"Margaret Thatcher" Topic

Just heard, died of a stroke. Whatever you thought of her politics, undoubtably a distinct character in history.

RIP, Lady Thatcher. Thank you for your service to your nation and the world, from an American who always respected and admired you.

A necessary evil; sorely missed, no, but RIP regardless.

Having called people up on dissing the dead on this board I suppose I have to not be a hypocrite. Dom's Icon says it all for me.

Not allowed to speak ill of the dead, so all I do is point you to the 'No State Funeral' petition:

link

One of last great conservative leaders of our time, to me she proved women can be strong leaders. RIP.

Her legacy will be debated for many years to come.

RIP

She must have done something right to win three elections and be PM for 11 years surely? I suppose the poll tax, Falklands and the miners strikes will be what most remember and whether her approach was right or wrong, moral or immoral depending on your opinion, I always got the impression she provided steel and leadership when it was needed. RIP ma'am.

Stood for freedom, liberty, independence and self-respect at a time when the world began to not value those things. She fought, with limited success, for them anyway.

Only followed her from across the pond, but I liked her.

Rest in Peace.

She did well. She, being the first female PM of GB, she must have had an uphill struggle the whole way. With the Argentinian invasion of the Falklands, a rather insignificant territory, she sent a message loud and clear that GB will not be pushed around by anyone. There were those that would rather have said "Let it go."

Don't know much about here Fiscal or Social policies but if others said she had "limited success" I'd say that's pretty good considering she was a woman operating in a "mans world."

Rest in peace Iron Lady Margret Thatcher.

Here are some news links.
link
link

Certainly one of our most influential PMs. Whether or not people agreed with her policies, she changed UK society from loser to winner – though not too sure I'm happy about all the side effects.

I think history will remember her as one of the greats.

RIP.

One of the giants of bthe 20th Century. She, Reagan, Pope John Paul II, Mitterand, mulroony, and Khol ended the Cold War in a peaceful victory. RIP.

Politics being what they are, she acted on her convictions, something sorely lacking in 'leaders' these days.

The Falklands and the Iranian Embassy Siege were her finest moments. If some other leader or parties had been in power at that time things would have been a lot different.

Dn Jackson says it best. Thankfully, the world had leaders who cooperated with each other and kept us from suffering the unthinkable.

Godspeed, Lady Thatcher, and thank you VERY, very much. I salute you, ma'am.

Any predictions on how many Dawghousings come from this thread?

I have things to say about her passing: join the Fez and read them

Listening to the media this am, given the state of the UK when she came to power I now understand where the World View of 40K cam from

I think she did something to change that (for good or ill)

Despite the various views on her career it cannot be denied that she was a major figure in the history of the late 20th century and thus her passing is important. As Streitax wrote she acted on her convictions so you knew what to expect. She has made it easier for women to become more involved in politics and I see that as a major legacy as time goes by and the issues she was involved with fade into history

The World is a bit less at her passing but a great deal more for her service.

RIP

A truly giant figure in world history. Rare among politicians, she said what she meant and meant what she said. For that alone she deserves our respect. She was not afraid to act on principle.

As others have said, she, along with Reagan, changed our world for the better.

Rest in peace, Baroness Thatcher.

You may love or hate her but in a vast cesspool of post-World War Two pygmies, she was a giant.

I enjoyed a lot of the comics, music and films her tenure at the helm inspired, same as I did with Reagan.

What Saber6 and Space Wizard said.

WH40K would certainly be a *much* different game had she never become PM.

That didn't take long.

Looks like our friends on the left are displaying their well known sense of propriety and good taste.

RIP

I am utterly shocked at the ill will towards her death.

Seeing the passive/aggressive manner of dissing here, why on earth would I go to the blue fez to witness the vitriol of koolaid drinkers?

RIP and job well done; In the cosmic balance, the minor issues you will be taken to task for are FAR outweighed by the vast good, peace and respect you have helped bestow on your people and affecting the world.

A woman without whose influence, the modern British economy would be a lot different.

One of my political icons of the late 20th century.

Rest in peace.

