Margaret Thatcher, Britain's former Prime Minister, dies at 87 of a stroke

[kevansvault]

http://entertainment.verizon.com/new...org%3E&ps=1010


Margaret Thatcher, Iron Lady, dead at 87
By GREGORY KATZ and ROBERT BARR Associated Press The Associated Press
Monday, April 8, 2013 10:16 AM EDT

LONDON (AP) - Love her or loathe her, one thing's beyond dispute: Margaret Thatcher transformed Britain.

The Iron Lady who ruled for 11 remarkable years imposed her will on a fractious, rundown nation - breaking the unions, triumphing in a far-off war, and selling off state industries at a record pace. She left behind a leaner government and more prosperous nation by the time a mutiny ousted her from No. 10 Downing Street.

Thatcher's spokesman, Tim Bell, said the former prime minister died Monday morning of a stroke. She was 87.

Flags were at half-mast at Buckingham Palace, Parliament and Downing Street as a show of respect.

The British government said Thatcher will receive a ceremonial funeral with military honors. It was unclear when the service would be held.

Queen Elizabeth II authorized the ceremonial funeral - a step short of a state funeral - to be held at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. The service will be followed by a private cremation.

Prime Minister David Cameron cut short a trip to Spain and France upon hearing the news.

For admirers, Thatcher was a savior who rescued Britain from ruin and laid the groundwork for an extraordinary economic renaissance. For critics, she was a heartless tyrant who ushered in an era of greed that kicked the weak out onto the streets and let the rich become filthy rich.

"Let us not kid ourselves, she was a very divisive figure," said Bernard Ingham, Thatcher's press secretary for her entire term. "She was a real toughie. She was a patriot with a great love for this country, and she raised the standing of Britain abroad."

Thatcher was the first - and still only - female prime minister in Britain's history. But she often found feminists tiresome and was not above using her handbag as a prop to underline her swagger and power. A grocer's daughter, she rose to the top of Britain's snobbish hierarchy the hard way, and envisioned a classless society that rewarded hard work and determination.

She was a trailblazer who at first believed trailblazing impossible: Thatcher told the Liverpool Daily Post in 1974 that she did not think a woman would serve as party leader or prime minister during her lifetime.

[the_edgie]

Did anyone just see Channel 4's Jon Snow's tribute? I thought that was really well done and made me hate Jon's smug face a little less.
I actually am sorry that two people have lost a mother, but I just don't think Margaret and I would have been buds.

[bowieluva]

Fuck Maggie Thatcher. She called Nelson Mandela a terrorist. She was a horrible leader, and an embarrassment. And an awful, awful vicious cunt who cared about no one.
http://www.youtube.com/results?searc....1.IDz-Xt0ptlo

[poppym]

[AtlantaAndy]

I think most of the north of England is rejoicing, I know my Scouse friends are.

[Peavey]

Fuck Maggie Thatcher. She called Nelson Mandela a terrorist. She was a horrible leader, and an embarrassment. And an awful, awful vicious cunt who cared about no one.
http://www.youtube.com/results?searc....1.IDz-Xt0ptlo

Dammit, I can't rep you again, but yes. I've been invited to 2 parties on Saturday. 1pm, EST if folks are interested.

[blighted star]

[QUOTE=AtlantaAndy;3381105]I think most of the north of England is rejoicing, I know my Scouse friends are.[/QUOTE

I agree. I'm in Australia & the only thing I'm sorry about is that Alistair Hulett (Roaring Jack) & many, many others didn't live long enough to see this day.

[poppym]

I remember the Minors strike, and the brutality of the Police, especially the violence perpetrated upon the Minor's wives!! I have heard first hand accounts of twisting of nipples being their choice of attack!

(I was born under Jimmy Callaghan) I'm sure you could add to her list of atrocities ad infinitum, but the one that makes her a murderer (in my eyes) is the training of soldiers of the Salvadoran security forces at Sandhurst military academy in Scotland, who were sent into El Salvador and Central America as Death Squads! They slaughtered thousands of innocent people, including anyone who spoke out against their dictatorship and the links to the British or American government. Most notably ?scar Romero: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Romero.

