouth much like thatchers rantings toward the ordinary people of this country aka the enemy within

Will tell you what I mean by that Miss Bennie.

Two people sharing one job with 25 years experience between them, working every weekend and public holidays to receive a salary of approx £8,000 per annum.
One unemployed university graduate with a Student Loan to be paid off. Student Grants were replaced by Student Loans about 2001 (I think).

If the Student Loans can't be paid off, it affects the financial services. So the government brought in a few schemes, one of which was ...If a person who had been unemployed for 12 months or more was given employment, their employer would receive the percentage of salary,for the next one/sometimes two years.
For the students who took a gap year..they were quids in!

Now the original two employees were told their jobs were to be finished. The job was then advertised with a slighty different job description. A full time position for £23,000 per annum. Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

The lucky person to be chosen, had a degree (which certainly wouldn't be needed)was able to pay her student loan back, the company got it's rewards, and two people lost their jobs. Plus the job which was equivilent to £16,000 has now gone up to £23,000. Which could have employed another person at £8,000.(almost)

So job has now been re-designed for one person, when it could have been 3 for the same amount.

As for myself,Miss Bennie, I had three jobs to make ends meet, when bringing up three children. Didn't work nights, didn't spend in the pub, and didn't need baby sitters. Oh, and didn't claim benefits other than what used to be family allowance, which everyone got.

Her family can afford the funeral cost. her son is a millionaire But so was Mrs Thatcher.Everyone gets old and can reflect on their life good or bad.MRS T did not have her children with her when she died.They live abroad. Not for her Some mismanaged care home driven by profit hungry business people Mrs T was cared for by people who were paid a decent wage to look after her because she could afford it, at the Ritz.
Not for her the love and devotion of Mothers, Dads, sons, daughters, wives, husbands,other family or friends who look after their loved ones, because they really care and don't do it for financial gain.
I voted for Maggie the first time, because I believed back in the 70s unions were becoming too militant.I was a Labour supporter.I thought Maggie would be good for women workers who felt intimidated by their shop stewards in the workplace.I was wrong. I felt that by collective bargaining and respect between workers and bosses, things would improve they did not.We lost most of the factories on Wirral.They relocated to mainly Asian countries because it was cheaper to produce there.
Liverpool has risen up since Heseltine,but Birkenhead is rapidly declining.The whole country is backbiting each other.started by chinese whispers about people whether ill, disabled,or simply no jobs Every type of media,is fueling it.And all the while people are becoming isolated and desperate, and some fueled by cheap supermarket booze rant and rave and nothing gets sorted.Controlling the masses by big business again.Cuts to Customs and police allows many drugs getting back onto the streets.

I went back to Labour after the first term but no Maggie was re elected then John Major,Kinnock came as party leader Finally We got John Smith Who unfortunately died .He had excellent credentials,Tony Blair came along The youngster What a mistake that was, got us involved with the Americans.Human life again became cheap, Sacrificed in a war we should have not gone into. Internet happened, from that at least now we have some transparancy. .We all have opinions and so called freedom of speech but as one wiki member states Be careful Big Brother is watching. And I add to that.Playing with our lives.


Valli

Well said, valli. Excellent post.

Thank you for your reply granny, the case that you speak about I can't argue with, but, that's what capitalists do, they manipulate every situation for their own benefit i.e. to make money, but doesn't your own situation disprove your earlier post about highly inflated wages?.

I agree with what you say Valli, she did nothing for the advancement of other women indeed I felt that she set up Edwina Currie with the business of salmonella in eggs to distract us from the poll tax and other unsavoury matters, I also find it strange that some folk are asking for respect for her family when they clearly couldn't get far away enough from her.

Well said. Finally someone with a bit of sense!!

If you're going to comment on a post several pages back, it would help if you used the "quote" tab.

Welcome, BTW.

A rarity - congratulations.

I suspect you won't be one of the usual young suspects to use her death/funeral as an excuse to get drunk on cider and smash things up.

I truly will never get my head around people partying over someone's death.

just a good waste of tax payers money being spent on her death there is better things to spend money on like plenty of booze to give the old bat a send off couldent stand her when she was living like her a little bit better
now she has kicked the bucket anyone know where i can get some bunting and a good compass for her son incase he gets lost on the way to the funeral

Can't get my head around celebrating anyone's death to be honest but that's just me.

No matter what she did (or people believe she is responsible for) she's still someone's mother.

I can't believe Frank Field is attending the Witches funeral!

What an absolute 2 faced disloyal Knob!!!

Yep he also completely ignored my email regarding the public funded Lamenting of Thatcher last week.

What a joke

I think that when a prominent union leader dies, I'll organise a p**s up. Anyone care to join me?

Pot and kettle there, Chris.

I didn't celebrate when Thatcher died. At the end of the day, she was an 87 year old women with dementia. But I can understand why others would be so happy she'd gone given the damage her brand of neo-liberal economics have done [and are doing] to this country.

Just unbelievable, there has been a big celebration party on St Georges Plateau in Lime Street, and some were waving placards and an effigy of Mrs Thatcher which they have destroyed but some had an Argentine Flag. For G-ds Sake who are these people, not normal sensible people surely, I am ashamed of Liverpool and to be thought to come from this area of Merseyside.

Sorry to jump in late but you think that is bad you should see the goings on in parts of scotland over this. Im a countryman myself but its horrendous and downright shameful. No respect.