Thatcher's legacy

[DimPrawn]

The idea of relying solely on financial and services industries was Thatcher's. Labour continued it.
But once you've got rid of manufacturing, it's impossible to get it back.
Thatcher should have used her skills to turn around the ailing industries BEFORE privatising them, like the French managed to do.

You talk some crap.

Many car manufactuers still operating in the UK (e.g. Honda, Toyota, Nissan) came to the UK and setup manufacturing here because of the deals offered by Maggie. There were also others such as IBM in Scotland, Motorola. Infact 100's of household names setup in the UK during her "reign".

Maggie was a great believer in manufacturing, but recognised that the Unions made it impossible in the UK to operate efficiently.

[BlasterBates]

And I wonder what our unemployment rate would be if we had absorbed a large communist country in 1990?

Latvia has an unemployment rate of 4.9% and the East German states it is more like 15-20%. It was 0% percent when the German government took over.

What does that tell you?

Economic policy failure perhaps?

[sasguru]

Well perhaps I am wrong to think what I think.
Doesn't matter - the end result is that our economy is over-reliant on a now weak financial sector and there not much else apart from maybe aerospace, pharma and weapons to take up the slack.

[DimPrawn]

Well perhaps I am wrong to think what I think.
Doesn't matter - the end result is that our economy is over-reliant on a now weak financial sector and there not much else apart from maybe aerospace, pharma and weapons to take up the slack.

That is Bliar's legacy, not Thatcher's.

Bliar believed that Britain could be solely funded by the City and did not need any manufacturing or service economy outside finance.

The guy was a ******* lunatic (and war criminal).

[sasguru]

That is Bliar's legacy, not Thatcher's.

Bliar believed that Britain could be solely funded by the City and did not need any manufacturing or service economy outside finance.

The guy was a ******* lunatic (and war criminal).

I'm not backing Labour either. They are and were a bunch of nitwits.
Maggie was a much stronger person than Tone and like her or hate her she had conviction.
By his own admission, Tone was guided by voices from God. Nuff said.

[Incognito]

Well perhaps I am wrong to think what I think.
Doesn't matter - the end result is that our economy is over-reliant on a now weak financial sector and there not much else apart from maybe aerospace, pharma and weapons to take up the slack.

Balls. Here's the reason why the countries in a right mess.

Best quote:

with the national debt more than doubling since 1992

New Labour, Old Labour, both the same, they'll always spunk someone elses money up against the wall.

[Incognito]

Balls. Here's the reason why the countries in a right mess.

Best quote:




New Labour, Old Labour, both the same, they'll always spunk someone elses money up against the wall.

country is

[TimberWolf]

Best quote:

with the national debt more than doubling since 1992

Is that doubling in real terms? E.g. If inflation were 5% a year over 16 year period, that debt would have more than doubled in unreal terms.

[expat]

... unlike the French (who, you may recall, did not bankrupt themselves winning the war; they let others do that)...

We didn't bankrupt purselves winning the war, we did that afterwards, pretending still to have an empire.