How do you Britons feel about ?

[palemale]

I am always well aware that your often stated Irish Republican sympathies colours your feelings towards Margaret Thatcher, who along with her cabinet narrowly missed a murder attempt when the IRA exploded a bomb at a Brighton hotel where the annual Conservative Party conference was being held.

And let's forget the time British commandos assassinated 3 unarmed IRA operatives in Gilbralter. Thatcher's Northern Ireland policy was horrible, so that's plenty of reason to hate her.

As a strong supporter of labor rights, that was another reason to hate Thatcher. Of course, I hate most politicians who fetishize free-markets and use it as a justification for trampling the rights of people.

 

[palemale]

Too boring.

Same as why they don't bother with Australia.

I don't know if this is true. A movie about PM Pierre Trudeau would be full of sex and drugs and rock and roll. Unfortunately, Meryl Streep is too old to play his wife, Margaret. Maybe Angelina Jolie would be available. Canadian accents are easy for Americans, we only have to speak like someone from the Mid-west and say "ay" at the end of each sentence.

 

[kallipolis]

And let's forget the time British commandos assassinated 3 unarmed IRA operatives in Gilbralter. Thatcher's Northern Ireland policy was horrible, so that's plenty of reason to hate her.

As a strong supporter of labor rights, that was another reason to hate Thatcher. Of course, I hate most politicians who fetishize free-markets and use it as a justification for trampling the rights of people.

You are referring to the gang of assassins who had been monitored by the Spanish anti terrorist police as far as Gibraltar, where they were intending to murder unarmed bandsman who daily parade in front of the governor's residence.

An SAS unit confronted the IRA murder gang, and killed them before they could kill the unarmed bandsmen.

I am sure that Thatcher had no misgivings about taking on a terrorist organisation, and combating them on their own terms.

Of course you reject the free market for your many posts have registered your political allegiances. As is your democratic right.

http://www.eliteukforces.info/special-air-service/sas-operations/sas-gibraltar/

I quote:
Operation Flavius - The SAS In Gibraltar

In March of 1988, British Intelligence became aware of an IRA plot to attack a parade of British military bands in Gibraltar. An SAS unit was tasked with intercepting the IRA cell. The SAS mission was code-named 'Operation Flavius'.

The IRA Plot

Based on intelligence, the British believed the PIRA planned to set off a bomb in Gibraltar. For some weeks, Spanish security services had been watching a 3-person cell as it gathered in Spain. The PIRA Active Service Unit (ASU) was made up of 2 men and a woman - Danny McCann, Seán Savage and Mairéad Farrell. It is believed that they planned to cross over into the British Territory of Gibraltar, place explosives in the boot of a car at the assembly point for a scheduled parade and detonate it remotely. To guarantee the best spot, the ASU reserved a suitable location by parking a 'clean' car in it until they were ready to replace it with the one rigged with explosives. The location was next to Inces Hall, where the band and soldiers for the parade would be mustered.

 

[curiousbob]

Well, today Streep apologises to Britain 'for trampling all over your history".

it s ok hollywood have been doing that for years and years, lol
and im with bendie and franky boil on this one i remember those days

 

[pat grimshaw]

Johann Bessler, in another thread, informs me that Thatcher said—
"Words are corrosive...Even the most hardened of us are affected by them."

I wonder if this is true? I wasn't around at the time and I can't see it on Wiki. I wonder if it's deliberate pun on the words 'corrosive' and 'iron'?

I've always loved the slogan 'This Lady's Not for Turning' which was a punning reference to a verse play by a gay writer and which starred John Gielgud and Richard Burton. But unfortunately, Wiki this time tells me it was written by a speech-writer.

http://www.justusboys.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7862842#post7862842
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_lady's_not_for_turning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady's_Not_for_Burning

 

[curiousbob]

me thinks the iron lady his self is a corrosive substance and as such should be labelled with some safety notices may the iron one rust in pieces
and yes Ill be joining that queue to defile its grave, hopefully soon!

