[joeysteele]

No one wants the period 1978/9 back I am sure of that and really it couldn't return because of the laws now banning Union secondary picketing,that was a major part of the problem with strikes.

Just as, and some people seem to forget this one, no one wants the 3 day week,with also the endless power cuts that existed during the Conservative Govt of Ted Heath between 1970 and 1974. The winter of 1973/4 must have been as bad as 1978/9 and that was nothing to do with Labour, it was Ted Heath who failed to settle a deal that had that strike going on and on.

The Unions needed curbing but they acted against both Govts, Conservative and Labour, so it would seem fairly likely they didn't get from Labour what they wanted either when Labour was in Govt.

I groaned when I saw it was Finchley last night, another sort of tribute programme to her.
Ming Campbell had to keep saying he wasn't a supporter of Margaret Thatcher because all he was saying was looking like the opposite.
I found it a rather weak programme really which I expected once I saw where it was from anyway.

The only revealing thing was Ken Clarke stating he was surprised that Parliament had been recalled for the tribute,it was something he said that had never been done before so why was it?