The Long Overdue Thatcher's Dead Thread!

[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]

So EDDIE finally did it 

[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......

[Stupot]

Weheey!

[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:

“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]

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]

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]

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.

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]

Thatcher's dead! Now we all get head!

From zombie Thatcher.

[Snarky]

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...

[Darth Mandarb]

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

"Say what you want about the tenets of national socialism, at least it's an ethos" </lebowski fanboy>

[Stee]

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

Tell that to the sailors of the Belgrano..

We were in a recession at the time and I don't doubt that cuts where necessary. However I think a lot of the decisions she made, especially in regards to the miners and privatisation, did the country more harm than good.

She scrapped the coal mines - we now import our energy. That is thousands of jobs taken out of the country and outsourced.

She deregulated the banks - the reason we are in this mess AGAIN.

She privatised water, gas, electricity, telecoms, the rail system. The result being everyone is getting ripped off because the companies can charge what they want for these services. We have governing bodies like Ofcom and Ofgem that are supposed to regulate these firms, but as can be seen in recent news they are not really interested.

You want to know why they are not interested?

Because your beloved politicians want a nice comfy seat on the board of these companies when their political careers come to an end. That's the price of looking the other way. That is also the reason why corporation tax is getting cut.


She is one of David Cameron's biggest influences, and you can see Thatcherism in the policies he makes whilst in power. I remember one of the statements they were making during the election was something along the lines of "we got you out of the recession last time". Yes, you did, by selling off everything valuable the state owned. There isn't much left to sell now!!!

That is why she was bad. That is why people are having street parties to celebrate her death even if it is somewhat over the top. The only shame in it is that she didn't die 30 years earlier in that hotel.

Unfortunately we are going to have much of the same crap all over again. I don't know what the solution to the recession is. But I know a second era of Thatcherism isn't the answer

The Royal Mail will go soon. I fear for the safety of the NHS. I can't think of anything else of value we have left.

Maybe we can auction off the Royal Family...

And no, she doesn't deserve a state funeral, or whatever they are dressing it up as. But it's nice to be doubly certain that she is dead

[bicilotti]

https://twitter.com/davidbcooper/status/321305470797217792

[Retro Wolf]

She supposedly helped invent soft serve ice cream.........mmmmm ice cream.......

[SSH]

Interestingly, Thatcher destroyed the last ship to survive Pearl Harbour. The Belgrano was formerly the USS Phoenix, one of only a few ships to survive the Japanese attack in 1941. All the others were scrapped before 1982.

[kaput]

Had to share this article.

[Snarky]

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

"Say what you want about the tenets of national socialism, at least it's an ethos" </lebowski fanboy>

I am mortified. 

[Baron]

Meh....  Policy-wise, you get what you vote for.  People were frustrated by a sense of Britain adrift and in decline, so they voted for a new direction.  Like it, lump it or stick it, she definitely shook things up, for good or for ill.  But say what you will about her personality or politics: you have to admit she had great hair.

[Retro Wolf]

Watching the news, the funeral is going to cost the taxpayer 10 million pounds?!