Thatcher

[Ghostrider]

^^ I wouldn't take Nixon's perspective on much as being of great value, remember how he saw Watergate.

[Guest Anonymous]

Ah watergate, a series of events that brought down an otherwise good president.

[unlinkedstudent]

I can never forgive her for being the first to spout man made global warming as a political weapon though. Just look at the money thats been wasted since.

President Nixon was taking climate change seriously back in 1969. Thatcher first mentioned it around 1989, if I remember correctly.

 

Oh crumbs, I need more coffee and nicotine at this time in the morning to get my head around whether global warming/climate change the same thing but dare I turn the coffee machine on for fear of increasing the hole in the ozone layer (Which is what I remember from back then!)?

[shetlandpeat]

Nixon was a drug addict.

 

Thatcher relied on 4 hours sleep a week and I have been told her Dad invented Mr. Wippy icecream.

 

She is an icon for right wing folk.

 

Although she had political accumin, she could not manage her staff and close accociates. The Falklads boosted her for the following elections, sadly some of the folk who fought in that conflict have to hope charities will help them.

 

Although she stuck to what she believed, she was still a bully and as indicated here, a nasty piece of work.

 

Although death is a sad thing for families, I will neither be celebrating or sad.

 

Did her children not get into strife?

She brought them up.

 

Her Dad was a shop keeper, a proud man and one who cared for he community he served.

[Ghostrider]

^^ Barbara Castle would have been as bad had she become leader of the other lot and they'd had power, it was the kind of people female politicians of the day were. It was still a man's world in politics back then, and to succeed a woman had to be bloody-minded, pig-headed and ruthless whenever necessary, to survive and progress up the ladder.

[gafynandrew]

To quote Frankie Boyle on the event of Thatcher's death..."It'll be the first time that the 21 gun salute shoots the coffin, just to make sure the bi*ch is dead"

 

And When he heard about the £3 million cost of her state funeral...."For £3 million you could give every man, woman and child in Scotland a shovel and we'd dig a hole so deep that we could hand her over to Satan in person"

 

 

[unlinkedstudent]

^^ Barbara Castle would have been as bad had she become leader of the other lot and they'd had power, it was the kind of people female politicians of the day were. It was still a man's world in politics back then, and to succeed a woman had to be bloody-minded, pig-headed and ruthless whenever necessary, to survive and progress up the ladder.

 

Ahem (Slap's Ghostrider's wrists as it probably wouldn't be PC to knee him) ...

 

Barbara got in the Equal Pay Act! Now whilst males may remember her more for introducing the breathalyser and seatbelt laws, many females will remember her stance on women's rights. She was also a campaigner for pensioners in her later years. Whilst deffo not a Labour supporter, I was a fan of Barbara.

[Ghostrider]

^^ I loathe PC, but I'll take it if the alternative is a knee. Probably a good thing too, as there's no telling where violence could lead.

 

I've not made my point very clear there though I don't think. I wasn't intending to suggest Castle or Thatcher were better/worse than each other, rather that to succeed, anywhere, politics included, a woman had to to be strong, dedicated, and to a degree bloody-minded in those days. They had to decide their course, and fight it to the death, as they had to outdo their male colleagues simply because they were female, as well make a case for whatever cause they were pursuing, and fight to have that case recognised and accepted.

 

I have very similar levels of respect for both women, as I believe had circumstances dictated their roles in history were reversed, their personalities would have ensured they'd have achieved pretty much the same thing in the end.

 

As it was Castle was a little ahead of her time, so never had the opportunity to run the country, and with her political beliefs she could put her strengths towards social improvements. Thatcher on the other hand with different politics and a country to run never had a chance to show what she might have achieved in other political spheres. All in all, I'd say both women achieved equally, albeit in very different spheres of political thought and arenas.

[Evil Inky]

Thatcher relied on 4 hours sleep a week and I have been told her Dad invented Mr. Wippy icecream.

I'm pretty sure it was Maggie herself who worked on ice cream, before she went into politics.

[shetlandpeat]

Thatcher relied on 4 hours sleep a week and I have been told her Dad invented Mr. Wippy icecream.

I'm pretty sure it was Maggie herself who worked on ice cream, before she went into politics.

 

May be. I have always been told that her father started it.

 

Another one was Dame Shirley Porter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homes_for_votes

 

No doubt some one will bring up the few folk convicted of a few thousands in fraud, I believe trying to commit an Election crime far, far worse.

 

Dame Shirley Porter has links with Shetland with the sacking of a chief exec and making money through Tesco, all beit indirectly, or is it??

[shetlandpeat]

we were both slightly out, though mine was a bigger slight.

 

One important development in the 20th century was the introduction of soft ice cream (like Mr Whippy uses!). A chemical research team in Britain (of which a young Margaret Thatcher was a member) discovered a method of doubling the amount of air in ice cream, which allowed manufacturers to use less of the actual ingredients, thereby reducing costs.

 

http://www.mrwhippyicecream.co.uk/the-history-of-ice-cream/

[NewMagnie]

do you remember the 3 day week imposed on every one by the miners striking?

Do you remember the dockers strike and the boats not being loaded with food for Shetland?

