Margaret Thatcher Dies After Stroke

[Sarah]

http://news.sky.com/story/1075292/margaret-thatcher-dies-after-stroke

[Andy]

RIP Iron Lady.

From a Grocers daughter to Prime Minister and eventually a Peer of the Realm.

[Dunc]

Best Prime Minister we ever had RIP Maggie

[Storm Angel n Auroras Mum]

[*jax*]

Not a fan and was an activist in the 80's against many of her policy's. But having lost my Mum to dementia i hope she can now RIP.

[johnandmary]

the best pm  we ever had RIP  maggie

[Steve]

I was no fan, but was undeniably a great Prime Minister, especially when compared to who we have had since.

I hope she gets a state funeral.

[Stormy]

RIP 

[Cherrie-Nanook-Indy]

A formidable woman and an inspiration to all of us I think, even if you didn't agree with her politics you have to admit she was a force to be reckoned with. Am I right in thinking she is not only the only female PM but also is still the longest serving?

RIP Baroness Thatcher

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lebe03]

I too was never a fan but did admire the fact that she was able to make a decision and would stick to it no matter what.  Not surprisingly she was betrayed by the same shower of **** that are in power now.

 

RIP Maggie

[Mazz]

Heard this on the Sirius this morning on my way to work.  Seems she was very popular here in the colonies, a great friend of the US, and willing to stand up for what she felt was the correction path.  The comments this morning were, that she will go down in the history books as, if not the greatest PM, certainly the second only to Winston Churchill.  Now, I have no idea if those making the comments knew of what they spoke, just passing on the comments.  At any rate, may she now rest in peace.

[raindog]

I think many of the people commenting both here and on other fora about Margaret Thatcher are probably much too young to have experienced her period of power. Thatcher was like Marmite. People either loved her or loathed her. There was no middle ground. At the time of the Falklands War in 1982, she was increasingly loathed by most people in the North and Wales, where she had fought a vicious battle with the unions in the mining and other industries. At this point the UK was a divided nation - She was loved by some for defeating the unions, and hated by others for destroying the power of the unions which protected them, for abetting the destruction of British manufacturing capacity, and for a variety of other policies which impacted directly on working class people.  The Argentinian invasion of the Falklands probably saved her political career. Overnight she became a heroine - the defender of the British People - and her previous unpopularity declined in the sweet glow of victory.  She eventually committed political suicide by pushing through (despite reservations by many of her own ministers) her proposals for a Poll Tax (Community Charge) which was to replace the old rates. It was generally agreed that the people who would suffer most from this measure would be the poorest and the Poll Tax  was probably the most hated piece of policy in the entire 20th Century and caused widescale rioting in the streets - leading to its eventual withdrawal and the replacement of Thatcher as Prime Minister by John Major in 1990, who quickly stopped the implementation of the Poll Tax, replacing it with the Council Tax that we still have today.

As a result of Thatcher's policies - whole towns in the north, Wales and Scotland were impoverished overnight due to mine closure etc. This is the major reason why many people still carry their hatred for Thatcher in their hearts. Others see her as a "great" politician. 

Personally, I am not a fan!