General Discussion
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/04/15/big-ben_n_3084697.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-politics
Another OTT move
I daresay the protesters will make enough noise -- at least those who haven't already been preemptively arrested on some trumpt up charge here in alarmingly getting closer to fascist Britain will
2 thirds of the country feel the same
Parliament (through the Speaker) makes a democratic decision based on requests received (by the Speaker) from members on how they should best pay their respects and yet people on here decide to be nasty about it, shame.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22078727 And people are daft if they think state paid for funerals for former prime ministers is anything new.
I was very interested to see the reaction to the news of her death on a US forum over the last week or so - they all praised her as an international stateswoman and a woman who had worked hard to get where she was through her own efforts. They also saw her as someone who gave more impetus for women of all parties to enter politics and be taken seriously. But most interesting of all was the amazement and utter disgust at the reaction from SOME people in the UK at her death and the scenes they saw on their new channels. Because despite it all, no matter what you think of her politics, it is the office she held that is due respect if nothing else.
Hopefully after this week everyone will get a sense of perspective back. If the people who want to bitch about her so much put half as much energy into making this country Great again as they do into hating Margaret Thatcher, we should have all our problems solved in next to no time.
So......the americans like her and the rest of us are supposed to follow suit? Do you know what? I don't care two hoots what the americans think.
And if you think that it is only some people in this country who have a loathing for her you are wrong.
Bring back Spitting Image someone please.
I do agree with you about one thing though - that hopefully after this week everyone will get a sense of perspective back and that the myth making about her will stop. But somehow........
When I posted the link at the top of this thread I did not say anything nasty, what I ommitted to do was put a question mark after my comment. I think what is upsetting anti thatchers is the way this has been thrust on the people of this country( by the very politicians who stabbed her in the back) A private funeral with a memorial service might have been a better idea and not caused so much furore and unneccessary expense
As usual in life a few decide what is good for us, there have been some outstanding public figures who have died who were uncontroversial in their lives, who have been sent on there way almost unnoticed.
I hope maggies funeral does not turn into a circus and after she is laid to rest we can return to normality, and I will remember I have an off switch on my tv tomorrow
@Lynne oh dear oh dear, you do get yourself in a tiz, but as usual I'm going to have to disagree with you yet again.
No, I did not state that because the Americans who posted on that forum liked her, then "the rest of us are supposed to follow suit". Obviously that is not going to happen and I never suggested it should, the comment was made because unfortunately it has shown this country in pretty bad taste around the world and I was simply relaying those facts and also the fact that to them it is the office she held and her grieving family that deserves respect even if you didn't think anything of her as a person. Something else they said that I hadn't quoted before (because I do know how much you love to trawl websites to find things to quote on here, so now I'm having a turn) was that when a left of centre politician or high profile individual dies, they couldn't think of a single occasion when the right of centre has reacted in the kind of way we have witnessed over Thatcher's death, no matter how much they disagreed with the politics of that person. I have no problem with anyone feeling loathing towards her, I just have a problem with the public way it was shown that could have brought much distress to her family at their time of grief. Mrs Thatcher isn't alive to see the loathing so what was the point?
And yes, only SOME people in this country have a loathing for her. You might not like that statement but it is actually factually correct. SOME people like her, SOME people loathe her, SOME people couldn't care less either way, SOME people have never heard of her etc etc as many options as you like. The fact of the matter is that NOT EVERYONE hates or loathes her, so therefore only SOME people in this country loathe her. I'm sorry you don't like that concept, but it is actually true.
And there was I thinking that Margaret Thatcher was all about individual freedom of speech and action.
Most Americans know very little about international matters. News there tends to be very parochial. I believe only a small percentage have passports. Don't forget that America is the land of the free which supported the IRA for many years through its fund-raising efforts in the States.
@DJ if we followed a true democracy then there probably wouldn't be a state funeral at vast public expense - a recent opinion poll showed only 25% in favour.
@Paul so we're in a police state now are we? where it's ok to arrest people you think may in the future commit some unlawful act -smacks of the worst excesses of Stalinist Russia and Nazi Germany
and I thought this forum was about debate and free speech, as was pointed out to me the other day by burnside
@DJ - i don't have to trawl websites(but even if i did, so what? isn't that one of the delights of the www?)
Anything I quote from Thatcher is because I remember her/those quotes from the 1980s.
@Paul - one persons 'troublemaker' is another person's 'protester'. protesting is a perfectly legal activity and you should be horrified that the police are able to round up people before they have done anything. areyou really happy to have your civil liberties removed? or to live in acountry where people's civil liberties, including our right to protest, are removed? because this is what's happening and its the beginning of the road to tyranny.
Looks like even the Huffington Post is getting in on the act. Perhaps they should be arrested?
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/04/16/margaret-thatcher-funeral-spoof_n_3091534.html?1366119458
Looking at the discussion threads it appears that at this instant in time the fickle finger of fate has placed the "Powderham Pig Factory" between "The Silence of Big Ben" and "The Iron Lady"