Do you remember the Blackouts when the power workers were on strike?

Do you remember the car workers downing tools and the influx of Jap cars?

Do you remember the seaman's strike called by prescott and the British ship register shrinking like a fair isle gansy in a hot tub?

All long before Thatcher was in charge. the left wing and the unions destroyed Britains economy Thatcher saved it then you muppets voted for blair and we are in even deeper poop than we were in 1979.

Well thank you very much, is it any bloody wonder folks that have worked hard and made something piss off at the first opportunity.

 

Muppets is it? You might want to get yourself an education in political economics before you start handing out the insults.

 

Yes, I remember all of that - what I don't remember is Thatcher 'saving the economy'

 

Britains economy was in a state in the 70's for sure but we can trace the lack of investment in the nationalised industries back a good few years before that. What do you think the Unions were striking for? Remember these strikes took place before minimum wages, collective bargaining, equal rights/pay for women and all sorts of workplace regulation we take for granted today. They took place against a background of job losses, pay cuts and unsafe and insecure working conditions.

 

The unions and the workers weren't the ones making investment decisions that left the mines and steel mills so uncompetitive they were losing contracts hand over fist, the unions weren't the ones making the design and manufacturing decisions that changed the motor industry from being a world leader to a standing joke. The unions weren't the ones that hosed the North Sea oil boom against the wall by handing it over to the market. The British economy - or at least the nationalised economy - was destroyed by antiquated plant, monetarist policy, two world wars and a global slump.

 

Those were all government and corporate decisions - what would you expect a Union to do in the face of layoffs and paycuts? Roll over and beg for more?

 

Maybe striking in that context wasn't the smartest thing to do. Maybe - probably - it was a series of futile gestures that was doomed from the get-go. Maybe Scargill was a twat (I've heard him speak, I can well believe it)

 

But what else were they to do? I don't buy this cr@p about them holding the country to ransom - to my mind they were exercising their mandate when faced with the biggest threat to their members livelihood in living memory.

 

As for voting in Blair - Brown who came with him, was probably one of the more competent chancellors Britain has had in many years - pity his ego couldn't allow him to stay in number 11 were he was actually doing some worthwhile work.

 

In the main though, Blair followed the centre right economic model that Thatcher and her heirs had established. What was the difference? where were the wave of nationalisations? Where were the punitive taxes on the rich? Nowhere. Under Blair, in Scotland at least, the gap between rich and poor actually grew. Maggie would have been proud.

 

Maybe you'd like to point out the waves of rampant socialism that swept the UK after '97 - because I don't really remember those either.

[Guest Anonymous]

In the main though, Blair followed the centre right economic model that Thatcher and her heirs had established. What was the difference? where were the wave of nationalisations? Where were the punitive taxes on the rich? Nowhere. Under Blair, in Scotland at least, the gap between rich and poor actually grew. Maggie would have been proud.

 

 

 

If you believe that then maybe it is you that needs the education in politics.

 

 

As for voting in Blair - Brown who came with him, was probably one of the more competent chancellors Britain has had in many years - pity his ego couldn't allow him to stay in number 11 were he was actually doing some worthwhile work.

 

 

 

and if you believe that you definitely need an education in economics.

 

I could almost understand folk voting for them the first time but the 2nd and 3rd times muppets pure and simple

[shetlandpeat]

The general concensus was that Gordon Brown did much to prevent economic collapse. Here and with other countries.

Why the name calling, I do not know, perhaps it uses less resources. Insulting folk will not work really, but it allows the caller some reaction to which they revel.

I do remember the amount of council houses that were repossessed and a burden put on to the state. The attacking of single mums, especially putting them in jail for not affording a TV licence.

I think interest rates hit 17%.

 

Now, not to be labeled a Thatcheright, GOV is letting inflation run uncecked instead of rasing interest rates by a quarter point. The sad thing is the folk told by the GOV in the 80's to save to boost their standard of living are now using those savings, they will soon dwindle. I am sure what is left of the walfare state will help them.

 

Every period has its ups and downs, Thatchers will be marred with bitter and bad memories. The Labour years brought about many good things, but alas they got it wrong in certain areas. Education for Adults is fantastic, it pickes up the pieces from a failing system where class sizes reaced 40-45 and so on.

 

Privatisation has rumbled to the forefont. The Post Office is now in the firing line. Already folk will not post to the Highlands and Islands without extra charge. PO Counters will be run by national chains I believe, the PO will still exist, doing the nitty gritty work of door to door delivery. Our postmen have to deliver 15-20 leaflets each week to boost funds to pay staff. Meanwhile GOV will allow the DHL's of the world to cherry pick the proftable side of the business.

We all want national identity, yet it is being sold to the highest bidder

 

 

imo.

[unlinkedstudent]

^ Quick point re post, Shetlandpeat:

 

My dog food comes from Germany for the grand sum of £4.00 for a 20kg sack. Sometimes it comes all the way via DHL sub-contracting to Northwards, other times DHL and then sub-contracted to Parcel Force!

 

Royal Mail doesn't charge extra to here, it is Parcel Force that does. Many courier companies charge more than DHL for delivery here so why have a pop at them?