R.I.P.Margaret Thatcher

rondetto

At 87 Margaret Thatcher has died. She has looked poorly for a while bless her.

dreamdaisy

She was a remarkable woman and responded like-wise to a remarkable time in world history. She made mistakes (as do we all) but unlike our leaders of any political hue we can do so in private and without a raft of responsibilities weighing on our shoulders. As she used to say ' Let's have the facts and then the disucssion.' DD

mig

She had a bigger pair of bxxls than the so called politicians of today. Mig

frogmorton

Sad news - it feels like the end of my childhood oddly...... she was in power most of it.

Thinking of her children and Grandchildren too

Toni xxx

mellman01

I can't wait until Wednesdays over then we can all forget about the nasty piece of work, It's not normal of me to hate anybody but I make an exception for this heartless woman, it's not because I'm left wing I'm certainly not, it's because I have first hand experience of what she was really like, she was a totally heartless extremist who was more like a right wing dictator than a human being.

Anyway the main reason I find her hard to stomach is this.
I was working in the IPU section of Amersham International, they were one of the first bits of the UKAEA she sold off, by her lot, anyway in the late 80's I was employed in a small team of highly skilled lab rats making all the cancer sources for the NHS and we used Harwell's Dido and Pluto high flux heavy water test reactors to produce mostly Iridium and cobalt sources for the treatment of most cancers, we also produced a whole range of other radioactive cancer treatments and diagnostic isotopes there, Now Thatcher had come to site a year or so earlier and wafted into to have a look round being a chemist she knew all about Harwell and it's ground breaking research reactors.
Anyway it was very strange as no one on site was allowed to see her we were actually forcibly kept out of the way, no one was allowed out of their buildings and the Police force were out on mass making sure no noe was wandering about it was all very odd, anyway she came onto sight with a large group of hired thugs to protect her, she went all round the main building and then left and we were then informed but the Police we could all get back to work as normal and the site lock down was over!.
The reason for this action would become very clear later on and with devastating effect, anyway soon after the visit word started going around that she was talking of closing both test reactors and some of the main research building on site, nothing specific was mentioned but it was a whisper that wouldn't lie down and die and so our top brass who were obviously highly concerned went to see her ministers about it and were told not to worry they would only be closing one reactor and all would be fine and we could trust Margret as she was once a chemist and appreciated all the hard work we were doing, anyway the rumours wouldn't go away and our bosses went back several times to ask what was going on but each time they were reasured only one would be shut and to trust them and her, well that was the case right up until 48 hours before the closure date and then they dropped the bombshell that both reactors would go and at the same time as well as all the main research facilities. There was total panic.
We had been well and truly shafted, but that was nothing compared to the multitude of cancer patients who were now left without any chance of treatment, I lost count of the number of letters we received from hospitals cancer units pleading for isotopes we could no longer supply thanks to dear old Margret.
We ended up getting most of our isotopes irradiated in Belgium but that kind of logistics takes a lot of time to set up and we had all sorts of troubles with flux levels and specific activity, it took us a good 9 months to get somewhere back to normal but it wasn't ever as easy, we even ended up getting Prostate cancer sources flown in from the US on Concord as the Belgium reactor didn't have the high enough flux levels like Dido and Pluto had, we used Concord as the decay time for these isotopes was very short so we needed to get them in and shipped out fast, it was desperate times and we made little out of it we did it more out of decency and compasion than anything something a trait that Thatcher was totally devoid of.
And that's why I cannot forget or forgive her for what she did, she didn't have the decency to warn us as she didn't want anyone clocking what she was up to and she was willing to let many seriously ill people die just so she could get her way without any resistance from those nasty lefty types or the common folk to you and I, if that's free market capitalism for you then you can keep it.
She also did some very nasty and dodgy things during her time in office, I think if she'd have had two terms it would have been better for us and her, the last 3rd term was a bridge to far even for her she got so extreme just like the militants in the unions in then end she created the very thing that destroyed her, OK she did some good no doubt but she also did a lot of deliberate damage and were still dealing with the fall out even today, the one lesson we can all learn is extremism be it from the left or the right isn't a good thing for anyone, it's always the poor sods in the middle who pay the heaviest price.
Right that's my spleen vented, please don't PM me telling me how horrible I am or how I've got her all wrong you won't change my mind on this episode of UK political history, right you can have ya forum back now boys and girls!.

barbara12

That is some rant Mell..I take it you wont be going to the funeral.. my look on things is.. quite a few of my family where miners..back to my Great Grandfather...it was awful how she had to meet the miners full on..I know they could and did hold the country to ransom....but god did they regret it...she had this side to her..and it came out when she started shutting the pits...to this day community are ghost towns....it crucified my father when the one he worked at closed....and now we are all suffering because of the price of energy...the only good things I could say about her she knew what she wanted and went for it..no turning back..unlike Cameron.I could go on but enough said...I wont be shedding a tear..

