RIP Margaret Thatcher

[KD in CA]

http://www.standard.co.uk/

[B-Man]

 

 

 

"Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They always run out of other people's money. It's quite a characteristic of them." Speech, Feb. 5, 1976

 

"Pennies don't fall from heaven, they have to be earned here on earth." Speech, Nov. 12, 1979

 

"No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions; he had money as well." Weekend World, Jan. 6, 1980

 

“Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't.”

 

“If you just set out to be liked, you will be prepared to compromise on anything at anytime, and would achieve nothing. ” - Margaret Thatcher

 

“I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left.”

 

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Edited April 8, 2013 by B-Man

[Azalin]

I always liked her. she was tough as nails. may she rest in peace.

[Taro T]

 

May you RIP Maggie. You were a true leader.

[B-Man]

Thatcher Rules

 

Clifford D. May

 

I have a signed copy of Margaret Thatcher’s Statecraft on the mantle above my fireplace. On the front cover is a formal portrait, exactly what you’d expect: She appears to be attempting to smile, not entirely successfully. Her hair is a golden halo. She wears a dark jacket, with two strings of pearls around her neck and matching earrings. A large globe hovers just behind her. The picture I like better is on the back cover: It shows her leaning into a microphone with a fierce expression, her left hand extended, elbow on the desk, an index finger pointing up to the sky — you can tell she’s about to tear some jerk a new one.

 

{snip}

 

She goes on to provide five guidelines:

 

Don’t believe that military interventions, no matter how morally justified, can succeed without clear military goals.

 

Don’t fall into the trap of imagining that the West can remake societies.

 

Don’t take public opinion for granted — but also don’t underrate the degree to which good people will endure sacrifices for a worthwhile cause.

Don’t allow tyrants and aggressors to get away with it.

 

And when you fight — fight to win.

 

We would have done well to follow Thatcher’s rules over the past decade. We’d be wise to consult them in the years ahead.

 

 

Let me share one more Thatcher thought that I highlighted in the book: “Throughout my political life I have usually sought to avoid compromise, because it more often than not turns out to involve an abdication of principle. In international affairs, it is often also symptomatic of muddle and weakness.”

 

 

 

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Edited April 8, 2013 by B-Man

[birdog1960]

if you haven't seen it, watch pbs' piece on thatcher featuring interviews with james baker, george schultz and kim campbell (the canadian prime minister). amazing stuff. all agreed that she altered the curve of history for the better. she clearly deserves our admiration and respect.

Edited April 9, 2013 by birdog1960

[Bronc24]

It disgusts me to see people rejoicing at her death. RIP to a powerful, intelligent leader.

[meazza]

It disgusts me to see people rejoicing at her death. RIP to a powerful, intelligent leader.

 

#trampthedirtdown was trending on twitter.

 

RIP Maggie.

[Dante]

If we had Margeret for a term followed by Ronald Raygun for another four years this country would be in great shape for everyone.

Edited April 9, 2013 by Dante

[birdog1960]

If we had Margeret for a term followed by Ronald Raygun for another four years this country would be in great shape for everyone.

not so sure about that, but she was a self made woman who stuck to her convictions whether popular or not. those are things i admire. some of the interesting thoughts from the interviews: campbell said she has to laugh when she hears people calling obama's america socialist. she said they need to look at the uk when thatcher got started to get an idea of what western socialism really looks like. baker and schultz both argued that she changed the labour party in england, making it more conservative. that's quite a feat. sure wish a liberal leader in the us could get the same result from their opposition party.

[Azalin]

while driving home from work today, I heard on the local radio talk station that 'ding dong the witch is dead' is quickly rising in the UK charts, already somewhere in the top 200. I could understand if this was happening in some country where the people were instantly liberated by the death of some brutal, maniacal tyrant, but knowing that it's British citizens cheering the death of a former prime minister has me genuinely surprised. how utterly classless.

[DC Tom]

while driving home from work today, I heard on the local radio talk station that 'ding dong the witch is dead' is quickly rising in the UK charts, already somewhere in the top 200. I could understand if this was happening in some country where the people were instantly liberated by the death of some brutal, maniacal tyrant, but knowing that it's British citizens cheering the death of a former prime minister has me genuinely surprised. how utterly classless.

 

It probably takes maybe 50 listenings to break the top 200, though.

 

And you think people won't be celebrating here when Bush Jr. dies?

[meazza]

It probably takes maybe 50 listenings to break the top 200, though.

 

And you think people won't be celebrating here when Bush Jr. dies?

 

George Galloway who is an MP in the UK wrote a nice piece on how she is responsible for the deaths of so many innocents.

 

He is also a strong supporter of the Soviet Union

 

http://http://redmolucca.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/tramp-the-dirt-down/

[3rdnlng]

It probably takes maybe 50 listenings to break the top 200, though.

