Happy "Thatcher Out" day everyone

[DodgyAgent]

I'm not going to enter the whole Thatcher thing, but I will just point out that what you say here is demonstrably untrue. I started contracting before Margaret Thatcher became prime minister: under Sunny Jim Callaghan contracting was at least as well paid as under Thatcher.

There are many other things that could be said in Thatcher's favour, but creating the conditions for IT contractors' success is really not one of them.

There indeed was contracting pre Thatcher but the deregulation and denationalisation of the power, finance industries created huge numbers of contractor opportunities that would not have been created had she not come to power.

[original PM]

There indeed was contracting pre Thatcher but the deregulation and denationalisation of the power, finance industries created huge numbers of contractor opportunities that would not have been created had she not come to power.

would that be due to a removal of unions power which meant that companies could become profitable rather than existing just to give the shop stewards mates a job?

or not (I was young at the time!)

[DodgyAgent]

would that be due to a removal of unions power which meant that companies could become profitable rather than existing just to give the shop stewards mates a job?

or not (I was young at the time!)

Absolutely,

The banks spent fortunes on integration projects with other financial services companies as well as on trading systems. Insurance companies were free to sell products and services to the private sector so they implemented huge mainframe systems to produce and manage quotes and commission schemes. The 1998 electricity deregulation yielded huge numbers of contract vacancies. If it was'nt for Thatcher we would still be manufacturing bits for Standard motor cars and contractors would be shovelling coal into furnaces whilst we agents would have been trying to shift dodgy motors.

[original PM]

Hmm so we have thatcher to blame for you then Dodgy??

[DodgyAgent]

Hmm so we have thatcher to blame for you then Dodgy??

[OwlHoot]

21 years to the day since the evil old witch was ousted. Time to get rid of her bastard offspring and his snivelling lackey.

Mind you, Millibean doesn't fill me with a whole lot of confidence either. Time for a Blair comeback perhaps?

Alf, I bet you saw but deliberately avoided reading the following recent Guardian article:

Why the Left Should Love Margaret Thatcher

edit: Oh, it doesn't seem to be the Guardian after all. Well it's probably worth a read anyway.

[Old Greg]

I'm not going to enter the whole Thatcher thing

That's Dodgy's job.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Absolutely,

If it was'nt for Thatcher we would still be manufacturing whilst we agents would have been trying to shift dodgy motors.

I think I got the gist of that...

[DodgyAgent]

I think I got the gist of that...

Have you had a long hard look at what you earn?

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Have you had a long hard look at what you earn?

Of course I have. As you know I find it pityable that what I earn is the only significant factor you consider when you are telling me what opinions I have a right to.