Thatcher has died

Ana I agree with you about Family Income Support. We found it a great help for several years - and so simple. I should hate to try and negotiate today's minefield.

Many fewer died in The Falklands than have died in Iraq and at least we were supporting people of British descent which is not the case in Iraq.

I wont be shedding a tear for Mrs T, worst day for this country the day she became Prime Minister, it was a sad day for the the coal mines and industry in the North East.
As far as being our first woman Prime Minister, what did she do for any other woman........ nothing as far as I can see.

laidback

You should have worked for a bank and got a bank staff mortgage.

Frank

I grew up in the 80's. It was a real struggle for my proud widowed mum of 4 children to pay the mortgage.interest rates were horrific. Tough times. [Sad]

On one radio interview today she was described as 'the most loathed and the most loved PM of our time'. Interesting

Who was the terrorist? Remember Sharpville.

Oh, and let's not forget Section 28 either.

The Thatcher days were Glory days in the City of London and there were some good opportunities to make money.
I knew those days could not go on for ever so I saved a lot at that time.
I know several people who did not and are now regretting it.

Frank

Well, I found FIS (Family Income Support) which I claimed during some of the Thatcher years a lot fairer and far more straightforward than the over-complicated Tax Credits system in place today.

My parish priest has suggested that the hymn 'When I needed a neighbour were you there?' would be an appropriate choice at her funeral.

I cheered. I'm not ashamed to say it.

She closed our coalmines then allowed the importation of coal from Venezuela which was cheaper because they used child labour and had no safety standards in place. She allowed our steel industry and ship building industry to collapse. She sent out troops to die in the Falklands and ordered the sinking of an enemy ship that was steaming out of the area and posing no threat to our forces.

She was the political friend of dictators and oppressors across the world.

She undermined the foundations of our society by claiming we should all be responsible for ourselves and so the weak were left to go to the wall.

As she's getting a Ceremonial funeral complete with armed forces and a gun carriage I have no doubt we'll be funding a huge chunk of it out of the public purse.

bluebell I do agree. But Nelson Mandela himself pointed out that he was a seriously good bomb maker and the ANC could quite legitimately be described as a terrorist organisation.

Let's not forget MT's cosying up to the egregious Pinochet either.

I do think cheering is OTT.

Nor here. She is dead.

Found myself cheering when I heard the news --and then feeling guilty for doing that. I never liked her ,or her policies ,maybe because I grew up in a mining area and had some ancestors who were miners. My late Husband knew her Father and always maintained that he would have turned in his grave if he'd known what a hard hearted person she turned out to be. No tears here I'm afraid.

Remember the Big Bang when the banks were deregulated under her leadership? Look whete that got us.

Margaret thatcher first and no doubt only lady prime minister of here and let's face it a formidable lady who commanded an enormous amount of respect.

She was a great leader who had passion sadly lacking in today's govt.

agree she will be the leader always remembered when the rest long forgotten.

Rip thoughts with her family.

If I were to be remembered for getting rid of school milk, I'd rather be forgotten.

I thought using the Ritz as a care home showed a certain style! Didn't like her politics but I agree with Boris, she'll be remembered after all the grey suits are long forgotten - for good or ill.

and in all the volunteers, carers and good friends, families, neighbours etc etc that do good stuff everyday despite PMT trying to make us focus on profit alone!

I agree with goldengirl ..."you knew where you stood with her..."

Positivepam.... just heard about the Ritz.....her own private Care Home perhaps?

There is such a thing as society. You hear it talking on the likes of Twitter. And Gransnet.

"Mrs Thatcher said to me once that if I died before she died she would basically say the same thing about me that I've said about her today. When somebody dies you have to be respectful but the wounds her policies inflicted are still there." Tony Benn

At least you knew where you stood with her whether you liked her or not or agreed with her or not. Unlike today's politicians who say one thing and do another. I didn't like some of what she did but I did admire her. I certainly didn't like the way Geoffrey Howe et al treated her.

I'll never forgive her for the support she gave to apartheid South Africa and for calling Mandela and the ANC terrorists ( and all the other things of course)