Maggie was right

[DodgyAgent]

"possessive individualism"

The word "possessive" was tacked on by the left horrified at the thought that working class people may enter their social realm.

[AtW]

The word "possessive" was tacked on by the left horrified at the thought that working class people may enter their social realm.

Would you describe yourself as a working class person?

[DodgyAgent]

Would you describe yourself as a working class person?

No

[BA to the Stars]

Would you describe yourself as a working person?

FTFY


An agent?

[Walsingham]

Here's that part of Maggie's quote:

"I think we've been through a period where too many people have been given to understand that if they have a problem, it's the government's job to cope with it. "I have a problem, I'll get a grant." "I'm homeless, the government must house me." They're casting their problem on society. And, you know, there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first. It's our duty to look after ourselves and then, also to look after our neighbour. People have got the entitlements too much in mind, without the obligations. There's no such thing as entitlement, unless someone has first met an obligation."

Bit ambivalent about Thatcherism myself - loathed it at the time but don't know quite what to make of it now. Considering the size of today's welfare bill and the taxes we all have to fund to pay for it I'm not sure how she can be blamed for creating an "uncaring society". We all care financially for many others, whether we want to or not.

[Sysman]

Four candles. FFS.

FTFY

[Sysman]

in MY utopia, the fckr would be on a train with NO door handles on a mobius loop

I used to know the mathematics of a Möbius loop. *

Draw a straight line down the middle and you do get back to where you started, but it takes twice as long. Bit like this thread really.


* and never realised, not even once, that Möbius sported an umlaut.

[DodgyAgent]

Here's that part of Maggie's quote:

"I think we've been through a period where too many people have been given to understand that if they have a problem, it's the government's job to cope with it. "I have a problem, I'll get a grant." "I'm homeless, the government must house me." They're casting their problem on society. And, you know, there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first. It's our duty to look after ourselves and then, also to look after our neighbour. People have got the entitlements too much in mind, without the obligations. There's no such thing as entitlement, unless someone has first met an obligation."

Bit ambivalent about Thatcherism myself - loathed it at the time but don't know quite what to make of it now. Considering the size of today's welfare bill and the taxes we all have to fund to pay for it I'm not sure how she can be blamed for creating an "uncaring society". We all care financially for many others, whether we want to or not.

I will add that this so called "care" (paying people to not work) does the people themselves no good whatsoever. The only people it serves are guilt ridden liberals who make themselves feel better by supporting this false notion of "care" (manifested by voting for labour) and those who work in and administer welfare.

We all know at least someone who through no fault of their own cannot work (illness/old age) and cannot get the state help that they genuinely need because most of the money is being squandered on the welfare industry.

[Churchill]

In Soviet Utopia train stand still, Imperialist world move beneath our wheels!

Ftfy!

[Tarquin Farquhar]

It is interesting that you believe that the state and the private sector are exactly the same in their functions within society.

No, I don't.

You also make the assumption that the right to strike carries no responsibility

No, I don't. Except insofar as I do not hold with the implications of this phrase "right to strike", which implies to me that people have to get permission for what they do. They don't, there is no power on earth that has the right to give permission. To forbid, when necessary and justified, OK, but that is not really the other side of the same coin.

And what exactly is wrong with being a property owner?

Nothing. What is disputable is the right or wrong of creating a large property-owning class not for the property-owning but for the politics and psychology that goes with it, or is thought to go with it. It is worth commenting if 70% of the population have been made property owners not for the freedom that gives them but for the freedom that it takes away.

or is it one rule for you and another for the less well off?

No. I'm not sure that's two different classes anyway.