Grathham prefers to forget its daughter

[questionmark]

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was born and raised in the English town of Grantham. The local council does little to remember its famous daughter, even though it's been offered a statue of the Iron Lady currently gathering dust in a London cellar.

"The photographer is waiting," says Ray Wootten, as he opens the door to his car. "Photographer?" I ask, bewildered. I'm in Grantham, Lincolnshire, to explore the hometown of Britain's first -- and only -- female prime minister. But before I can get started, I've been roped into a local campaign led by Ray Wootten, Grantham's erstwhile mayor. He wants to erect a statue of Thatcher in the center of town and is taking every opportunity to promote his cause. "The local paper wants to write an article about your visit," he tells me.

A few minutes later, we're in the mayor's parlor in the Victorian, Neo-Gothic town hall. The photographer asks us to shake hands for a picture. Behind us is a wall hung with portraits of Grantham's mayors, as well as one of the town's famous daughter, Margaret Thatcher. A reporter with the Grantham Journal is waiting next door in the Grantham Museum. He wants to know how Thatcher is seen in Germany.

Read more

[Space Commander Travis]

Well, why should the Mad Old Bat be the only one who's recongised? Look how many other notable figures have been (sometimes tenuously, it is true) associated with the nobel town over the years?

http://en.wikipedia....#Notable_people

Edited February 1, 2013 by Lord Vetinari

[Taun]

As some one on the outside looking in... How is Thatcher viewed in England?

[questionmark]

As some one on the outside looking in... How is Thatcher viewed in England?

Depends, nationalists, i.e. Stevewin, consider her about the greatest thing since Apple Pie (to use American terminology), progressives like Br. Cornelius tend to think that she was the worst that ever happened since the black plague.

[Beckys_Mom]

Depends, nationalists, i.e. Stevewin, consider her about the greatest thing since Apple Pie (to use American terminology), progressives like Br. Cornelius tend to think that she was the worst that ever happened since the black plague.

You forgot to add - And she robbed the kiddies of their milk lol

[Queen in the North]

Depends, nationalists, i.e. Stevewin, consider her about the greatest thing since Apple Pie (to use American terminology), progressives like Br. Cornelius tend to think that she was the worst that ever happened since the black plague.

And people in the North East, in my experience, rate her below the black plague.

[Space Commander Travis]

As some one on the outside looking in... How is Thatcher viewed in England?

She ranks alongside Henry VIII as one of the greatest vandals in British history. In fact, considering how she deliberately destroyed British industry in her obsession to destroy the Unions, and left the country dependent on imports for absolutely everything, there really ought to be grounds for trying her for treason.

And her would-be successor, David "Cameroon", for deliberately sabotaging the armed forces, although to be fair to him in his case it wasn't out of vindictiveness, just pure incompetence.

Edited February 1, 2013 by Lord Vetinari

[Ealdwita]

The Argies didn't like her much either! As far as I'm concerned, Maggie Thatcher was the best PM we've had in many a year. I can't begin to describe the present mob of lefty, wet-weekends we have in 'power' these days! Traitors to their own country - every man-jack of 'em! Teflon Tony B-LIAR being the worst of the lot!

*Pulls up comfy chair and opens pack of popcorn in anticipation..........

Edited February 1, 2013 by ealdwita

[Space Commander Travis]

I can't begin to describe the present mob of lefty, wet-weekends we have in 'power' these days! Traitors to their own country - every man-jack of 'em! Teflon Tony B-LIAR being the worst of the lot!

*Pulls up comfy chair and opens pack of popcorn in anticipation..........

Oh, without a doubt, there's no political bias here, Tony too should be put on trial without a doubt.

But I'm afraid Mrs. T's destroying the Uk's heavy industry, mining, shipbuilding etc, was just criminal irresponsibility.

[Ealdwita]

Oh, without a doubt, there's no political bias here, Tony too should be put on trial without a doubt.

But I'm afraid Mrs. T's destroying the Uk's heavy industry, mining, shipbuilding etc, was just criminal irresponsibility.

Would you not agree though that the 'Winter of Discontent' contributed a little to the downfall of (the already tottering) British industry? Maggie didn't set about deliberately scything down a marvelous Socialist Utopia when she came PM. The country was in tatters.

Housing - by 1978 fewer council houses were being built than in any year since the Second World War.

Health - 25,000 hospital beds went in the first two years of the Labour government.

Education - teachers suffered large scale redundancies for the first time in living memory.

Prices - doubled between February 1974 and December 1978.

Jobs - 1,000 a day went in Labour's first three years.

Unemployment was 500,000 in 1974. It reached 1.6 million in 1976.

Wages - a family of four on average earnings was worse off in 1979 than in 1974.

Anyway, that's my rant - I'll sit back and enjoy everybody else's now.

[Space Commander Travis]

Oh, indeed, something needed doing, without a doubt, but her solution was rather like Henry VIII's to the corruption in the monasteries; completely raze them to the ground rather than trying to reform them. Trying to make the UK a Global Financial Powerhouse instead might just have worked, perhaps, if any of her successors had been anywhere near competent, but sadly, that was not to be,.

[Guest]

She waged class warfare against the North of England and the English Industrial base.

She released the credit and property speculation demons which have since grown to country eating proportions.

The damage she did was largely concealed by the North Sea Oil bonanza which she used to prop up the countries balance sheet.

She banned music with repetitive beats (one of her more reactionary policies) and drove many of the mentally ill onto the road to become the mob which was the new age traveller community.

She unbalanced the economy to such an extent that we may never recover from the corrosive influence of the square mile.

She was not a friend of the English people.

Br Cornelius

[Space Commander Travis]

She banned music with repetitive beats (one of her more reactionary policies)

I'm afraid I'm with her there. I have a limited threshold for bangy bangy techno music.

[Guest]

I'm afraid I'm with her there. I have a limited threshold for bangy bangy techno music.

I used to love a bit of a Rave.

Br Cornelius

[questionmark]

I'm afraid I'm with her there. I have a limited threshold for bangy bangy techno music.

But that i don'tlike it surely is no reason to get it outlawed.The last thing a society needs is a "good taste police".

[TSS]

I used to love a bit of a Rave.

Br Cornelius

Genesis, Labarynth, Energy - my entire teenage years summed up in those events.

[Guest]

Genesis, Labarynth, Energy - my entire teenage years summed up in those events.

More of a Megadog man myself - MC-Teabag and all.

Br Cornelius

[Guest]

But that i don'tlike it surely is no reason to get it outlawed.The last thing a society needs is a "good taste police".

It had more to do with a little incident where over a 10,000 teenagers turned up in a a little Conservative village to attend an illegal rave in a field. It played well to the Blue rinse brigade in her fan club to stop such accidents.

Br Cornelius

[Beckys_Mom]

I used to love a bit of a Rave.

I did too, back in the 90's when it was most popular.. Now that I am older and I hear it, and I see people dancing to it, it's like watching people dancing to a whacked out car alarm ..!!

[itsnotoutthere]

And we've not had a PM with a pair of balls since.

[Beckys_Mom]

And we've not had a PM with a pair of balls since.

It takes a good strong woman to get the job done right lol

[keithisco]

She was an idiotic, posessed woman. She destroyed much of what I used to love about the UK. The engineering and heavy industries that were the backbone of social life, that integrated communities, and all to try to make "amends" for not going to Cheltenham Girls College!!

[Beckys_Mom]

I liked her on - Spitting Image lol

[Guest]

The fact that she sacked the most ministers of any British Prime Minister - ever, should tell you everything you need to know about her winning personality and ability to be political.

Br Cornelius

[Beckys_Mom]