Thatcher kicked the bucket.

[Ben Davis]

What makes you think that the "possitive things" outweigh the negative things?

Facts.

I have to disagree with you Tiberius. Here is an incomplete list of facts which go some way to explain why many of us fall on the side that does not regard her with anything other than odium…

1. She supported the retention of capital punishment
2. She destroyed the country's manufacturing industry
3. She voted against the relaxation of divorce laws
4. She abolished free milk for schoolchildren ("Margaret Thatcher, Milk Snatcher")
5. She supported deregulated, free market capitalism
6. She gained support from the National Front in the 1979 election by pandering to the fears of immigration
7. She gerrymandered local authorities by forcing through council house sales, at the same time preventing councils from spending the money they got for selling houses on building new houses (spending on social housing dropped by 67% in her premiership)
8. She was responsible for 3.6 million unemployed - the highest figure and the highest proportion of the workforce in history and three times the previous government. Massaging of the figures means that the real number was closer to 5 million
9. She ignored intelligence about Argentinian preparations for the invasion of the Falkland Islands and scrapped the only Royal Navy presence in the islands
10. The poll tax
11. She presided over the closure of 150 coal mines; we are now crippled by the cost of energy, having to import expensive coal from abroad
12. She compared her "fight" against the miners to the Falklands War
13. She privatised state monopolies, feeding the corporate greed culture
14. She introduced the gradual privatisation of the NHS
15. She introduced financial deregulation in a way that turned city institutions into avaricious money pits
16. She pioneered the unfailing adoration and unquestioning support of the USA
17. She allowed the US to place nuclear missiles on UK soil, under US control
18. Section 28
19. She opposed anti-apartheid sanctions against South Africa
20. She supported the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and sent the SAS to train their soldiers
21. She allowed the US to bomb Libya in 1986, against the wishes of more than 2/3 of the population
22. She opposed the reunification of Germany
23. She invented Quangos
24. She increased VAT from 8% to 17.5%
25. She had the lowest approval rating of any post-war Prime Minister
26. Her post-PM job? Consultant to Philip Morris tobacco at $250,000 a year, plus $50,000 per speech
27. The Al Yamamah contract
28. She opposed the indictment of Chile's General Pinochet
29. Social unrest under her leadership was higher than at any time since the General Strike
30. She presided over interest rates increasing to 15%
31. BSE
32. She presided over 2 million manufacturing job losses in the 79-81 recession
33. She opposed the inclusion of Eire in the Northern Ireland peace process
34. She supported sanctions-busting arms deals with South Africa
35. Cecil Parkinson, Alan Clark, David Mellor, Jeffrey Archer, Jonathan Aitkin
36. Crime rates doubled under Thatcher
37. Black Wednesday – Britain withdraws from the ERM and the pound is devalued. Cost to Britain - £3.5 billion; profit for George Soros - £1 billion
38. Poverty doubled while she opposed a minimum wage
39. She privatised public services, claiming at the time it would increase public ownership. Most are now owned either by foreign governments (EDF) or major investment houses. The profits don’t now accrue to the taxpayer, but to foreign or institutional shareholders.
40. She cut 75% of funding to museums, galleries and other sources of education
41. In the Thatcher years the top 10% of earners received almost 50% of the tax remissions
42. 21.9% inflation
43. The 'tax on heating' which led directly to the deaths of hundreds of pensioners
44. The treatment & criminalisation of protesters during the 84/85 miners' strike

[Something completely different]

I notice the Thatcher cultists won't bother confronting her support of Pinochet.

Nice to ignore the Thatcher hypocrisy.

Just like AT pretends Iran-Contra never existed.

But hey, we can always vent about those low wage teachers and their evil unions...

Absolutly! And not only Thatcher! Some of the most celebrated European politicians supported Pinocet.

Bruno Kreisky, the socialist chancelor of Austria and hero to the european left actualy sold arms to him.

I personaly think that alot of european nations own Chila at least an appology if not financial reperations.

And the hypocracy of critizising the Societ Unions human rights record whilest befriending a slaughterer and torchurer of thousands speaks for records.

And it is pittyfull that when you confront Thatcher supporters with that, instead of an explaination, counterargument or justification - Mister Agenda simply posts a critizism of your wording to not potentialy damage his Agenda.

