Happy Margaret Thatcher Day everyone!

[i claudius]

The only real mistake she made was in closing Grammar School down, closing pits down was not.

Think of academies and open cast mines as their modern successors.

Remember,it was cheaper to import coal from Australia than to mine it in Britain,thanks to the unions and the likes of Scargill

[Craig krup]

Remember,it was cheaper to import coal from Australia than to mine it in Britain,thanks to the unions and the likes of Scargill

Partly, and partly because it was ridiculously deep, with complex geology and problems with water. It's always going to be easier to bulldoze it out in Colombia, South Africa or Australia.

A miner is defined as someone who bought a Honda CB750 because it was ten times better than the Meriden vertically-split engine rubbish - thereby ending the British motorcycle industry - and then expects the former motorcycle maker to pay over the odds for his coal.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Craig krup

[Oxx]

Remember,it was cheaper to import coal from Australia than to mine it in Britain,thanks to the unions and the likes of Scargill

Partly, and partly because it was ridiculously deep, with complex geology and problems with water. It's always going to be easier to bulldoze it out in Colombia, South Africa or Australia.

A miner is defined as someone who bought a Honda CB750 because it was ten times better than the Meriden vertically-split engine rubbish - thereby ending the British motorcycle industry - and then expects the former motorcycle maker to pay over the odds for his coal.

I think this totally misrepresents the views of miners. Most miners would have preferred safer, cleaner work in some other industry. My grandfather lost his leg at the age of 14 in a mining accident. Went on to become a librarian. Said that losing his leg was the best thing that ever happened to him. Certainly no miner I ever knew in South Wales wanted any of his sons to become a miner. However, in the Valleys, the options for alternative employment were severely limited, so miners kept mining and kept fighting for decent remuneration for their dirty, dangerous work.

Had the government made a concerted effort to facilitate suitable, alternative employment miners would have been happy to take it. But it didn't, resulting in massive levels of unemployment and social degeneration in affected areas. Of course, Thatcher didn't care, as long as her business baron friends had cheap coal.

[evadgib]

Who caused the 3 day week?

[Mexlark]

The establishment, with their continually dishonest approach and slave-owning mentality. Contemporary economics is largely a quack science which they use as their leverage on the rest of us. We now need look no further than the last ten ears of banking and tax haven fiascos to realise that these people have no commitment to any state other than their own wealth empires - which are frequently bigger than single nations. And they always manage transition very badly. And what is just around the corner is the very 'Mother of Transitions'.

My experience is much the same as Oxx. I knew miners and liked them. It was inevitable that they had to change their employment, and they did in droves and in many cases very successfully. Japanese factories were always capable of finding common ground with unionists. But let's face it, Japanese industry is also dodo material in this day & age. And the next move beyond zero hours contracts for most of us will be zero employment. Even skilled jobs are going to robotised. The establishment believe that it can weather this storm in their gated communities. They assume that beyond those gates is going to be complete anarchy. But what may actually happen is that they will get to learn that their convenient throwaways are not nearly as feckless as they have always been conveniently painted. In any case, the whole point of having an establishment is that they lead. Old-style tories still understood that simple truth, but the current bunch (liberals, socialists and all) just got flat-out lazy and greedy post-Thatcher.

I was never convinced that Scargill was the right person - in fact, I would argue that he was the establishment's greatest ally. And I remember saying this to miners at the time, and the fact that they did not physically attack me indicated that they also had some reservations about him. And I haven't changed my view. Nothing has happened to change my view. A few privately-owned council houses, for example, cannot change the fact that there is a desperate need for affordable housing for those huge numbers of people who are currently teetering on the brink of redundancy. Transition is coming inevitably, but there is no way that the current establishment is going to make any real effort to show any real leadership qualities and make it happen in a civilised manner. They basically opted out of any social responsibility decades ago.

Who caused the 3 day week?

Edited May 18, 2016 by Mexlark

[BB24]

Politicians like Margaret (and Ronald) only come along now and then. Most of them are show-ponies that look good and say the right thing to get elected. Unfortunately, like the current POTUS and Britain's PM, are exactly that sort of political 'show pont'. Once they are in the job it is very clear that they are not a 'work horse' and cant get the job done. Theys till look good and sound good - but nothing ever seems to ever get done !!

[Mexlark]

Remain OR Leave, the Thatcherite tyranny looks like a decidedly sick parrot these days.

[elliss]

Unfortunately it would be a further 34 years before she was dead.

Her surrogate son , lives on , unfortunately .

