Make no mistake, she was a divisive figure in British politics, never has a politician been so revered and reviled to the extremes at the same time. To her supporters, she was the salvation that revived the British economy (she did a lot better than Heath and Callaghan) and a guardian that made sure Britain wasn't part of a Federal Republic of Europe, while to her critics, she was a destroyer and a difficult woman who did not compromise with the trade unions. I will agree that section 28 is a horrendous piece of work. And so was her poll tax. And so was her milk snatching. You can hate her if you want because let's be fair not all her policies benefit everyone. But you have to respect her especially in her death. She was a woman in a man's world and she fought for what she believed. And she stood strong against the tide of hatred and prejudices from others. I won't be celebrating or mourning, but we should be feeling sorry for her family, she's gone into severe dementia for quite some time, she was pretty frail, and her family probably had to take care of her bit by bit for the last 7 years.
Question - why are we all hung up on her being anti gay? Now, let me say this - I am not condoning her actions or making excuses for her. But it was the 80's! Look how different the world was then! But I feel that it has become some witch hunt. I respect her and the work she did. I know - I don't live in the UK, but fuck - she's a step up from some of the crappy leaders we have to deal with and those who we've had to deal with in the past. I respect her. She did a lot and she was the first female PM. That's a big deal, rather you like her or not. (She also had dementia, and so does my grandmother..so I have a soft spot for her.) Maybe it's a country thing? I'd take someone like Margaret Thatcher any day over little Ms Alaska, Sarah Palin.
Its not just because she was anti-gay, its because she seriously damaged gay rights in the country. Also (I'm guessing you're from the US), homosexuality was legalised in the UK in 1968, and I think it wasn't legalised federally in the US till 2003. The UK has a better track record than the US in terms of gay rights, and as far as I know, (though I wasn't alive) homophobia, though definitely a problem, wasn't too bad in the 80s. And its not just about her views on our right to exist either. I don't think people are terribly hung up on it.
Just to be very clear here... she was only the first female PM in the UK. there were a number of other female PMs prior to her including Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir all come to mind. Sorry to hear about your grandmother.
I realised today that I need to find new friends. Earlier, one of them couldn't figure out what all the fuss with Margaret Thatcher's death was about... she had thought that she was a celebrity chef :eusa_doh:
Apart from Section 8, Margaret Thatcher as a member of Parliament (MP) in the 1960's, she was one of only a handful of Conservatives to vote for the decriminalization of homosexuality in the UK, she was many things, but not Homophobic! Hell most of her Cabinet was Gay Lol
I don't know, I'm pretty sure she was the one who said “Children are being taught that they have an inalienable right to be gay.” Bit of a mixed bag, it's hard to tell what she really believed and what she HAD to believe as prime minister at that time.
Do you mean Wilson and Callaghan the two previous Labour prime ministers and if so, no she didn't do a lot better she left the British economy in a state of long term despair, today the price to heat your house in the UK is stupidly high, why? She privatised the power companies. The UK has massive welfare bill why? 60% of people on benefits ARE in work thanks to her idea of power to the companies, people can't afford to live of a wage thanks to her, she gave massive powers to private companies and was the opposite of what Obama said she was an oppressor. In Britain our trains are made in Germany! Why?, because she destroyed large industry and left everything in the private sector and even when the government shouldn't have to get involved they do because the companies collapse. Massive multi-national companies swan into the UK and pay people nothing for hard work. In the 1980's my Mum and Dad where trying to build a family when there was little work, little money and little help. Thatcher was a Woman and don't well to fight in a sexist workplace but she was the worst Prime Minister ever.
Section 28 was actually dreamt up by Mary Whitehouse, but yes, it wasn't good. Indeed, it was ludicrous. I must say, though, that I am a great fan of her politics. Think of all the good she did for the nation. She did indeed, as Cameron said, save Britain from a socialist downfall. Be in no doubt about how close we were to it. I feel for the plight of the miners, however privatisation and pit closures were necessary, and Thatcher was the only one with the bollocks to do it.In fact, I believe Arthur Scargill, who was mead of the coal miners union, was more to blame for the end of the industry. At the beginning of her premiership, Thatcher was slightly more open to compromise, however Scargill was not. No one seems to remember the Winter of Discontent shortly before Thatcher came to power. Parks were used as temporary landfills, because public service unions called strikes simultaneously, bringing the country to a standstill. Britain was at the mercy of the three main unions, and she brought an end to this. She is also often portrayed as evil-incarnate. As far as we can tell from her most recently revealed private documents, she was quite the opposite. Not only did she cry each night during the Falklands War over the dead that she felt were on her hands, but she wrote letters, by hand, to the families of every British serviceman killed. Which recent PM has done this? She also felt personally responsible for the deaths as a consequence of the Grand Hotel bombing, as it was intact an attempt on her life, and anything else was simply a bonus to the IRA. It must also be remembered, that Thatcher was one of very few conservatives to votes for the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, so she's not as nasty as some might have you think. And no, I don't mean to sound like the Daily Mail, but more like the Telegraph
Well, in regards to all positive notes, and especially the part about "saving the country from socialism" - I'm not terribly knowledgeable about recent British political history, however, I'm going to guess any given socialist on here or elsewhere is going to remember things differently. :icon_wink But, heh, I'm not taking sides on this. I will say I don't see how this women's death deserves any more attention than someone in the West who died of cancer, or a child starving in Africa (or, *ahem*, North Korea), but I guess that's just the way of things...
Actually, I haven't made up my mind about the community charge yet. On the one hand, poorer homes tend to be more highly populated so they would end up paying more, whereas on the other, it makes sense that a household should pay for council services according to their usage. A household of three will produce three times as much rubbish as a household of one. It therefore follows, that the household of three should pay three times as much for their rubbish collection. Oh well, all that's in the past now. However I disagree with you strongly on her 'milk snatching'. Removing free milk from secondary schools made sense. It would have been one thing to remove milk were it the 1950s, where Britain was in tatters, trying to repair itself, where rationing was still in force and people could quite often not afford milk, but it was another thing altogether to remove it in the '70s, when it was no longer necessary for the government to feed people. Money was saved and put towards more urgent concerns.
RIP Iron Lady Though her politics were polar-opposite to mine, she was a revolutionary woman who blazed the trail for many female politicians around the world. Did you guys hear about the confusion with that one Twitter hashtag this morning "#nowthatchersdead"? All of these Cher fans were apparently freaking out because they thought it said "Now that cher's dead" instead of "Now Thatcher's dead" (both of which are distasteful, in my opinion, particularly the latter).
No, I don't have to respect her under any circumstances. I defend the weak. She made her object to oppress the weak.
