Thatcher's Politicial Legacy.

[CountDeMoney]

I think she was wrong to oppose German reunification though. That was a historical chance that had to be taken.

A lot of people opposed German reunification at the time, and with good fucking reason.  In fact, there are some excellent films on that very topic BUT THEY ARE ALL IN BLACK AND WHITE.

[fhdz]

Why is it that conservative politicians seem to be prone to dementia late in their lives?  Reagan, Thatcher, and Pinochet all were going mentally long before going physically.

Your sample size is 3?

Those were the three conservative icons of that era.  Who else is there?

You said "conservative politicians". I didn't realize you only meant "icons".

[Warspite]

Considering the state of NATO/WP relations in the 60s and 70s, that wasn't an unrealistic defense/defence posture/pocture, and a necessary one. 

And concerning the Falklands, quite frankly I don't think anybody had expected the UK to ever fight another colonial war and require an 8,000 mile force projection capability.

Nothing wrong with focusing on NATO duties. But Britain had a non-discretionary commitment to defend the islands, and other bits of territory besides, so nearly not having the ability to do so - whether to deter or expel invaders - has to be a black mark.

[CountDeMoney]

Those were the three conservative icons of that era.  Who else is there?

You said "conservative politicians". I didn't realize you only meant "icons".

Only fruity ass Euros put Pinochet in the "Conservative Icon" category.  Like that fool even mattered in the big picture.

Fucking Euros and their Amnesty International fetishes.

[derspiess]

I think she was wrong to oppose German reunification though. That was a historical chance that had to be taken.

A lot of people opposed German reunification at the time, and with good fucking reason.  In fact, there are some excellent films on that very topic BUT THEY ARE ALL IN BLACK AND WHITE.

 

[CountDeMoney]

Save it for the latex shit porn convention, derKraut.

[DGuller]

Those were the three conservative icons of that era.  Who else is there?

You said "conservative politicians". I didn't realize you only meant "icons".

Only fruity ass Euros put Pinochet in the "Conservative Icon" category.  Like that fool even mattered in the big picture.

Fucking Euros and their Amnesty International fetishes.

In relation to the size and profile of his country, he definitely mattered.

[crazy canuck]

I think her legacy, while very significant indeed, is a little overstated.

Easy with hindsight for poeple to say that what she did was inevitable.  Back then it didnt seem so inevitable.  Rather it was very much an uphill battle against the tendancies of not just the UK but also the US (and other western democracies including Canada for that matter).  She wasnt called the Iron Lady for nothing.

Breaking the unions - they remain broken and that's not going to change

I think we have to be a bit careful about the rhetoric here.  If by "breaking" one means the control the unions had over UK politics then yes that control was broken but that went hand in hand with limiting government involvement in industry.  One of her lasting contributions.

Selling council houses - huge success, nobody is going to change that policy

Part of her core policy of getting government out of the lives of the individual.  She firmly believed that if a person owned it would be better for society and the individual for a whole range of reasons.  She was absolutely correct.  We in Canada still havent quite figured that out when it comes to things like housing on Indian Reservations but hopefully that day will come.  But her legacy continues to have long lasting effects.  Even with a leftist party in power in Vancouver with an agenda to end homelessness nobody is suggesting that the City become a landlord.  That is largely thanks to the work Thatcher did.

Privatisation: Hugely significant and an enduring and irreversible legacy

Privitisation is really just the catch word people now apply to her underlying policy initiatives which were to limit governments role in people's lives which included the UK government getting out of the business of running businesses.

[Zanza]

I think she was wrong to oppose German reunification though. That was a historical chance that had to be taken.

A lot of people opposed German reunification at the time, and with good fucking reason.  In fact, there are some excellent films on that very topic BUT THEY ARE ALL IN BLACK AND WHITE.

George H.W. Bush thankfully didn't share your idiotic views.

[CountDeMoney]

But Britain had a non-discretionary commitment to defend the islands, and other bits of territory besides, so nearly not having the ability to do so - whether to deter or expel invaders - has to be a black mark.

It got done, didn't it?  There, no black mark. 

And by the looks of things these days, the UK no longer possess that non-discretionary commitment anymore.

[CountDeMoney]

I think she was wrong to oppose German reunification though. That was a historical chance that had to be taken.

A lot of people opposed German reunification at the time, and with good fucking reason.  In fact, there are some excellent films on that very topic BUT THEY ARE ALL IN BLACK AND WHITE.

George H.W. Bush thankfully didn't share your idiotic views.

Who says there were my views, Hauptmann Sensitive?  All I said was that there were those that didn't, and they had good fucking reasons:  at least I or II of them.

[derspiess]

Ah, Seedy is trolling 

[Warspite]

I think she was wrong to oppose German reunification though. That was a historical chance that had to be taken.

A lot of people opposed German reunification at the time, and with good fucking reason.  In fact, there are some excellent films on that very topic BUT THEY ARE ALL IN BLACK AND WHITE.

George H.W. Bush thankfully didn't share your idiotic views.

Who says there were my views, Hauptmann Sensitive?  All I said was that there were those that didn't, and they had good fucking reasons:  at least I or II of them.

A reason is less fucking good if it's based on an outdated modelling of European politics.

[Gups]

@Canuck

Let's be clear that Thatcher's belief that the state should interfere with the individual as little as possible was limited to the economic sphere, She was no liberterian, far from it e.g. extensive new police powers and resources, massive prison building, ludicrously ineffective censorship (e.g. Spycatcher and Sinn Fein leaders).

She really did want to beak the unions. She hated their leaders and everything the stood for. It may have dovetailed nicely with other policies but even if it hadn't she would still have destroyed them. See also, the abolition of the GLC, a terrible mistake and a disater for London,  made for no other reason than that she hated Ken Livingstone.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Not just the GLC, she also got rid of the other metropolitan county councils, Tyne & Wear, Greater Manchester etc