Thatcher has died

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.

Nor here. She is dead.

I do think cheering is OTT.

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 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.

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

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.

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

Who was the terrorist? Remember Sharpville.

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

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

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]

laidback

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

Frank

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.

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.

You're being smug again, Frank and if you read laidback's post it was his/her mother he/she was talking about. Sorry, laidback - don't know you well enough - are you he or she?

Thanks vampirequeen for putting all that on record. If they quote that prayer of St Francis at her funeral I shall spit. I growl every time I hear that recording of her sanctimonious delivery of those words.

Deedaa , I am trying to follow your logic. Are you saying that because another loathsome PM took us into an illegal war, it was O.K. for Thatcher to order the deaths of 17-year old recruits on the Belgrano? How did something that happened later justify what she did?
So far, we have had one suggestion of something good that happened on her watch, Income Support, and many suggestions of heartless actions that destroyed industries and communities.

She was a poor excuse for a woman and her politics stank!

I was still in school in the 80's Frank trying to achieve an education.

Hunter - you really are a child of Thatcher, aren't you?

Predictable wasn't he?

The Argentinian government was responsible for the deaths of armed forces personnel in the Falklands. British territory was attacked and occupied which threatened the lives of the British people who live there. They are as entitled to as much support and protection from our armed forces as the rest of us.

Sorry ladies I invited Frank in on that one. I have been lurking. I am a she by the way.

laiback, you must be very young!
(Compared to the rest of us, I mean....)

Every bodies young compared with some of us. I feel more ancient every day.

The Belgrano was sailing away. It was like shooting a man in the back. I just don't believe that the point of the Falklands war was to protect the islanders, but it made a good diversion from what was happening at home. The British troops called the Falkland Islanders Bubs - bloody ungrateful bastards.

greatnan. I'm asking out of genuine interest and with no undertone but I wonder who you think was a good Prime Minister? And why?