 

[pat grimshaw]

Has anyone seen this thing yet?
I've spoken to 3 people who loved it because it focussed on dementia rather than Thatcher. All three said they cried.

 

[curiousbob]

not seen it sorry
i lived through her tenure as our PM and i cried with laughter when her own party gave her the ole heave ho

 

[levenshulme31]

Me too!


I agree with this. (except the school milk bit, i think it was the late 80's that it went, she wasn't in power in the early seventies, and i was certainly getting school milk with the rest of my classmates up until the late 8o's at least.)

She was Education Secretary in Ted Heath's cabinet when the Milk Snatcher thing happened.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk/2000/uk_confidential/1095121.stm

 

[Lostlover]

I don't really care about Streep's performance -- she's been given a fairly easy person to play.

pat grimshaw and levenshulme31, you guys are spot on. And I don't know of one person who has anything but utter disdain for the woman, myself included.

There is no defense of Thatcher that doesn't conveniently ignore the unethical and immoral acts of the woman.

pat, thank you for mentioning the 'Lady's Not For Turning' speech! And a gay playwright, Christopher Fry, at that. Cheap.

Spill the beans. What did she do?

 

[lfcda]

How do you Britons feel about the fact that a traumatic part of your nation's recent history has been being turned into a soap-opera to show off Meryl Streep's skills of impersonation?

Couldn't give a shit. Just Know that ther will be on big party when she dies!!

 

[pat grimshaw]

…Cheap.

as in inexpensive?

 

[broadshoulder]

I
I can only relate to the fact that Thatcher won three consecutive general elections for her party, which indicates that facts speak much more accurately than your prejudices.

)

You keep adding this as if it is some get out of jail card. It isnt. Did you live through her tenure? I did. From start to finish. I was not someone whose father was with the British embassy. I lived it from start to finish.

I will give you the reason why she won three elections because, believe you me, it wasnt because she was loved.

(A) the opposition Labour party was in disarray and unelectable
(B) massive backing from the Murdoch press.

Never forget Thatcher was the one who let the vampire/Murdoch in by the front door. He ran vicious campaigns against the Labour party. There were smear campaigns. There was entrapment there was blatant lies about painting them of the far left and friends of the Soviets. And it was the whole of the Murdoch press plus the Mail, Express, Times, Telegraph etc. It was scare tactics pure and simple.

All the time she pushed up interest rates. Really high. Firms went bust. Not just uneconomic firms but all firms couldnt pay their bills. It created mass unemployment and when people objected ie the 1984 Miners strike they were victimised and called names by her government and her lapdog press.

Not just that she brought in a wave of intolerance. Section 28 was homophobic. Backed again by the press it was a piece of oppressive legislation and I remember watching it pass through the commons with ministers endorsing it while Tory MPs cheered them on. And she sat silently nodding her approval. She was no fan of gay people.

The thing about Margaret Thatcher was that she was a good old fashioned bully. If you didnt agree with her far right policies you were derided and set upon. There was no compassion there. You had to be "one of us" otherwise you went to the wall. Even her cabinet had enough of her bad treatment and eventually rebelled.

As one who lived through it I am appalled to see this woman held up as a feminist heroine by certain sections of the foreign media.

 

[curiousbob]

mama mia was a fab film totally unlike thatcher who can go to hell

 

[Benvolio]

I don't know if this is true. A movie about PM Pierre Trudeau would be full of sex and drugs and rock and roll. Unfortunately, Meryl Streep is too old to play his wife, Margaret. Maybe Angelina Jolie would be available. Canadian accents are easy for Americans, we only have to speak like someone from the Mid-west and say "ay" at the end of each sentence.

More importantly, they must pronounce "out "as something like "0at " and about as " a boat", differences so subtle Canadians may not be aware of them.

 

[Benvolio]

I think all of you have forgotten how the British economy lagged behind following the Socialist takeover and diasterous nationalizations after WWII, while its former enemies Germany and Japan pulled ahead. Thatcher's greatest chore and accomplishment was to undo that catastrophe. Socialism doesn't work.