MrOptimist

From 'humble beginnings' to the end of life at 'The Ritz' - what more can I say.
I remember the sad and difficult times of Mrs Thatcher's period in office. Who to goodness would wish to turn back the clock to those days - not many I suspect.

knuckleduster

I wonder what happened to the following sayings?

Respect the dead
Let the dead rest in peace
Don't speak ill of the dead

Half of those idiots dancing for joy that Mrs T is now dead were not even born when she was our PM. How would they like it if I danced for joy on their graves or even their grandparent's graves? All they are interested in are drinking, causing damage and mayhem and injuring our hard working over stretched police force. You may not have agreed with her policies, but in the end she became a feeble ill old lady and should be allowed to "rest in peace" like anybody else.

numptynora

IMHO, Maggy was an excellent PM. steadfast and determined. She didn't faff about like the ones since she left No.10 after that time they've all been like wet lettuce leaves, there for their own egos. Brown was a prime example and Blair well....he seemed to think we all wore nappies and needed wrapping in cotton wool, I always thought he had a chocolate nose, I expect wifey used to wipe it for him at bed time..........


Numps x

barbara12

Its certainly making for a good debate...just what we needed..

mig

I echo what knuckleduster has said ,I'm in no way political but just ask the people of the Falklands which country they would rather belong to,today's politicos would have gave in. Mig

barbara12

knuckleduster wrote:

I wonder what happened to the following sayings?

Respect the dead
Let the dead rest in peace
Don't speak ill of the dead

Half of those idiots dancing for joy that Mrs T is now dead were not even born when she was our PM. How would they like it if I danced for joy on their graves or even their grandparent's graves? All they are interested in are drinking, causing damage and mayhem and injuring our hard working over stretched police force. You may not have agreed with her policies, but in the end she became a feeble ill old lady and should be allowed to "rest in peace" like anybody else.

I do respect the dead and I certainly wouldnt dance on a grave :shock:

MrOptimist

I too respect the dead. However, I suspect that those who have posted in a 'positive' way, were not affected by the policies administered at the time.

barbara12

MrOptimist wrote:

I too respect the dead. However, I suspect that those who have posted in a 'positive' way, were not affected by the policies administered at the time.

Well said MrOptimist...

lululu

I think she did the job she was paid to do, the best way she knew how, we don't know what another persons job entails untill we actually do it.

However she leaves much loved children and grandchildren and I really feel for them, especially the younger ones at school having to be subjected to all the abuse that they will surely be getting.

RosieGlow

Many of the miners who had their self worth, their whole lives and their culture taken away from them, by this woman, have since died too. They also left much loved children and grandchildren. They, however, do not have the cushion of millions, private education, jobs guaranteed by virtue of their name,and entree into the highest level of "society".

dreamdaisy

People can either succeed or fail in life - which route they take is entirely up to them and not those in power. Neither is it a matter of money or privelege, it's more to do with character and determination. Scargill is the classic example of a stupid man but who was blessed with some form of 'charisma' (for want of a better word). Bob Crowe is a modern-day Scargill, earning a fortune, living the high life of fine dining etc but still living in social housing because he can. Lack of intellect hasn't held him back. DD

rockchick

People can either succeed or fail in life - which route they take is entirely up to them and not those in power. Neither is it a matter of money or privelege, it's more to do with character and determination

Ballcocks :roll:

dreamdaisy

What an eloquent response. DD

sbolam

don't get me wrong, I feel sorry for the family for the loss of there, mother, grandmother and so on, but I don't feel sorry she has died.

she destroyed communities, turned people into selfish money grabbing individuals who will stand on everyone to get what they want.

money is king

I see it everywhere today, you cant even say hello to someone with out them thinking "what you after".

yes she did do some good that is surely over shadowed by the bad things. the lady is not for turning no matter the cost..

and by god we are still paying that cost.

daffy2

She's a bit like Marmite isn't she - around for yonks and polarises opinions.

sbolam

i may not like her but I do wish her family well.