I�m not one who says you should have respect for someone in death even if you didn�t like them and it�s still a free country (I think). But for those who want to be vitriolic about her I just wonder where they have been living since 1991.
As has been said Thatcher is the only PM in last 40 years who had balls (IMO). She took over shortly after Labour had gone to the IMF to bailout the country. The unemployment and decline in British manufacturing was largely due to the unions making Britain uncompetitive and an unattractive place to invest. She encouraged people to take responsibility for themselves and many started their own small businesses which today employ 60% of those in work.
Her economic policy was based on monetarism which basically sought to control the supply of money and limit growth in government debt. i.e. spend what you earn. We all know what has happened when those who followed her abandoned this � the Banks took over and busted the world.
Thatcher became PM in 1979 and though unemployment initially rose to 3m by the late eighties the country was booming, national debt was actually repaid in several years and unemployment fell to less than current levels. At that time we were in the middle of the cold war when a nuclear attack was a real threat, we had the IRA bombing London (having already bombed N Ireland to oblivion) and she had the guts to liberate the Falklands when many of the males in her cabinet wanted to appease.
Thatcher�s 11 year record is the antithesis to the subsequent Major/Blair/Brown/Cameron governments. Here are just a few of the things I can think of: Economy grew (I�ve lost count how many recessions we�ve had since 1991)
Unemployment fell
Debt fell as % of GDP
Welfare payments as % of GDP was higher (yes higher) than now
Wages rose for everyone in real terms
Taxes where reduced for everyone in real terms
We had a free market economy where people in work could earn a living wage and not rely on family credit
All families/children where treated equally being in receipt of Universal Child Benefit Thatcher let people buy poor stock council homes for reasonable money. Subsequent governments have failed to invest in new properties preferring to tenant families in rental properties costing up to �48,000 per year.
Small businesses where supported with Regional Development Grants. Blair/Brown abolished grants for all but the richest foreign companies.
Britain was the USA�s respected ally, not poodle
Britain didn�t invade other countries at the behest of the USA
Thatcher didn�t lie to the House of Parliment/Nation to get her way (i.e Blair-WMD dossier, Cameron saying he had reduced debt)
Immigration was under control
Marriage was a legal institution for men and women only in line with practices and beliefs going back 6000 years.
It wasn�t considered a childs human right to be taught at primary school how to bugger another child and be required to believe that was perfectly normal behaviour
Terrorists where fought and imprisoned not negotiated with and placed in government
Privatised British companies where owned/controlled by the British through golden shares
The list could go on.......
For those who prefer to live in a country opposite to all of the above you have my greatest sympathy and why moan as you are already living in it. What�s more at the next election vote for any party you want and I guarantee you will continue to live in this ideal world opposite to everything Margaret Thatcher stood for.
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