 

And you think people won't be celebrating here when Bush Jr. dies?

e of

 

The hate for GW is based on the love of Gore and Kerry? Give it up. Learn to laugh at the idiots.

 

George Galloway who is an MP in the UK wrote a nice piece on how she is responsible for the deaths of so many innocents.

 

He is also a strong supporter of the Soviet Union

 

http://redmolucca.wo...-the-dirt-down/

 

She or he?

[DC Tom]

George Galloway who is an MP in the UK wrote a nice piece on how she is responsible for the deaths of so many innocents.

 

He is also a strong supporter of the Soviet Union

 

http://redmolucca.wo...-the-dirt-down/

 

I should have stopped reading when he used the phrase "hagiographic sycophanty"...but I didn't.

 

Then I should have stopped reading when he said Thatcher did more damage to Britain than Hitler...but I didn't.

 

I stopped reading when I got to the part where he was an honorary member of a union.

[meazza]

I should have stopped reading when he used the phrase "hagiographic sycophanty"...but I didn't.

 

Then I should have stopped reading when he said Thatcher did more damage to Britain than Hitler...but I didn't.

 

I stopped reading when I got to the part where he was an honorary member of a union.

 

So pbills = George Galloway???

[Azalin]

And you think people won't be celebrating here when Bush Jr. dies?

I'm sure they will, and I will consider that to be classless too.

[3rdnlng]

http://heritageactio...-lady-thatcher/

 

 

"One would naturally think it impossible that anyone would hesitate – even for an instant – to honor the woman who tackled communism head on as prime minister of Great Britain. Lady Margaret Thatcher was a principled politician who helped to foster the special relationship between Great Britain and the United States that we all benefit from today.

 

A Senate resolution to honor Lady Thatcher was supposed to pass last night. However, per well placed sources on the Hill, Democrats have a hold on the resolution.

 

To refuse to honor a woman of such great historical and political significance, who was deeply loyal to the United States, is petty and shameful. One truly has to wonder, what is it about Lady Thatcher that gives them pause? Her unfaltering commitment to freedom? Or perhaps the way she fought for individual liberty and limited government?

 

The House used traditional bereavement procedures, the same model they used for John F. Kennedy. It’s a simple, solemn means of honoring the individual by passing a resolution and immediately adjourning. Similarly, Great Britain’s House of Commons was recalled, bringing members of Parliament back from vacation to honor Lady Thatcher."

 

Damn, we have a bunch of pricks in the senate with a "d' after their name.

[Britbillsfan]

George Galloway who is an MP in the UK wrote a nice piece on how she is responsible for the deaths of so many innocents.

 

He is also a strong supporter of the Soviet Union

 

http://redmolucca.wo...-the-dirt-down/

Galloway is very much a pro-Muslim MP in the UK. He was against the war (and I think both wars) vs Saddam (which I do not hold against him) however he hobnobbed with Saddam's bunch and considers himself a close personal friend of Tariq Aziz (I think). He is pretty repulsive in my mind and represents the old, hard left in the UK.

 

 

I stopped reading when I got to the part where he was an honorary member of a union.

 

Not unknown among British MPs. The Labour party traditionally was the party of the unions and Galloway was a Labour MP. (Not any longer). They still have a lot of influence over Labour, but nowhere near as much as they used to (which amounted to almost total control).

[Britbillsfan]

It probably takes maybe 50 listenings to break the top 200, though.

 

And you think people won't be celebrating here when Bush Jr. dies?

 

Enough people hate Thatcher enough to make it top 10, possibly even number 1. Many of those buying did not live through the Thatcher years (the street parties had plenty (in fact it looked a large majority) of people in their early 20s/teens).

 

There were elements of her premiership/policies/personality which I disliked (but there again I do not vote for people I like personally, I try to vote for those who I think will run the country best). Never voted for her myself (too young/out of the country) but probably would have done if I had been able.

 

She gets blamed for a lot of things in the UK, while completely ignoring the situation here when she took over.

 

For example, the collapse of industry and the rise in unemployment. Partly deserved as her macroeconomic policies did keep the £ strong, making it hard to compete. But there again UK industry was churning out substandard product that was unrelible, ugly, expensive and often not delivered on time. And was already collapsing when she took over.

 

Of course when she took over we had union leaders who (accurately) boasted they could overthrow governments (and had done), by going on strikes that paralysed the country (despite not having to hold ballots on strike action...). The IMF had to bail us out because the government was broke. Electricity power was unreliable - at times it was only on one hour a day. Sugar was rationed at times. No bread on shelves (baker strike), no rubbish collected (strikes), no bodies buried (more strikes!). Inflation was about 30%. There was even talk of a bloody military coup to overthrow the Labour Government a few years earlier. The UK was getting poorer all the time, by the end of Thatchers time in power this sorry state had been largely reversed.