I'm not dancing, but I'm swaying a little, and don't really have a problem saying, May She Not RIP!

[bowieluva]

It's kind of amazing. It's like waiting to see any fascist die of old age and then people struggling to come up with anything positive to remember her by.'Oh she got things done'. Yes, at the sacrifice of democracy and the rights of the citizens.

[emmieslost]

It's kind of amazing. It's like waiting to see any fascist die of old age and then people struggling to come up with anything positive to remember her by.'Oh she got things done'. Yes, at the sacrifice of democracy and the rights of the citizens.

the most positive thing i've seen said was, something along the lines of, 'well, she shattered the glass ceiling, so you have to appreciate that even if you don't agree with her politics.' meh.

[poppym]

It's kind of amazing. It's like waiting to see any fascist die of old age and then people struggling to come up with anything positive to remember her by.'Oh she got things done'. Yes, at the sacrifice of democracy and the rights of the citizens.

It's true! She certainly had the most impact (in the same way that Hitler did on Germany)! But that's just it, they're not struggling on the British News casts! It is disgusting, as you say, the type of accolade they are vomiting! John Major: "Oh, she was really nice to me once, and sat beside me!"

It's wall to wall coverage of what an amazing, country changing (and some), fucking heroine she was! So far, it's only the Scottish News that has presented a half hearted fairer picture!

[bowieluva]

Yeah, the whole 'well at least it was a triumph for women!' is obsolete when you consider England NEVER will vote for a woman again because of her.

[poppym]

Yeah, the whole 'well at least it was a triumph for women!' is obsolete when you consider England NEVER will vote for a woman again because of her.

Well I don't know about that? Honestly? If you ask most people here, right off the bat, they never say that they really saw her as a woman! I know that sounds strange, because of course, she was, physically, a woman, but it is very telling that her success in achieving the status of Prime Minister in Britain was never celebrated by people who were advocates of Women in Power. At least not to a degree that it reached the masses anyway!

Scotland of course, is in the grips of a bid for independence from England, but if the Right Woman came along, I would vote for her!

[bowieluva]

I would hope that is the majority, but I fear that whenever a woman fails, it's never just because of her as an individual, but because she represents all women somehow and all the predictions of how unqualified we are. I know that is basically true in America.

[poppym]

I would hope that is the majority, but I fear that whenever a woman fails, it's never just because of her as an individual, but because she represents all women somehow and all the predictions of how unqualified we are. I know that is basically true in America.

Yes, I hope this also! I have NEVER had a conversation about Thatcher that pertained to the fact that she was a woman! Which is pretty astonishing considering men could jump all over this with great delight and lee-way! That is weirdly, not the case here in Britain as far as Margaret Thatcher is concerned! She was avidly know as a very "unwilling feminist icon", and if you add the ingredient of her Father being known as a "a deeply patriotic man", plus, surveying her Father's achievements:

In 1927 Roberts was elected to the Grantham town council as an independent. He was also a part-time Justice of the Peace, president of the Chamber of Trade, President of Rotary, a director of the Grantham Building Society, a director of the Trustee Savings Bank, chairman of the local National Savings Movement, a governor of the local boys and girls grammar schools and chairman of the Workers' Educational Association. During the Second World War he was Chief Welfare Officer, directing civil defence.[8] He soon became Chairman of the Finance and Rating Committee, and in 1943 he was elected by the council as an Alderman and then served as the Mayor of Grantham from November 1945 to 1946, in which he presided over the town's victory celebrations. In his inaugural speech Roberts called for a large programme of expenditure to rebuild the roads, public transport, health and social services for children and to "build houses by the thousand."

It could be perceived that she was not only held her Father in high esteem, but was in some way, in competition with him!

In saying that, I have found it kind of wonderful, over the years, that I can speak to people of all walks of life, male and female alike, (from Biker to Banker) that do not mention that she was/is female! Weird huh?

[kevansvault]

So nice to get a more "worldly" perspective on here from people who don't have to buy into the American rhetoric and propaganda we're force fed here in the states. Please, carry on....

[poppym]

So nice to get a more "worldly" perspective on here from people who don't have to buy into the American rhetoric and propaganda we're force fed here in the states. Please, carry on....

