[lostalex]

I always have CNN on in the backround, so I'm sure they will cover it.

I have to say She was before my time. So I don't have the same strong feelings for her as many of our older members do.

But i feel the same way as i felt about the Ronald Reagan funeral. I don't really remember him, i knew he was controversial, but i respected his service.

I supposse it will be similar when George W Bush dies.

He was just a man, and people seem to try to make certain people (like reagan,thatcher, blair, and bush) into icons, but to me they are just people.

[Jack_]

Well I personally think this gross adulation of the woman has gone too far, tax payers shouldn't be funding it, the state broadcaster shouldn't be censoring those who oppose her and PM's questions should not be cancelled

[Jack_]

And the chimes of Big Ben being stopped, forgot about that. Labour MP just mentioned it

[Jack_]

'This government is out of touch with the people out there'

Aint that the truth

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Jack_

Well I personally think this gross adulation of the woman has gone too far, tax payers shouldn't be funding it, the state broadcaster shouldn't be censoring those who oppose her and PM's questions should not be cancelled

Gross adulation?? lol, I think you mean gross demonization.

[Jack_]

LOL as if all of this is her being demonised

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Jack_

LOL as if all of this is her being demonised

you really don't think she's being demonized at all? so calling her a witch, you don't think that's demonization?

[Jack_]

Yeah, I was referring to the government and media's gross adulation which is being imposed upon us with these excessive plans for her funeral (I thought I made that clear in the post you quoted), not anyone else's view or how they're treating her...

All we're hearing is endless praise for the woman as if we're all supposed to put up and shut up, the 'demonisation' is being silenced by those in power if anything

[AnnieK]

It will be interesting to see how any demonstrations are handled tomorrow...

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by anniek76

It will be interesting to see how any demonstrations are handled tomorrow...

I hope it goes well. I think causing riots over a dead body would be pretty ****ing disgusting. But i'm sure if there are any disturbances, the rioters would still blame a dead woman for their bad behavior. the lack of calcium as children maybe will be the excuse. "Maggie stole my milk and made me act like a tit!"

[Z]

Meh, if people want to picket her funeral, they're perfectly entitled to do so, but I think it's disgusting when the Westboro Baptist Church do it and I think it's disgusting that people are doing it to Margaret Thatcher. Her family and friends ought to be able to grieve for her in peace, I think it's ridiculous the government are spending all this money on her and I think it's ridiculous that people are celebrating her death. Margaret Thatcher the public figure ceased to be when she had her first dramatic slip into Alzheimer's, that's all I have to say on the matter.

[lostalex]

If you believe that you live in a democracy then you cannot blame Thatcher for anything. If you believe that you live in a democracy then surely the entire parliament and by extention the entire peoples of the UK are responsible for everything. That is what a democracy is. She was no dictator, she was no communist Zsar. She was just one cog in the mechanism of democracy, and all of the people of the UK had a say in it.

To place blame on a leader in a democracy is like placing blame on a single molecule of water after a flood.

[Jack_]

The problem is is that I feel with every new element of the ceremony announced, it is fuelling the fire of those planning to demonstrate and it wouldn't surprise me if this has almost been done deliberately to score further political points out of the inevitable bashing the press are going to give them. I certainly expected demonstrations, celebrations and great divide when she died but I did not for a second expect that the funeral of an old woman and highly divisive PM would be hijacked by her former party for political purposes. This has turned into nothing more than an enforced idolisation of this woman and her ideologies that live on and are not at all part of the past, and not only do I think it has gone way too far, I actually think it's quite disrespectful to her when she didn't seem to request a lot of what is planned anyway.

[Z]

Originally Posted by lostalex

If you believe that you live in a democracy then you cannot blame Thatcher for anything. If you believe that you live in a democracy then surely the entire parliament and by extention the entire peoples are responsible for everything. That is what a democracy is. She was no dictator, she was no communist Zsar. She was just one cog in the mechanism of democracy, and all of the people of the UK had a say in it.

To place blame on a leader in a democracy is like placing blame on a single molecule of water after a flood.

