The Bishop is right it is a mistake and a big one,
I am not happy that this funeral is being organised by people who could well fund the entire proceedings themselves from their own means, from voluntary donors and the Conservative party of which she was a major part.
So there should be no need for the voters/taxpayers to have to fund any of it unless they wanted to voluntary donate in some way to the event.

Slightly different situation though Kaz, surely you see that?

The private company idea was the best.

Margaret Thatcher's funeral - sponsored by Pringles

Blair is going - I hope he does not Want Another Fee for it.

He's already getting one, his security paid for by the taxpayer.

Yes but thats normal

I do see that,but I also see that we waste so much money on unnecessary things that this one wont make much of a difference and it will go ahead anyway,I don't think it needed to be done either they should have just had a quiet affair and let her go with some semblance of decency.

It shouldn't have to be. I think anyway.

To the bit in bold, I 100% agree, what this funeral will do will only leave more resentment towards her from those who already were hostile and long after this funeral too.
A quieter affair with even special services later could have likely not had a greater effect on resentment already there.

As you state, let her go with some, although I would have said much greater, semblance of decency in a quieter and more dignified way.

Seeing as this is meant to be a democracy, and this is a funeral funded by the public, would a vote as to who agreed with this have not been better?
My opinion now is this is a freak show.

But New Labour set all this up well before her death
as she kept having strokes. (Ref: Ch4News today)


So Your Anger should be at Blair /Brown

Fact

britain is not a democracy, its a constitutional monarchy, this totallt pervert sdemocracy. you cant have a proper democracy with a monarchy. as it stands because we have the monarchy , yet theyre powerless this makes the prime minister all powerful and in effect a king. as we see when our prime ministers get into power they can do anything they like even without running it through the cabinet. the whips and the power brokers, allied to self interest, ensure most if not all their crazy bills are passed. ps why hasnt labour spoken out agains this being funded by the state?

i think the blame can be shared equally

Police to arrest people who turn their backs on coffin? :S

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...?commentpage=2

Crushing democracy eh.... who is doing this now?

Fitting that the policing at her funeral will be as disgusting and over the top as it was as when she was alive and in power

Hang on they've seen sense...
Protesters planning to demonstrate along the route of Lady Thatcher's funeral procession have been given the go-ahead by police to turn their backs on the former prime minister's coffin as it makes its way through central London to St Paul's.

Scotland Yard has repeatedly asked people planning demonstrations to let them know in advance, warning that anyone causing "harassment, alarm or distress" could be arrested under section 5 of the Public Order Act.

But Rebecca Lush Blum, 41, from Hampshire, who has set up a Facebook event calling on people to turn their back on the funeral procession, said she had spoken to the police and had been reassured that her protest could go ahead near the Royal Courts of Justice.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...testers-police

Vicky they should not be there
if they want to be rude.


For Feck Sake its a Funeral

you are getting as bad as Kizzy, sadly.

This article is very fitting and I understand totally what this guy means here...


Margaret Thatcher never liked her country

Thatcher may have draped herself in the flag, but she didn't understand what really made Britain great

''There is nothing more subversive than a definition of happiness, a vision of how things could be better. Thatcher, of course, dismissed the very idea that politics could make things better. We would not build Jerusalem; we would deregulate our green and pleasant land and hope the markets would build it for us. This diminished view of politics is the most potent part of her legacy. We are facing a housing crisis. Are we going to build houses? No, we're going to stimulate the market, even though we now know the market is run by skanks and jackasses. This distrust of the state is something which she imported from America. It's not British.

The British have many happy memories of state intervention. It was the state that won the war, the state that founded the NHS and gave us free milk when we were little. We have always believed in the possibility of Jerusalem. It's there in Milton, Blake, GK Chesterton and Oliver Postgate. There's a thread of purpose that runs through our finest moments – the abolition of the slave trade, the winning of votes for women, the defeat of Hitler – a desire to be not just more prosperous but better, to be more equal, more sharing, more accepting of difference, to have fun. It's in all the temporary Utopias we build for ourselves – the well-run caravan site, the Notting Hill carnival, the village fete and Glastonbury.''
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...ed-her-country

What do you mean by that,
What exactly is it you disike about my view arista?

I just think you are going the wrong way about this.
Its a Funeral
Not a Demo

I just think its ridiculous to arrest people for that.

Although it appears not now so I am happy.

Everyone has a right to be there, considering we are paying for it. Personally I wouldnt go to a funeral to disrespect the dead. But given the amount of people she pissed off..I can kinda understand it. I think some are using this as a protest to the new tory policies too...not just Thatcher.

I don't think most people doing it are even that politically aware. It's a lot like the occupy movement i think most people are just there cause it's something to do and it's "cool". hipsters.

you'll hear a lot of catch phrases and buzz words, but actually press most of those people for an intelligent debate, and you'll be disappointed.

I think i will just wait until it all dies down before i smear dog crap on her headstone theres no rush.

again youre generalizing wrongly about people you know virtually nothing about. youre also tarring everyone with the same brush which is rather bigotted of you perhaps youd rather go out and shoot them for protesting?