49 replies to this topic

[questionmark]

Spiegel said:

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

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

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 by Lord Vetinari, 01 February 2013 - 02:55 PM.

[Taun]

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

[questionmark]

Taun, on 01 February 2013 - 03:21 PM, said:

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]

questionmark, on 01 February 2013 - 03:23 PM, said:

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]

questionmark, on 01 February 2013 - 03:23 PM, said:

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.

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

Taun, on 01 February 2013 - 03:21 PM, said:

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 by Lord Vetinari, 01 February 2013 - 03:41 PM.

[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 by ealdwita, 01 February 2013 - 03:52 PM.

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

ealdwita, on 01 February 2013 - 03:48 PM, said:

  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]

Lord Vetinari, on 01 February 2013 - 04:06 PM, said:

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.

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

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,.

[Br Cornelius]

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

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

Br Cornelius, on 01 February 2013 - 06:13 PM, said:

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.

[Br Cornelius]

Lord Vetinari, on 01 February 2013 - 06:33 PM, said:

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]

Lord Vetinari, on 01 February 2013 - 06:33 PM, said:

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".