The Lady's not for turning !!!

[Lucy]

But she wont be the one pissing on my grave

You're so classy.

[DimPrawn]

But she wont be the one pissing on my grave

Surely she'll ascend straight to heaven and join God as a saint?

[DodgyAgent]

Her central policy was to run the UK as a monetarist experiment. It's been proved not to have not worked, even Milton Friedman has admited his theory was flawed and leads to boom and bust, which it did. You chose to ignore that, if you belive it to be false I sugest you take it up with Mr Friedman, he could explain in far better detail where it all went wrong.

Where would you like me to go next, stealth taxing?

If you want an esoteric argument about monetarism then fine I am not your man. If you want to have a debate on the merit and the effects of Thatchers policies that is another matter. You have stated a hatred for Thatcher and you have backed it up with cliches. You have singularly failed to offer any argument to support what can only be a view developed not as a result of a coherently thought out opinion, but as a result of something that is so far unexplained. I am simply trying to find out what this is and have come up with a number of theories, some of which are a little silly, which you still cannot counter.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

If you fail to argue anything then I will make assumptions. The more outrageous these assumptions get the easier they should be for you to counter.

They were, I did.

The less willing you are to argue a point, and instead use cliches to invoke emotions, the less seriously you will be taken.

Argue what point exactly? I see little sense in going over my considerable objections to Thatcher and her policies just so you can say (again) I'm dealing in emotive cliches.

You didn't mention the bit where you accused me of saying Thatcher's lies were a unique characteristic I notice.

My view of Thatcher and those times is based on my having lived through it and how I felt it affected me and the nation as whole - I haven't called you any names because you don't share my view, nor have I made assumptions of why you hold the misguided (IMHO) view of her that you do.

As for "the less seriously you will be taken" that sounds a bit pompous, don't you think?

[DodgyAgent]

I totally agree they were grim times. It's a myth that Thatcher never did a U-turn of course, just as it is that she was competent.

She increased taxes and public spending and was the author of many of the worst Quango excesses that continue to this day, but her fans will never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

OK peoplesoftbloke. Yes come to think of it my last comment was a tad pompous.

Please look at what you said earlier in the thread. To me these are sweeping statements with no shred of evidence to support them. What facts are you offering to support your "view"?

[Marina]

Her central policy was to run the UK as a monetarist experiment. It's been proved not to have not worked, even Milton Friedman has admited his theory was flawed and leads to boom and bust, which it did.

What utter rubbish! Boom and bust isn't a sign of failure, it's practically inevitable in a healthy economy.

If you try abolishing it, as conceited idiot Brown thought he had before events caught up with him, you'd eventually slow the economy to a standstill and sooner or later end up with an even worse bust, possibly terminal.

[Cyberman]

Thatcher balanced the books by increasing income, by selling off public assets. That's what is meant by the often-used phrase "selling the family silver". These were the investments of generations, sold off for a quick unrepeatable shot of income.

And TSB, of course, was not even a public asset. But Thatcher sold it anyway and kept the money for the public purse.

Making the books balance is good. Doing it by selling off what you have put years into saving to buy, and expected to keep for future generations, is not simple hpousekeeping, it's panic/bankruptcy.

She sold off burdensome companies and turned them from high public subsidy dependancy into taxpayers, thus giving net benefit over the long-term to the exchequer.
Take British Airways for instance who I used to work for before privatisation. They were incredibly inefficient and grossly overstaffed, but nowadays are a very profitable, efficient company paying taxes instead of reaping government subsidies. Thatcher should be applauded!!

[Bagpuss]

What utter rubbish! Boom and bust isn't a sign of failure, it's practically inevitable in a healthy economy.

If you try abolishing it, as conceited idiot Brown thought he had before events caught up with him, you'd eventually slow the economy to a standstill and sooner or later end up with an even worse bust, possibly terminal.

I suggest reading this to understand how it failed in the UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rise-Fall-Mo.../dp/0140135278


Synopsis
This book examines the personalities (President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher, Milton Friedman and Sir Keith Joseph, Denis Healey and Edward Heath) and political in-fighting that led to a remarkable but short-lived triumph for monetarist theory and policy. Now that even Conservatives have consigned monetarism to the scrap-heap of history, David Smith draws out the unhappy lessons of a fundamentally flawed economic experiment.

She sold off burdensome companies and turned them from high public subsidy dependancy into taxpayers, thus giving net benefit over the long-term to the exchequer.

Sounds like an argument to re-nationilise the railways. Cost far more to the taxpayer now.


Thank god the Thatcher years are over!

[Lucy]

A money saving tip from bagpuss

I suggest reading this to understand how it failed in the UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rise-Fall-Mo.../dp/0140135278


Synopsis
This book examines the personalities (President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher, Milton Friedman and Sir Keith Joseph, Denis Healey and Edward Heath) and political in-fighting that led to a remarkable but short-lived triumph for monetarist theory and policy. Now that even Conservatives have consigned monetarism to the scrap-heap of history, David Smith draws out the unhappy lessons of a fundamentally flawed economic experiment.

Don't buy the book, just read the synopsis on amazon.

[Bagpuss]

Don't buy the book, just read the synopsis on amazon.

Yes we know how you work, now trot off !