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Post by cliftonestate on Apr 9, 2013 14:23:10 GMT
Great leader or Total Arsehole?
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Post by jill on Apr 9, 2013 15:35:23 GMT
Yesterday, I actually laughed at a Frankie Boyle joke! 'Finally, I get to wear my black suit and tap shoes together' ;D
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Post by Dave on Apr 9, 2013 15:59:41 GMT
I grew up with nothing but Thatcher throughout my childhood. I definitely recall asking my parents if a man can be prime minister.
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Post by jill on Apr 9, 2013 16:54:00 GMT
I grew up with nothing but Thatcher throughout my childhood. When she was ousted in 1990, I was at NTU (at Clifton, Clifton). All the staff headed straight for the staff room and an impromptu piss up, but lots of the 18-21 year old students were moping around all depressed. Nothing to do with her politics-very unreflective on that score-but more a weird sense of loss since she had been a towering presence throughout their childhood/youth. The reaction yesterday was revealing-polarised opinions and pretty bitter, at times nasty, sentiment on both sides. As it was then and, almost a quarter of a century after she bowed out of public life, as it is now. So, in terms of your question Clifton, that's the enduring legacy, I think. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/disunited-in-mourning-police-fear-thatcher-funeral-may-turn-into-security-nightmare-8566452.html |
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Post by Bill Edwards on Apr 9, 2013 20:39:09 GMT
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Post by GR on Apr 9, 2013 21:52:38 GMT
I thought Meryl Streep (who portrayedl of Maggie in The Iron Lady) made some pretty interesting comments: insidemovies.ew.com/2013/04/08/meryl-streep-on-margaret-thatcher/But yeah, as big a deal as it was for a woman to rise to power the way she did, I would think that her actual policies and their consequences would be hard for a lot of people to overlook. :-\ |
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Post by jill on Apr 10, 2013 9:06:48 GMT
Thatcher is reputed to have once said 'I hate feminism, it is poison.' She certainly didn't do anything to promote gender equality or social equality and social justice generally-quite the opposite. There has been debate over here about her symbolic importance as the first woman PM. Personally, I am pretty sceptical on that count too, given what she has come to symbolise for a huge chunk of the population. In terms of the gender politics surrounding her death, I thought this piece by Tracy Thorn (of Everything But the Girl fame) was spot on-agree with pretty much every point she makes: www.itv.com/news/2013-04-09/would-thatchers-death-be-seen-differently-if-she-was-a-man/ |
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Post by cliftonestate on Apr 10, 2013 15:40:24 GMT
She was a heartless arse-hole
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Post by jill on Apr 10, 2013 16:23:29 GMT
Unbelievable that Parliament should be recalled-the whole nation is obliged to pay homage despite the obvious division? Tried to watch a bit of it-interested in the 'no shows' and what Miliband would say-but had to switch off. It is bringing it all back and making me feel sort of traumatised.
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Post by GR on Apr 10, 2013 21:59:09 GMT
Thatcher is reputed to have once said 'I hate feminism, it is poison.' She certainly didn't do anything to promote gender equality or social equality and social justice generally-quite the opposite. There has been debate over here about her symbolic importance as the first woman PM. Personally, I am pretty sceptical on that count too, given what she has come to symbolise for a huge chunk of the population. In terms of the gender politics surrounding her death, I thought this piece by Tracy Thorn (of Everything But the Girl fame) was spot on-agree with pretty much every point she makes: www.itv.com/news/2013-04-09/would-thatchers-death-be-seen-differently-if-she-was-a-man/That was an excellent piece. In the true spirit of gender equality, I would agree that she should be criticized for her policies just as any male PM would (well, for the stuff within a Prime Minister's power, anyway) -- not getting a pass for breaking the "glass ceiling," nor getting more than her fair share of vitriol. |
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