R.I.P. Margaret Thatcher.

[dean]

interesting points Tschandler71

One thing Mrs, Thatcher did say and all subsequent British governments have forgotten is that Governments don't have any money they have tax payers money. and also to live with in your income, wise if unpalatable truths.

Today to many expect the state to deal with everything Our NHS will never work as long as people are allowed breast enlargements. tattoo removal and the biggest bug bear of all fertility treatment. if you so want children save up and go private. Treat emergencies and life threatening illness only, the rest you pay for.

I also agree with a lot of people who think the death and funeral went to far coverage wise, but sadly that is the world we live in, look how much coverage there has been on the Boston bomb, more even than we had with the IRA terrorist attacks of the 70's/80's.
Of course the details of the Funeral etc were made under a labour government and decided upon by a labour prime minister, I wonder if the fuss would had been so big if we still had a labour government

It's a Funny old world.

 

[tschandler71]

While the funeral thing is entirely another issue it seems to be more of a "you can't see the forest for the trees" type of issue. I mean a funeral for one person can't be nothing compared to entire countries budgets.

 

[Cat-Man]

interesting points Tschandler71

One thing Mrs, Thatcher did say and all subsequent British governments have forgotten is that Governments don't have any money they have tax payers money. and also to live with in your income, wise if unpalatable truths.

Today to many expect the state to deal with everything Our NHS will never work as long as people are allowed breast enlargements. tattoo removal and the biggest bug bear of all fertility treatment. if you so want children save up and go private. Treat emergencies and life threatening illness only, the rest you pay for.

I also agree with a lot of people who think the death and funeral went to far coverage wise, but sadly that is the world we live in, look how much coverage there has been on the Boston bomb, more even than we had with the IRA terrorist attacks of the 70's/80's.
Of course the details of the Funeral etc were made under a labour government and decided upon by a labour prime minister, I wonder if the fuss would had been so big if we still had a labour government

It's a Funny old world.

What a fantastic post. Absoloutly Brilliant.

 

[Maguari]

While the funeral thing is entirely another issue it seems to be more of a "you can't see the forest for the trees" type of issue. I mean a funeral for one person can't be nothing compared to entire countries budgets.

The cost of the funeral has been widely reported at around £10m (or about US$15m, but I think that includes a lot of police salaries that would be being paid anyway). The last ceremonial funeral was the Queen Mother's, and cost £8.6m. Pre-2008 possibly no-one would have batted an eyelid but with cuts left, right and centre it's rather more vulnerable to discussion.

But yes, it does rather obscure the bigger issues on both sides.

 

[Johnny Morris.]

The cost of the funeral has been widely reported at around £10m (or about US$15m, but I think that includes a lot of police salaries that would be being paid anyway). The last ceremonial funeral was the Queen Mother's, and cost £8.6m. Pre-2008 possibly no-one would have batted an eyelid but with cuts left, right and centre it's rather more vulnerable to discussion.

But yes, it does rather obscure the bigger issues on both sides.

I would have batted an eyelid, i'd get rid of that free loading family tomorrow. Not the French way, but they'd be gone if i had my way.

 

[johnstoni.]

The one thing I've taken from her death more than anything is this quote by George Bernard Shaw.

"If you rob Peter to pay Paul, you can always depend on the support of Paul." - That is the true problem with Social democracy and what made the examples of Thatcher and Reagan so influential. They both created a true sea change where hate them or not someone finally provided a check on the idea that government fiat can solve all problems or that its services are free. Someone who represented the common fact that government can not create wealth it can only move it around by taxation or inflation. From the differing attitudes between the way her death has been treated by the British people compared to the American people and Reagan (other than the passing of 9 years) shows there are a lot more takers than makers in the UK circa 2013 than the US circa 2004. Its weird the 80s was the beginning of offshorting in the United States primarily because of inflation first then the methods to fight it (the jobs in the US weren't economically viable hence stagflation). But very little hate except for the extreme active left is attributed to Reagan via offshoring. Mainly its probably the history of the US in being a freer market anyway.

I'm no fan of authoritarian governments, and I agree that this is a blind spot for many on the left. I despise fabian socialism but I also despise thatcher. What I think you need to account for is that your country's history came out of winning a war against us, you found tyranny and the founding fathers created a fierce liberty in your constitution. So big government in the US is a threat to all these things, whereas in the UK we have the establishment monachy, the square mile, and a very old aristocracy, which means socialist ideas, at least those of redistributive equity, are more useful here at least as a pressure, because we are so far behind you in the establshment of true liberty and a legally-binding constitution.