[Tiberius]

I'm going to politely withdraw from this "debate", not because I feel my position is threatened (that would be laughable), but because it is clear to me that The Germans are coming is more interesting in ranting than he is in actual debate. The size of his posts is getting ridiculous, and I don't have hours to waste responding to them only to have him pick apart my words, ignore sources I post which support my position, and insult me over and over again.

If that's how you want to play the game Germans, fine, but don't expect any responses. I asked you to be civil; you seem to have refused.

On top of that:

1) You cannot type in English. Seriously, I know you're German, but if you want to be a member of an English speaking forum, learn the fucking language. Your sentences often make no sense and/or contained at least one or more misspelled words. I know this isn't impossible for Germans, as I am friends with a few of them, and they seem to have no trouble typing in English (even on German keyboards).

2) Excessive use of the following symbols at the end of sentences is not a positive indicator of good debate form: ! ? .

3) Stop being so fucking angry. You get riled up so easily, and with that you get distracted and make ridiculous points which only lets your opponent point out their ridiculous nature, such as you stating that us trading with Saudi Arabia means we support their regime, and in your recent post, that economic sanctions on North Korea has "weakend their military capacities and lowerd their capabilities to create havok". Have you even looked at the news recently? Creating havok with their overpowered military is what they have been doing for weeks now. By the way, it's "weakened" and "lowered".

With that said, good day.

[Autumnlicious]

Admittedly, most of TGAC's English mistakes could be caught with a spellchecker in the browser.

---

I notice the Thatcher cultists won't bother confronting her support of Pinochet.

Nice to ignore the Thatcher hypocrisy.

Just like AT pretends Iran-Contra never existed.

But hey, we can always vent about those low wage teachers and their evil unions...

Um, a lack of an attempt to refute her support of Pinochet is also consistent with your opposition not being cultists, and therefore seeing no reason to try to defend her where she was wrong.

I got what I wanted - something other than glowing admiration.

As long as you accept the flaws, damning or not, I don't begrudge you anything.

I merely find admiration without measured stances on one's flaws to be very irritating.

[Shell B]

Just to clear something up, our problem with Cuba was during the Cold War and it was Russia that was the problem, as far as weaponry was concerned. Cuba was not the issue . . . ever. The only thing they did was allow Russia to set up missiles on Cuban soil. Therefore, your point is retarded.

As for Japan, it had nothing to do with the oil embargo. They bombed Pearl Harbor after the trade embargoes were put in place and then fought the U.S. for several years before we bombed them with nukes. Your point about embargoes is dead in the water, unless you have better examples.

Now, before you get all angry, you stilted motherfucker, know that I am just pointing out factual errors. The above are known facts. You're just going to have to deal with it.

As for you calling Tiberius a disgusting person, that's charming coming from you. Racism is a very bad thing and he knows that. You are an elitist, absolutist piece of shit and you should be ashamed of yourself for not trying to think things through rather than flipping the fuck out like a child and posting long diatribes of grammatically retarded shit that isn't fit for me to wipe my ass with. Go fuck yourself.

[Something completely different]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZlDZPYzfm4

Admittedly, most of TGAC's English mistakes could be caught with a spellchecker in the browser.

Most pages I visit are in German.

And I dont care.

And most people actualy dont care.

Those who remind me of grammer and spelling mistakes are almoust always those who are simply out to annoy me, and if they are not I realise and I am actualy greatfull if it is mentioned to me.

[Shell B]

It's not your spelling that bothers me. It is your word usage errors and your shitty attitude.

[Something completely different]

The contents of this message are hidden because Shell B is on your ignore list.

I am sorry. I should have left you a note that I am not the punching bag which is here to solve the problems resulting out of your midlife crisis.

Like with any other bully out there whos only purpose it is to enjoy herself or himself at the expense of others, I am better off without you.

[Tiberius]

if they are not I realise and I am actualy greatfull if it is mentioned to me.

In that case:

Most pages I visit are in German.

And I don't care.

And most people actually don't care.

Those who remind me of grammar and spelling mistakes are almost always those who are simply out to annoy me, and if they are not I realise and I am actually grateful if it is mentioned to me.

Spelling corrections in bold.

...and you should care; this is an English speaking forum. You should be able to write English properly. I don't think you have the statistics to back up your assertion that most people don't care. Just because I'm one of the first people to call you on it doesn't mean other people aren't thinking it.

[Shell B]

Good. I can call you an ugly fucking twat and you won't report me, you unibrowed piece of dog crap. Even funner.