Hitler –
For better or worse, he shaped our lives.
That's a
quote from the comedian StuWho in reference to some of the comments
being made in the aftermath of the news that Margaret Thatcher has
now managed to wriggle free from her mortal coil.
It's very
apt in my opinion.
There
seems to be a battle going on in the media, and across the social
networking territories, with many scrambling to write her footnote in
the history books.
His
reaction to this has been to highlight how flimsy the support for her
is in some quarters.
Instead
of being able to shed some light on the positive influences she
exerted over the UK, the best that some can come up with is that 'no
matter what you say you can't deny she changed our lives', and of
course they are correct in saying that.
Unfortunately
they are missing out 'for the worse' though.
Context
is everything.
Look
about today and on the one side we have those who would wish to
maintain a factual record of Thatchers time as the premier of this
land (largely negative), and on the other there are revisionists who
are trying to paint a rosy image of her (Canute style).
It is
really a fight between fact and fiction, and to be frank none of us
will be able to say who will reach the finish line first.
It will
be future generations opinions - shaped from the history books - that
will hand the winners rosette over.
So what
will they say?
Well if
much of the media have their reporting on the news carried on into
the future, then most will look back on her as the first female prime
minister, and possibly consider her an extension of the suffragette
movement, an example of gender equality having its day.
Maybe
they will see her as a warrior, a modern day Boudica, who took on
the might of Argentina and sent them home with their tails between
their legs.
Then
there will be the soundbites that could be misconstrued.
'This
lady is not for turning' sounds firmly positive and evokes an
attitude of maintaining a correct stance in the face of those who
would wish to steer the ship towards the rocks doesn't it?
However
when you take it in the context of the speech, she was actually
referring to refusing to accept liberalisation of the economy, even
though her policies had led to unemployment rising to 2 million.
Will it
be promoted by history as such though?
We have
to be careful and ensure that it does.
To tell
the truth is not to attack an individual.
The truth
is this.
She took
over when unemployment was at a record low and kick started a
recession that ended in 1982 with unemployment exceeding 3 million.
Between
1979 and 1982 over 2 million manufacturing jobs were lost in the UK.
Manufacturing
dropped by a dizzying 30% from the figure it was at just prior to her
reign as premier.
She
supported apartheid and stated that Mandela was a terrorist while
offering the hand of friendship to Pinochet.
She
despised our European brethren and made her feelings about the
mainland very clear as she exerted her disdain for Mitterrand and
Kohl publicly and privately ensuring that every introduction of
policy was fraught with issues regardless of their worth.
She
overseen national industries sold over to the private sector.
Ushered
in the sale of social housing stock.
Introduced
cheap labour to employers through employment schemes.
Manipulated
the unions into a fight and in winning it took away hard won workers
rights.
Used the
police as a cosh on the citizens of this country.
Created
social disharmony and division among the populace.
And in
some peoples opinions allowed the Falklands argument to escalate to
allow her to then become a war time leader.
Regardless
of the opinions she did issue the order to sink the Belgrano while it
was outside the maritime exclusion zone and while the government were
in receipt of a peace plan that conveniently hadn't been read until
after the attack on the ship had taken place.
She
introduced the regressive poll tax.
Presided
over riots in our cities.
She
demonized teachers and social workers alike.
Then
there is the miners.
The
treatment of those who worked in one sector of this countries
industry was akin to the tactics used to ethnically cleanse areas
sans the actual murdering of them.
Do I
really need to go on?
All of
this in the face of 'no matter what you say you can't deny she
changed our lives'.
There is
quite literally dancing going on in the streets and parties being
held.
This is
the reaction from people that is normally held when word of a loathed
dictator has died reaches them.
Instead
of calling it disrespectful the reasons behind the action should be
considered.
What did
Thatcher give this country, and what did she take away?
We are
still reaping the seeds that she had sown, just lift your heads and
look around.
This is
Thatchers legacy to us all.
Occupy London
ReplyDeleteRemembering Margaret Thatcher
1. She supported the retention of capital punishment
2. She destroyed the country's manufacturing industry
3. She voted against the relaxation of divorce laws
4. She abolished free milk for schoolchildren ("Margaret Thatcher, Milk Snatcher")
5. She supported more freedom for business (and look how that turned out)
6. She gained support from the National Front in the 1979 election by pandering to the fears of immigration
7. She gerrymandered local authorities by forcing through council house sales, at the same time preventing councils from spending the money they got for selling houses on building new houses (spending on social housing dropped by 67% in her premiership)
8. She was responsible for 3.6 million unemployed - the highest figure and the highest proportion of the workforce in history and three times the previous government. Massaging of the figures means that the figure was closer to 5 million
9. She ignored intelligence about Argentinian preparations for the invasion of the Falkland Islands and scrapped the only Royal Navy presence in the islands
10. The poll tax
11. She presided over the closure of 150 coal mines; we are now crippled by the cost of energy, having to import expensive coal from abroad
12. She compared her "fight" against the miners to the Falklands War
13. She privatised state monopolies and created the corporate greed culture that we've been railing against for the last 5 years
14. She introduced the gradual privatisation of the NHS
15. She introduced financial deregulation in a way that turned city institutions into avaricious money pits
16. She pioneered the unfailing adoration and unquestioning support of the USA
17. She allowed the US to place nuclear missiles on UK soil, under US control
18. Section 28
19. She opposed anti-apartheid sanctions against South Africa and described Nelson Mandela as "that grubby little terrorist"
20. She support the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and sent the SAS to train their soldiers
21. She allowed the US to bomb Libya in 1986, against the wishes of more than 2/3 of the population
22. She opposed the reunification of Germany
23. She invented Quangos
24. She increased VAT from 8% to 17.5%
25. She had the lowest approval rating of any post-war Prime Minister
26. Her post-PM job? Consultant to Philip Morris tobacco at $250,000 a year, plus $50,000 per speech
27. The Al Yamamah contract
28. She opposed the indictment of Chile's General Pinochet
29. Social unrest under her leadership was higher than at any time since the General Strike
30. She presided over interest rates increasing to 15%
31. BSE
32. She presided over 2 million manufacturing job losses in the 79-81 recession
33. She opposed the inclusion of Eire in the Northern Ireland peace process
34. She supported sanctions-busting arms deals with South Africa
35. Cecil Parkinson, Alan Clark, David Mellor, Jeffrey Archer, Jonathan Aitkin
36. Crime rates doubled under Thatcher
37. Black Wednesday – Britain withdraws from the ERM and the pound is devalued. Cost to Britain - £3.5 billion; profit for George Soros - £1 billion
38. Poverty doubled while she opposed a minimum wage
39. She privatised public services, claiming at the time it would increase public ownership. Most are now owned either by foreign governments (EDF) or major investment houses. The profits don’t now accrue to the taxpayer, but to foreign or institutional shareholders.
40. She cut 75% of funding to museums, galleries and other sources of education
41. In the Thatcher years the top 10% of earners received almost 50% of the tax remissions
42. 21.9% inflation
Enough?