I agree with the general point you're making but I don't think that's necessarily true of Britain (or America, though it's not what we're discussing) because I think the First Past The Post style of voting is deeply flawed, there are lots of cases in Britain where the winning party didn't even have the majority of the electorate's votes, they just had the greatest percentage, e.g. a party could win with 40% of the votes with the other 60% being split up between different parties - you end up with a government that less than half the people wanted.

Margaret Thatcher was a strong leader at a time when Britain needed a strong leader. I think Britain's overdue a strong leader. The last one we had was Tony Blair and I don't think it'll be long before we see another strong candidate rise up from the back benches and take up the mantle. The Prime Minister represents the country and as such is liable for the pitfalls of their government. You can blame Thatcher for what she did, but you can't blame her for being in control of a system that existed before and after her time.

[lostalex]

It's my understanding that she wasn't even of sound mind in the past few years. She was a fragile old woman who certainly worked harder in a decade of leadership being prime minister than the Queen as in her entire lifetime. And unlike the Queen, Thatcher was chosen by the PEOPLE.

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Zee

Margaret Thatcher was a strong leader at a time when Britain needed a strong leader. I think Britain's overdue a strong leader. The last one we had was Tony Blair and I don't think it'll be long before we see another strong candidate rise up from the back benches and take up the mantle. The Prime Minister represents the country and as such is liable for the pitfalls of their government. You can blame Thatcher for what she did, but you can't blame her for being in control of a system that existed before and after her time.

wise words. i agree.

[Brother Leon]

Gonna give TV a skip tomorrow tbh. No way am I going to watch hours of Thatcher bum licking. If **** kicks off I'll get some popcorn and watch though.

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Brother Leon

Gonna give TV a skip tomorrow tbh. No way am I going to watch hours of Thatcher bum licking. If **** kicks off I'll get some popcorn and watch though.

and you feel no shame in admitting that at all?
you do realize how SADISTIC that sounds right?

I can't be bothered with honoring a public servant of my country, but if things get messy, I'll be happy to watch the riots!

Stay classy dude.

[Josy]

Alex seriously, this woman has always caused a massive divide in opinions so I don't see why you feel the need to try to vilify anyone that has a negative attitude about her or this carnival show of a funeral?

I also wont be turning on my tv to listen to all the bull**** tomorrow, and if anything does happen at the protests (which btw I don't agree with in any way but people are entitled to protest of they want to) then the media and everyone else that is shoving this funeral down the publics throat should share some of the blame, it's actually as if they are trying to provoke people.

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Josy

Alex seriously, this woman has always caused a massive divide in opinions so I don't see why you feel the need to try to vilify anyone that has a negative attitude about her or this carnival show of a funeral?

I also wont be turning on my tv to listen to all the bull**** tomorrow, and if anything does happen at the protests (which btw I don't agree with in any way but people are entitled to protest of they want to) then the media and everyone else that is shoving this funeral down the publics throat should share some of the blame, it's actually as if they are trying to provoke people.

if you choose to not watch the ceremony, fine. that's vastly different than saying you'd happily watch some riots though.

[Josy]

Originally Posted by lostalex

if you choose to not watch the ceremony, fine. that's vastly different than saying you'd happily watch some riots though.

But the truth is if people hear that theres riots tomorrow they more than likely will turn the tv on to watch it.

[Brother Leon]

Originally Posted by lostalex

and you feel no shame in admitting that at all?
you do realize how SADISTIC that sounds right?

I can't be bothered with honoring a public servant of my country, but if things get messy, I'll be happy to watch the riots!

Stay classy dude.

Honestly? I feel no shame what so ever. Never had respect for her and that won't change just because she's passed away tbh. I'll tune in if it goes to ****, because that would at least be worth watching and far more important/worthy of TV Air time rather than the funeral and tributes for me.

[lostalex]

Well i hope there are no riots. Even if it does disappoint Leon.

[Brother Leon]

Show me where I said I want riots? I just said I'll watch it as that would actually be of some importance for me. The funeral and Thatcher in general won't be.

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Brother Leon

Show me where I said I want riots? I just said I'll watch it as that would actually be of some importance for me. The funeral and Thatcher in general won't be.

well you said you'd pull out some popcorn to watch it. maybe taking out popcorn means something else in the UK... is popcorn some sort of rhyming slang that i don't get? cause i thought it meant you'd enjoy sitting down for a night of entertainment. like a movie.