"Margaret Thatcher lifted this country from its knees, put the "Great" back into Great Britain and saved us from living under the red flag. I, for one, have total admiration for her."- Chris, Staffs, 4/5/2011 9:40"--------------------------------------------Would that be the same Margaret Thatcher that destroyed the British manufacturing industry, that de regulated the banking industry, (look what a mess thats got us into) that oversaw the privatisation of ALL the utility companies who apart from BT are now all foreign owned. The same person that put very nearly four million people out of work. That squandered the North Sea oil and gas revenue by having to pay the dole money of the people she put out of work. Thatcher destroyed the mining industry putting whole communtities on the scrap heap, destroyed ship building etc. . Remember it was the Tories themselves that got rid of her.

- Fred Bloggs, Truro. UK, 04/5/2011 16:00

and you think this woman was marvelous, good grief, you lot had better get a mental check up, or are you the product of the Tory policy of Care in the community, which let nutters roam our streets? - John Gray, Washington, England, 4/5/2011 9:30>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Another ignorant solicalist ploy. If you disagree with someone, don't bother putting forward a cogent argument, just hurl insults. Yup, that about sums up socialist intelligence levels. It's why they expect everyone else to support them - they are incapable of supporting themselves.
- Bemused, West Sussex, 4/5/2011 9:58
Click to rate Rating 12

Many Tory supporters genuinely do care about manufacturing. More than some of the people in the last Labour government.

You can trace just about everything to her. But I think Blair and Brown will cop it more than her over that. With some justification, really. 17 years is a long time, and there was Brown's own regulatory system that didn't prevent it.

So we work harder, have more income inequality and are still poorer than our French and German counterparts - Thatcher really did leave us with an amazing legacy!!

- alex, london, 4/5/2011 1:10
Click to rate Rating 426

You can trace just about everything to her. But I think Blair and Brown will cop it more than her over that. With some justification, really. 17 years is a long time, and there was Brown's own regulatory system that didn't prevent it.

Well to be totally honest Blair in my view was a Tory, and there are plenty in my party with the same mindset as those years (Prospect for one), the thing is Council Tax sell off (without reinvestement in council housing) selling off of energy, privatisation of the railways (My particular bugbear) all came in those 17 years of Thatcher, Labour were never bold so never at it's best, it was boldest in the first term but even then they could have been bolder.

There's nothing wrong with working long hours as long as the benefits are there. Thatcher came into Downing Street with the promise of having three people chasing every job. She did this by putting thousands of well paid workers on the dole, chasing low payed, low skilled work only suitable for women and school leavers. Blair came to power and continued the Thatcher tradition. This time instead of using the unemployed to chase what low paid jobs that were on offer, he used foreign labour to keep the economy tied to a low waged low skilled workforce for foreign labour. The men who chased the jobs during Thatchers era were still chasing them after Blair and Brown had left.

- John, Wales, 4/5/2011 1:12 Click to rate Rating 373