What is the American rhetoric and propaganda regarding Thatcher? I genuinely want to know, because I posted about her death, and our countries reaction on the JA thread earlier today, albeit that was the WRONG THREAD (I didn't know this one existed, or I would have posted here), but the response from Americans was 'how dare I mock the death of an 87 year old woman'! Wow! If Hitler had not committed suicide, would people taunt me regarding my opinion if I was German?

[bowieluva]

I'm not sure what Kevin is referring to, because I've never heard anything positive about Maggie Thatcher. She's rather untouched upon in America, as we don't learn much about her here. My mom was like 'Maggie Thatcher died' and I was like 'that miserable bitch' and my mom was like 'yeah pretty much'.

[Sneakers the Wonder Dog]

What is the American rhetoric and propaganda regarding Thatcher? I genuinely want to know, because I posted about her death, and our countries reaction on the JA thread earlier today, albeit that was the WRONG THREAD (I didn't know this one existed, or I would have posted here), but the response from Americans was 'how dare I mock the death of an 87 year old woman'! Wow! If Hitler had not committed suicide, would people taunt me regarding my opinion if I was German?

Conservatives in America worship her, like they worship Ronald Reagan. Wonder of Maggie would see the irony in the Government paying for "ceremonial funeral" at taxpayer expense?

[poppym]

I'm not sure what Kevin is referring to, because I've never heard anything positive about Maggie Thatcher. She's rather untouched upon in America, as we don't learn much about her here. My mom was like 'Maggie Thatcher died' and I was like 'that miserable bitch' and my mom was like 'yeah pretty much'.

That's so interesting! Your Mom may be of the Thatcher/Reagan era when the opinions of both were pretty solid, and equally derogatory,i.e, Reagan = man with no brain, Thatcher = Iron lady! And since we are not short of ALL that comes out of USA, (Not that I am complaining! It is all very interesting, especially if it is to do with politics!) My take, (and I'm not alone), is that we kiss ass America when it suits us! Nothing more evident to me than in March 2003, when my TV awoke me to my countries involvement in War on Iraq! I was afraid of that very event, and hoped it wouldn't happen! Hoped that Blair would NOT SELL OUT HIS PEOPLE to Bush! But, he did! And I was able to hear, first hand, the bombing of innocent people, for the sake of what? What? In our political system, at this point Blair could be equated with Thatcher! No doubt! And now you see the "I won the egg & spoon race", Eton boys Triplets that we have governing us today! Fuck, if we ever needed a revolution!

[poppym]

Conservatives in America worship her, like they worship Ronald Reagan. Wonder of Maggie would see the irony in the Government paying for "ceremonial funeral" at taxpayer expense?

There's no irony there Sneakers! She would expect it! In fact, she would expect her funeral expenses to go out to a 'privatized company', which is one of the many major mocking points over here today! That she privatized everything that she 'touched', therefore ruining, the common worker's ability to earn a decent days wage, for a decent days work! No such thing in Britain now!

[poppym]

Conservatives in America worship her, like they worship Ronald Reagan. Wonder of Maggie would see the irony in the Government paying for "ceremonial funeral" at taxpayer expense?

Forgive me, as well! I wasn't clear about this! The best she could have received from the British public was a State Funeral, i,e: Princess Diana! She will not receive this! She'll get, as Sneakers said a 'ceremonial funeral'! Not so costly!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...garet-thatcher

[poppym]

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic....mpaign=Content

[the_edgie]

Well now see, if I had known I was amongst friends I would have spoken more freely in my original post! I live in Newcastle and my husband is Irish, so we don't have a lot of love for the Iron Lady. I'm American though, so I know I still don't get the full picture.

[Jem]

I'm ashamed of our country right now. Whether or not you hate Margaret Thatcher, the behaviour by people over her death is apalling. This is the Western world and people think it's appropriate to assault the police, throw petrol bombs, smash shops up, graffitti, vandalise and trespass onto other people's properties? It's disgusting. Not to mention the fact that alot of the people joining in with the ADULTS, and committing these crimes, weren't even old enough to be alive during her time as PM. What an excellent example we are setting to the youth of today.