General Chat

I must be going mad but for once I agree with your last two paragraphs!!!

My opinion of Mrs T changed very considerably in 80's and I had no sympathy really with the communities affected by her policies. I was a Ted Heath supporter (sort of) and was disappointed when he was unceremoniously swept aside.

But Mrs T seemed to be fresh and able to put Callaghan in his place and her first year as Prime Minister was excellent - firm and decisive. And, yes, she had to bring the mining leaders and other trade union barons to heel (that was what we thought we were voting for in 1979).

I had no sympathy with the miners during the strike. I thought it was sledgehammer to crack a nut, and probably my views would have been similar to Roy.

What began to change my views was 13 years ago when I was asked to do a history of a South Yorks mining village for the Millennium. I spent some time in the village and got to know a lot of residents. And I tried to make book upbeat and hopeful - but it was hard. Depopulation, no jobs in village, drug abuse amongst bored young people etc.

Then coming down to South Wales valleys 6 years ago has changed me even more. I would say the vast majority are still bitter about policies and strategy of Mrs T.

I think geography has a lot to do with it. If you take a typical mining village like Blaengarw, it is stuck up the top of the beautiful and remote Garw Valley and is firmly on the tourist trail today. But people talk so fondly of the community 50 years ago, the fact that people for generations have never had to leave the valley for work. Now the children have to travel down to places like Bridgend for low paid service sector work. Village shops are closed. Families are scattered across the world. Money, life, community have been sucked out of valley communities at the whim of an accountant's pen. Pits were sometimes closed the year after the NCB told the miners they were working in a very productive and profitable pit. A nearby pit had perhaps been closes for justifiable reasons, but men were happier to travel over the mountains to a good modern pit because it meant they could continue to work, have job security for themselves and children. Then the good pit was closed and they had to take compensation and think about a future without coal.

Why should people understand these mining and steel communities if they have never lived in them or have no empathy with the communities? They were always going to be the casualties of a war between unions and a right wing and intransigent Government. Yes, the people still work hard - that will never change. Foreign companies like Bosch have appreciated that - but now, they have closed too in this current triple dip. Yes, there is hope. We have a Welsh Government and a First Minister that understands valleys communities really well. There is European help. Yes, young people leave for employment and older people (who want cheaper living costs, good health care and plenty of beautiful scenery and fresh air) move into the empty property in retirement.

But community suffers. And Mrs T never understood what that meant. Neither did I till late in life - I am still learning about it.

scottish parliament are having a debate today on the thatcher legacy
now that should be interesting

Errol


It has been so nice to have a mainly pleasant thread, where we could discuss without acrimony or nastiness!


Thank you for starting it.



s
xx

Sandie et al yes I agree and thank you to everyone that has added to this thread and kept it mostly both informative and un-argumentative

Had a different milkman than our school then Suzanne ;-)

I'm pleased this thread didn't ' turn' Errol , so many different peeps views.... and... RIP Mrs T.

Sandie.

please correct me if im wrong(I Was to young to vote when mrs T came to power)

I thought the coal mines had already been closed????

I do remember her stopping school milk,was it the early 80s,how many primary school children needed free milk in the 80s, i remember school milk in the 70s and it was horrible,she did school kids a favour believe me ...

she was a strong woman,a woman with a backbone,we wont see another Margaret Thatcher again in our lifetime.
she deserves a nice funeral,and what i saw today,she got one.
R I P you deserve it :-)

I'm so glad to hear that things seemingly went well for her funeral today ...............

I was fast asleep when it was all happening.

Interesting to see Brian Mulroney mentioned by Harry.


he was one of the "troika" of Mrs T, Reagan and him ..................... and was much disliked by the time he quit as PM here.


HOWEVER ................. I doubt he has ever received the disgusting treatment that Mrs T had to bear. And hopefully, he never will!

I think some wonderful and heartfelt comments were made both officially and by the public at large today

Heard a lovely story on Mrs T from Brian Mulroney. you can find a brief version if you google Mulroney on Thatcher - she can dish it out.(story of Mila) In the radio version he said the vip audience were all in tears as she sang, because the war and patriotism was where she came from.

Happy days

In general terms I think that the public at large have shown tremendous respect for Baroness Thatcher today.
I just hope that this evening and into the night, this thread does not become used as a pulpit from which some may wish to stir the waters somewhat.

There are some awfull remarks on here .for goodness sake ,.she was a human being .with children ,grandchildren ,Gordon Brown should be brought to task he stole private pensions ,my husbands included He is making a lot of money now shame on him .Barbra

I worked in a specialist regional hospital during Mrs Thatcher's term of office and did not notice many cut backs. They even at that time had their own ward cleaners. The changes did come under the Blair term but in some way to iimprove things.

Waiting lists were very long and the only way they could reduce them was to pay private hospitals to carry out the ops. That was also the beginning of shortening the time people stayed in hospital, time people waited in a&e depts. The GP's were given their own budgets to use as they wished Some of it was good especially for someone languishing on a waiting list in pain, some of it the start of the tick box regime we have now.

In my case I took up an orthopaedic bed for a couple of extra days because a piece of equipment had to be got for me and as I was out of area, they had to contact another SS Dept. I collected it myself in the end.

So some good some bad. Not sure which way Mrs T would have gone with it had she remained but I suspect down the same route Tony Blair went.

Vera

Kay, My Wife A nurse was and still is working in the NHS and has a very different view, The whole country was going through a hard time and having to cut back, The only part of the NHS which is now costing a fortune is the micro management of the NHS which hopefully this lot we have now will sort out but to be honest i'm not holding my breath.

Thatcher changed the way the NHS was run by getting rid of consensus management and replacing it with general management responsible for the financial management, Nothing was privatised all services had to be provided from within the NHS it was under Blair that health care could be purchased from private providers

Roy

Yes Roy,,,,,,

I was in NHS when little changes were taking place and cutting back in many areas to save money,,,,,maturnity,surgical,kitchens,cleaning,laundry,,,,,,how long a patient stayed,,,unless you were working in that enviroment you wouldnt know.

The way forward was those who could take out private health insurance,

Kay, Can you qualify your assumption with regard to the NHS

I also think that more of the NHS has been privatised under 13 years of a labour administration than the last conservative one and Thatcher never touched the NHS or The benefits system

I stand by awaiting to be corrected

Roy

Just be thankful her party kicked her out when they did or we'd all be under private health now,,,,this she advocted ,,,,,,private health,,,,,,,we'd have hospitals run as cottage hospitals for the needy, some small section under the national health run at a minimum,all major ailments and ops treated only if you could pay, as on par with US, life saving cancer drugs for the private sector......no free childhood injctions,no free dental care,and so on.

I hate Dr Who,and NEVER watch it(even as a child) ,but the Quote earlier,from the programme,is SO true.

I hate Dr Who,and NEVER watch it(even as a child) ,but the Quote earlier,from the programme,is SO true.

I agree with you Bob.............

I havent celebrated her death or watched her 'sending off', I have too much resepct for myself

I did however celebrate her demise in politics :-D