She will always divide opinion on her policies and their effects but she did, indeed, lead many women in this country to believe that they could contribute in the fullest way to the running of the country.

Pity none of them have risen to the occasion since.

Incidentally, when an ex-leader dies and their works are examined, it's always worth taking a good look at the people who surrounded them in office and considering – would any of them have done better?

I am utterly shocked at the ill will towards her death.

Really ?

Not everyone believes she made the UK a wonderful place and she was greatly hated by a large number of people in life.

While I have felt that toward a LOT of people politically on the far left I would NEVER speak in such terms about them at their death.

It shows an astonishing level of rudeness, crudeness and rank inhumanity. The level of discourse on this has fallen to a level of crassness and boorishness that saddens me.

She rose from the middle class to lead a nation. She was an educated chemical engineer and worked very hard and successfully at it before her political career. First (and only) woman PM and tasked with trying to navigate the treacherous waters of the cold war and an economy in shambles.

I dare say not many could have pulled it off.

Hatred says more about the Haters than it does about the Iron Lady.

Regardless of who it is it's bad form to dance on graves.

link

Sometimes its better to speak the truth than platitudes

I was a fan of hers. She took office as I became an adult. She is a tough benchmark for other leaders to match

Sometimes its better to speak the truth than platitudes

Of course, but not in the Obituary thread. Besides, Mr. Greenwald is not inclined to say nice things about anybody ever.

Gwydion,

'Truth'?

To a given value of 'truth', certainly.

I was in England when she became PM. RIP.

"Sometimes its better to speak the truth than platitudes"

Amazing how the left preaches about the need for civility in public discourse until someone they hate passes.

Whilst I agreed with her on the Falklands War I despise pretty much everything else she stood for. I couldn't celebrate the death of another human being though, that's not right. In a democracy we should be able to say we completely disagree with someone's politics without feeling the need to spit out hate and bile at them, especially when they have just passed over.

It shows an astonishing level of rudeness, crudeness and rank inhumanity. The level of discourse on this has fallen to a level of crassness and boorishness that saddens me.

Before casting stones, I'd suggest using the search engine…

Bogeymen de jour, whether Third World dictator or eccentric lefty, have never been accorded the same civil tone here: comments regarding the former's passing displaying at times the same level of glee of sadists, so why the indignation with similar behavior from the other side? This isn't about equivalency, instead it's disappointment about the consistent application of the rules over the years.

I liked Thatcher, more or less, so dislike the partisan comments, but she was a polarizing figure and expect negativity from some.

RIP Maam. She wasn't my leader but she did become an important player on the world stage.

RIP, Iron Lady.

I agree with Streitax. Love her or hate her, you had to respect her. How many politicians since her and Reagan's tenure can we say that of? BRAVO ZULU Mrs. Thatcher. Godspeed, fair Winds and may we be worthy of your efforts and faith in us.

The LORD bless you and keep you, The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace, both now and evermore. Amen.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek

Funnily enough I didn't see quite so many outraged comments about 'speaking ill of the dead' a few weeks ago when Hugo Chavez passed away. While there were some, there was a fair degree of crowing from the right.

Personally I think it's sad when anyone dies and can have sympathy for her family but from a political viewpoint I'm with Elvis Costello and George Galloway on this one.

She had very little compassion or empathy in her treatment of others, and listening to the news today, and this is according to her friends, she revelled in being hated – Ken Clarke on the BBC this morning said (approximately) "the more she was hated the more she was convinced she was right".

Today the Daily Mash is showing itself to being more impartial than a lot of the UK press :

link

link

link

link

R Mark Davies.

Perhaps truth was the wrong word.

I'm not trying to speak ill of her but there are at least two interpretations of what she did.

I thought Mr Greenwald said it quite well. I don't approve of gloating over her death on an obituary page but people should at least be aware that when contentious claims for her greatness are being made, the same actions are interpreted very differently by others.

20th Maine,

I'm genuinely surprised that you think that Ken Clarke has anything worthwhile to say on any subject.

Gwydion,

Well said. My apologies for getting the wrong end of the stick.