Re: Margaret Thatcher
 

Well thought I was posting on the Margaret Thatcher forum rather than at the NUM supporters club. No idea why we sidetrack to industries that were closed, and needed to be closed.

Mrs T's achievements were far greater than that. Any chance of thinking beyond Lancashire for a second? Like her role in the ending of the cold war (Gorbachov achnowledged this yesterday), her reclamation of billions from the EU - a non-negotiable rebate that European leaders are ****ed off about today, the Falklands War, fixing the broken economy etc etc.

Seems we all forgot why Labour was voted out by a landslide in 1979. Inflation at 15%, interest rates 18%, strikes everywhere, rubbish filling the streets. Even with rose glasses on you cant defend that.

As to my location then and now. I worked both in Newcastle and London in the 1980s, and spent my first 19 years in Newcastle. I can't be accused of being blinkered to the North South Divide - my accent would tell you otherwise.

As to the location of my business. Depends which one you are talking about - I'm the founder of 4 businesses. The largest of these is based in Singapore, but you should note that my first business was UK based and still is UK based. It just couldn't do much beyond struggle because I started it in April 07 and battled that fool Brown's economic policies (where I'm competing against the welfare state for employees, who if they are single mums are paid more to not work) the taxman and the shambolic state of UK's finances. Mrs T fixed Labour's overspend. Then 12 years of Labour overspend followed alongside a complete lack of regulation of banking.

I can say though that the businesses I created since 2007 have provided around 250 man years of employment for people, over 100 of these in deprived parts of Northern UK. I've also paid more tax to the UK govt than anyone here (circa 1m in income tax, payroll tax, VAT since 07). In both regards I think I have little to defend. Money I make in Singapore is largely directly reinvested in Accrington and properties in other parts of the North because I don't trust banks and think the worlds current economic system is a ponzi scheme. I buy shot properties in the town (you know there's loads of these) and bring them back to good standing.

My last point on mining is that if it was such a fantastically profitable industry why didn't anyone buy a mine? The miners could have, one or two independent companies tried it, all lost spectacular sums and closed.

Don't see why the taxpayer should be asked to foot the bill for rotten industries like steel, coal, shipbuilding, British Leyland, cotton, banking, weaving, basket making......

Re: Margaret Thatcher
 

Remember the 23rd March 1962 local pit disaster Hapton Valley 16 dead 21 injured 3 later died from injuries.

Re: Margaret Thatcher
 

Remember it so well. I was 15 working at Bankhall.

Re: Margaret Thatcher
 

Cost of the funeral is 8m. Value of the publicity as it's broadcast around the world...? Priceless.

The direct increase in tourist visitors to the country as a direct result in the months that follow will massively exceed the cost.

To argue that this 8m could be better spent is as stupid an argument as saying we shouldn't be buying the Duchess of Cambridge a new dress every day. The Royal family cost a lot of money, but they bring 100x payback in tourist receipts.

Same here: loads of pomp and ceremony, hours of live TV beamed around the world and on every news channel for days is great for UK plc.

Plus its a fitting recognition of the great lady's achievements.

Re: Margaret Thatcher
 

I thought this thread was about Thatcher, but is looks like you have taken over and made it all about you.

Re: Margaret Thatcher
 

Not those miners who threw ball-bearings under the hooves OR squirted a mixture of washing up liquid and pepper into the eyes of the police horses at Orgreave or the ones who killed a taxi driver in South Wales taking a miner to work then?

Re: Margaret Thatcher
 

My goodness me, you have come out with a couple of spectacular posts just now!
You don't seem to understand do you?
The amount of grief she caused to ordinary working folk?
I didn't go on strike during the 70's and 80's I was busy working, but a potentially good career was ruined because ancillary workers suffered the same fate as the miners, but because I and thousands more weren't directly employed, we didn't get the redundancy payments.
All she wanted was revenge at any cost.
The cost?
Use the money from gas and oil to pay for her ideals, rather than invest in the countries future.
You and your type of folk sicken me, you duck under any form of human responsibility and play at being a nice guy.

Re: Margaret Thatcher
 

i suppose if i absolutely must think of something positive about her it could be claimed that spitting image wouldnt have been as good as it was without her..


i wonder if they will make a one off spitting image tribute and burn the puppet at the stake

Re: Margaret Thatcher
 

That to me is a bit pathetic DtheP, There was loads of stuff went on during the strike very bad on both sides as i actually bore witness too, As i know fer fact yeh aint a dummy, i can only assume yeh choose to ignore the fact.:rolleyes: Still if yeh must defend the bitch.

Re: Margaret Thatcher
 

It's very easy on internet forums, twitter and the message boards to make caustic remarks in a few words, instantaneously. So for some people there's a great temptation to be direct and lack sensitivity.
Wiser commentators will always take a nuanced view of someone's death and as thee n me know the Accy Web doesn't only host wise commentators.:)

Globalisation and technology was eating into the old working-class world of supposed busy pits and factories, crowded pubs and cobbled streets, Old Britain was already dying, and a new Britain, more ambitious, more materialistic and infact more individualistic*, was already emerging before Thatcher.
Margaret Thatcher with her high handed principles, tactical opportunism and populist rhetoric, and yes force of character hastened those trends, trends that have since then transformed British life for the better in my opinion.
*Yes selfish even.

Re: Margaret Thatcher
 

someone argued that the cost of her funeral would be met by the input of revenue created by people visiting to pay their respects

it could be argued that those people may just be coming to make sure the bitch is dead

have no fear though if asked about thatcher in person i would make teh same remarks,jokes and comments as i do on here.Its not as though i would be offending anyone

Re: Margaret Thatcher
 

Normally I'd be gobsmacked at the amalgam of the Harry Enfield 'loadsamoney' and 'I'm considerably richer than what you are' characteristics of this post...but considering who you are defending..I ain't because it's typically arrogant, belittling and offensive..just like the political diatribe she used to come out with.

Re: Margaret Thatcher
 

How do you know you have paid more tax than anyone here, I assume you mean accy web by that or do you mean in Britain? I hope the doors in your house (obviously bigger then anyone's here) are wide enough to get your big head out of, next time you pop out to check on your empire.

Re: Margaret Thatcher
 

Can anyone tell me, of all the things she did which arouse such emotion, which of them did the Labour Government cancel or reverse? They had how long?(was it 13 years, jaysay?).
Did they control the bankers and stop crawling to them? No.
Re- nationalise anything? No. In fact they went ahead with planning to privatize the last big one- the Post Office.
Invest in Industry to rebuild what she let die? No.
Stop allowing tenants to buy their council homes? No.
Allow the councils to build new social housing with the money from tenants who bought? No.
Re open the mines? No. But then there's not much point, the EU won't let us use coal anyway.

Stop involving us in military adventures? No. In fact they couldn't wait to get back into Iraq and having learnt nothing rushed into Afganistan.

I've thought of one thing they part reversed- they gave back a large part of our rebate to the EU and got absolutely nothing for it.

Many of the things she started were good enough for a Labour Government to continue with. Makes you think.

Only £8,000,000? I hope they're not skimping on it.

Re: Margaret Thatcher
 

One thing no other party can cancel,is the I'M alright jack, selfish,self centred society she created, Though some were probably that way before Thatcher.:rolleyes: