The Long Overdue Thatcher's Dead Thread!

Started by Ali, Tue 09/04/2013 00:33:21

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Ali

And Tony Benn is still alive! Finally, a victory for the left!

Armageddon

I thought she was already dead?

Also Tony Bennet is awesome of course he's alive, he has to sing at everyones wedding.

Ali

Don't derail my glee at the death of an old woman!

Andail

So can English school kids drink their milk now finally?

Ghost


SSH

Don't rejoice in the death of anyone!

On the other hand....


So Maggie enters the pits of Hell and the first lost soul she encounters is Sir Jimmy Savile. Aghast he exclaims, "Now then Margaret, what are you here for?"

"Shafting miners." she intones.
"Me too," says Jimmy......

12


kaput

It's no wonder "Ding-dong the witch is dead" has made it's way into the charts. Everyone was thinking it. The government's forking out for a huge funeral, no surprise then. In death, as in her life, she's gulping up all everyone's money. Go figure.

Ali

People are complaining about the funeral costing £8m, but if most of that's going on security it's probably wise. I think the irony of a state funeral for someone who embodied callous individualism is summed up by Ken Loach's remark:

Quote“Remember she called Mandela a terrorist and took tea with the torturer and murderer Pinochet. 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.”

AGA

Quote from: Andail on Tue 09/04/2013 09:51:16
So can English school kids drink their milk now finally?

I got milk.  But then again, I live in the socialist wonderland of Wales.

Calin Leafshade

My personal opinion is that Thatcher was a great stateswomen, a great politician and a great leader.

Even if one were to disagree with her politics, celebrating her death or worse using her gender against her ("ding dong, the witch is dead") is detestable, and those guilty of such should hang their heads in shame.

Stupot

#11
Yeah.  While I wouldn't claim to be a fan, I was also a bit perturbed by the scenes of students (in their early 20s who weren't even born when she was PM) dancing and stamping on pictures of this woman.  Not because they really cared that much, or were personally affected by her decisions, but because it was the studenty bandwagon of the moment (like voting for Lib Dems in the last election - look how that turned out).  Other older people who might have been affected, might have more reason to be cheerful, and if they want to quietly rejoice then they probably have their reasons. But even so, dancing in the street is a bit bad taste (better than the riots she caused though).

For the past two days my FB newsfeed has been full of article after article about how she fucked up Britain, as though everyone has just suddenly worked out who she was and finally did a bit of research and judged that she was indeed Saddam Hussein's Godmother. I've deliberately kept quiet about it (until now) because I admit my knowledge of British politics is appalling and I was too young to know what was going on when she was PM.

Making jokes about the recently deceased will always happen (Sorry Jacko et al, I just can't resist a cheap laugh). But there is something disturbing about the crowd mentality of just joining in because every body else is doing it, which is the impression I got from a lot of the scenes I've seen.

P.S.  My 'weheey' above was in response to SSH's joke, not Thatcher's death, in case I get accused of hypocracy.


kaput

The fact of the matter is this: in Britain, her actions shaped the country in a big way and, where as many people think she was a great leader, a lot of people hate(d) her guts too. It goes with the job description. Her actions were very controversial ie Falklands war and the poll tax.

Personally, I never knew her. Why should it affect my life that she has passed on at the very graceful age of 87? Sure, what she did during her reign affected my life, my parents lives and even the youth of today's lives. Can't say I am happy about that - it sucks, but the fact that she passed away doesn't change that.

I can understand why that 'ding dong' song got in the charts, I don't condone it, but I can understand it. Sure, people are taking it way too far but when you look at a newspaper or turn on the tv and see nothing but good grace about the woman, it was bound to be met with an equally expressive opposing side. Absolutely inevitable.

My two cents (or pence, even!).

Stupot

Quote from: Sunny Penguin on Thu 11/04/2013 02:53:54Sure, people are taking it way too far but when you look at a newspaper or turn on the tv and see nothing but good grace about the woman, it was bound to be met with an equally expressive opposing side. Absolutely inevitable.
Yeah, I'll give you that.  I was up all night Monday night watching [among other stuff] the news (as I'd slept most of the day with illness), and it's true that the BBC News seemed to be gushing with praise and bigging her right up.  Even the guy whose job is to discuss the morning's newspapers seemed to be very careful and the most negative adjective the three of them could rustle up between them was 'divisive'.  It did seem a stark contrast to what "everyone else" (meaning people on Twitter and Facebook) seemed to be saying.

Calin Leafshade

I had a revelation a few years ago.

And that was that those who are my political opponents are not evil. I do not have a monopoly on Good and my way is not the right way.
That seems obvious but how often do we hear about the evil capitalist on the right just lining their own pockets or the socialist commies trying to take away a man's sweat from his brow?

I think it's important to realise that Thatcher did what she did because she thought it was the best thing to do. She was trying to help.

And although many of us here will consider her to be *wrong*, it doesnt mean she was *bad*, merely mistaken.

If we all assumed good faith in our politics, the world would be a better place.

Now apply that to Sarah Palin.

Armageddon

Thatcher's dead! Now we all get head!

AGA


Snarky

Quote from: Calin Leafshade on Thu 11/04/2013 03:56:54
I had a revelation a few years ago.

And that was that those who are my political opponents are not evil. I do not have a monopoly on Good and my way is not the right way.
That seems obvious but how often do we hear about the evil capitalist on the right just lining their own pockets or the socialist commies trying to take away a man's sweat from his brow?

I think it's important to realise that Thatcher did what she did because she thought it was the best thing to do. She was trying to help.

That sounds very reasonable and tolerant and "see both sides of the issue"-y, but is it actually tenable? Many of the big controversial issues in politics seem to me to also be moral questions: Civil rights, war, social justice, individual freedom, political freedom, the preservation or destruction of the environment, care for the weak; what should be legal and illegal, and how it should be punished. Besides, governments can serve the interests of some at the expense of others, and can abuse their powers, and that's something leaders can try to curb, or exploit and encourage. Is that not a moral issue?

It's all well and good to say that everyone's just trying to do what they think is right, but where do we draw the line? Berlusconi, just trying to help? Chavez? Mugabe? Assad? Stalin?

"Say what you will about Nazism, but at least it's an ethos"; sure, but that doesn't mean we can't condemn it.

Khris

Exactly, there are countless examples of people doing what they think is right and that leading to misery.
I had a similar revelation, but only in the sense that those people are not stupid but merely ignorant and in love with really stupid traditions for sentimental reasons.

I'll pick one issue, because it so perfectly illustrates the problem: abstinence only education. People who push that don't just "want to help", they are stupid shitheads. Wait, I meant, ignorant shitheads.

miguel

On a side note, without Thatcher we would not have Robert Wyatt's Shipbuilding and a lot of angry punk rock...with every crisis the poets are the ones to speak for the people, I guess...
Working on a RON game!!!!!

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