Suitable , residence awaits him @ HMPrison

[elliss]

Remember,it was cheaper to import coal from Australia than to mine it in Britain,thanks to the unions and the likes of Scargill

OUCH , the truth hurts,

[elliss]

Yup she stood up to fascist bullies, the EU and undemocratically called strikes- and people re elected her twice.

Undemocratically called strikes .

The Miners stike was caused by Scargill and his bully boys .

I should know .

[nong38]

Wherever Maggie comes up it polarizes people you either saw what she was trying to do or you did not, you saw a different picture altogether, she was like marmite then?

When she came to power the country was down to put it mildly, we had a few really tough years, she did things that some did not like but were really necessary, she took power from the like of Scargill who wanted to overthrow the elected to Government but his tactics were those of a 5 year old, calling a strike in the summer when the coal stocks were at their height was the start of his downfall, he had started to believe in his own publicity and his ego went through the roof, once he was defeated the country found its feet and prosperity, but, it depends how you look at things I guess, I thought she was great but everyone has their time and towards the end of her term I think she was running out of ideas, her time had come to go. Her relationship with Ronnie Reagan was brilliant and it came at the right time, great President and friend of the UK.

I wont forget her, not everything she did was right in mind, she thought otherwise but I cannot understand or the vitriol that some people still carry around everytime her name is mentioned, she deserves better than that.

[GuestHouse]

Unfortunately it would be a further 34 years before she was dead.

But the last ten years of her life are the ones I like to think of when I think of Thatcher.

[RabC]

Unfortunately it would be a further 34 years before she was dead.

But the last ten years of her life are the ones I like to think of when I think of Thatcher.

And you have a go at biggots on the Brexit thread, maybe I should rejoice in what happened to Michael Foots memorial, but I am not that narrow minded.

[dick dasterdly]

The first time I was able to vote I was (obviously) v. young and with little knowledge of politics.

To my shame, I voted for Thatcher as I naively thought a woman would have more compassion towards others who were not so fortunate !

It became clear v. quickly that she had no compassion whatsoever towards the poor.....

I despise the woman, but to be fair the unions needed to be brought under control - she just took it too far. Not that I have any time for modern unions either, the leaders of which are only interested in their own power - rather than their members.

Even more embarrassingly, I made a similar mistake again - thinking that Blair would be more considerate towards the poor than the Conservatives. It didn't take long to realise that he too was only interested in his own power and wealth - a Tory hiding under the Labour banner .

Edited July 12, 2016 by dick dasterdly

[Kan Win]

It became clear v. quickly that she had no compassion whatsoever towards the poor.....

As I mentioned before in this thread. I too voted for her Party and left UK in 1979 as I was one of the poor folks, wages were quite low, my union told me to go on strict even after I said NO, but then had to, to keep my job, so then I voted with my feet.

I thank the Good Lady for not taxing me whilst worked abroad (rule was not to be back in the UK for more than 90 days per year) and making room for another Stateless Immigrant to take my place.

It turned out to be my best move ever.

Win

P.S. Ms. T. May, Day will be during this week as the New PM of the UK.

Edited July 12, 2016 by Kan Win

[evadgib]

Will Private Eye resurrect 'Dear Bill'?

Edited July 14, 2016 by evadgib

[Ricardo]

Will Private Eye resurrect 'Dear Bill'?

I'd wager a stiff G&T on it, and St Cake's Academy should also see a shake-up in staffing, in the next edition !

[i claudius]

Unfortunately it would be a further 34 years before she was dead.

But the last ten years of her life are the ones I like to think of when I think of Thatcher.

perhaps you and soi biker could get together and have a 2 man party

[GuestHouse]

Unfortunately it would be a further 34 years before she was dead.

But the last ten years of her life are the ones I like to think of when I think of Thatcher.

perhaps you and soi biker could get together and have a 2 man party

Feeling got are you?

[Boon Mee]

Well, all you Lady Thatcher haters, she's baaaack!

Threresa May kicking Corbyn's ass!

Maggie would be so proud!

[Mexlark]

Truth of the matter is that Margaret would call Teresa May a wet. It will be very interesting to find out how someone with at least some Remain sympathies will deal with such complete ning-nongs as Boris and Michael Gove. Who in UK politics is not a Thatcherite these days? Which is precisely why the electorate have rebelled. The whole damn lot of them are completely out-of-touch with real lives

What a legacy! The woman who started a process which has been even more devastating for the UK economy than anything that happened in the seventies. History will be her judge - not some fashion show. Proud of what, precisely .... Becoming third rate.

Edited July 25, 2016 by Mexlark