Margaret Thatcher dead, age 87.

[Vy'drach]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/08/world/europe/uk-margaret-thatcher-dead/

 

Just thought I'd put this up here if y'all want. I didn't pay enough attention to her and what she did to really care about her one way or another. However I know plenty of folks that are actually very happy she's gone, and given that, let's not turn this into a big political hullabaloo if any of y'all find yourselves on opposite sides of the spectrum there.

[Redeemer]

I'm not "happy she's dead" as I've seen some people claim on facebook. I don't wish death upon anyone, not even my worst enemy. But Thatcher did a lot to this country that we're still recovering from today. Now I don't know the ins and outs of policy and law, but I do have a list here that I was discussing with a friend of mine. Here is what Thatcher did during her time as PM:

 

1. She supported the retention of capital punishment
2. She destroyed the country's manufacturing industry
3. She voted against the relaxation of divorce laws
4. She abolished free milk for schoolchildren ("Margaret Thatcher, Milk Snatcher")
5. She supported more freedom for business (and look how that turned out)
6. She gained support from the National Front in the 1979 election by pandering to the fears of immigration
7. She gerrymandered local authorities by forcing through council house sales, at the same time preventing councils from spending the money they got for selling houses on building new houses (spending on social housing dropped by 67% in her premiership)
8. She was responsible for 3.6 million unemployed - the highest figure and the highest proportion of the workforce in history and three times the previous government. Massaging of the figures means that the figure was closer to 5 million
9. She ignored intelligence about Argentinian preparations for the invasion of the Falkland Islands and scrapped the only Royal Navy presence in the islands
10. The poll tax
11. She presided over the closure of 150 coal mines; we are now crippled by the cost of energy, having to import expensive coal from abroad
12. She compared her "fight" against the miners to the Falklands War
13. She privatised state monopolies and created the corporate greed culture that we've been railing against for the last 5 years
14. She introduced the gradual privatisation of the NHS
15. She introduced financial deregulation in a way that turned city institutions into avaricious money pits
16. She pioneered the unfailing adoration and unquestioning support of the USA
17. She allowed the US to place nuclear missiles on UK soil, under US control
18. Section 28
19. She opposed anti-apartheid sanctions against South Africa and described Nelson Mandela as "that grubby little terrorist"
20. She support the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and sent the SAS to train their soldiers
21. She allowed the US to bomb Libya in 1986, against the wishes of more than 2/3 of the population
22. She opposed the reunification of Germany
23. She invented Quangos
24. She increased VAT from 8% to 17.5%
25. She had the lowest approval rating of any post-war Prime Minister
26. Her post-PM job? Consultant to Philip Morris tobacco at $250,000 a year, plus $50,000 per speech
27. The Al Yamamah contract
28. She opposed the indictment of Chile's General Pinochet
29. Social unrest under her leadership was higher than at any time since the General Strike
30. She presided over interest rates increasing to 15%
31. BSE
32. She presided over 2 million manufacturing job losses in the 79-81 recession
33. She opposed the inclusion of Eire in the Northern Ireland peace process
34. She supported sanctions-busting arms deals with South Africa
35. Cecil Parkinson, Alan Clark, David Mellor, Jeffrey Archer, Jonathan Aitkin
36. Crime rates doubled under Thatcher
37. Black Wednesday – Britain withdraws from the ERM and the pound is devalued. Cost to Britain - £3.5 billion; profit for George Soros - £1 billion
38. Poverty doubled while she opposed a minimum wage
39. She privatised public services, claiming at the time it would increase public ownership. Most are now owned either by foreign governments (EDF) or major investment houses. The profits don’t now accrue to the taxpayer, but to foreign or institutional shareholders.
40. She cut 75% of funding to museums, galleries and other sources of education
41. In the Thatcher years the top 10% of earners received almost 50% of the tax remissions
42. 21.9% inflation

[TCPeppyTc]

Hmmm She is definitly controversial. I am somewhat disturbed by the level of contempt and hate for her in Britan i.e  playing " Ding dong the Witch is dead." I dont think even Nixon received this bad treatement in his death!

[unoservix]

uh

 

can i ask why this topic was started in the first place? i mean the mere mention of Margaret Thatcher in almost any context is almost guaranteed to start a big dumb political shitfest

 

besides which, rejoicing over her death seems rather pointless, since she's already done her damage, as it were

[DZComposer]

I understand that we like to create threads to honor famous people who die, but the problem with politicians is that they are remembered, usually, for their policies and inevitably such discussions turn political.

If that happens: :lock:

[CrypticQuery]

16. She pioneered the unfailing adoration and unquestioning support of the USA

17. She allowed the US to place nuclear missiles on UK soil, under US control

21. She allowed the US to bomb Libya in 1986, against the wishes of more than 2/3 of the population

 

 

----

 

But I do grasp DZ and Uno's points.  Not much else this thread can be destined for.

[Drasiana]

I was under the impression that the one thing all political parties could agree on was that Thatcher was completely terrible. The was ousted by her own party, remember.

[Vy'drach]

uh

 

can i ask why this topic was started in the first place? i mean the mere mention of Margaret Thatcher in almost any context is almost guaranteed to start a big dumb political shitfest

 

besides which, rejoicing over her death seems rather pointless, since she's already done her damage, as it were

 

 

I made it because people seem to be interested in being kept up to date on famous deaths, so it's an "In case you didn't know, she died" type deal. If things looked like they'd get out of hand, there'd be no issue locking it, or if folks would prefer, there'd be no issue just locking it now given it would still serve its purpose. It matters not either way to me.

[Redeemer]

Yeah if there was any debate starting, I was already keeping my eye on the topic anyway. Vydrach if you feel your topic has served its purpose, feel free to lock it.

[Vy'drach]

If you wish.

 

Topic has served its purpose.