Margaret Thatcher dies

[Cykotic]

Right, so Margaret Thatcher died today and it's all over the news. Apparently, she died from a stroke at the age of 87. Right now, there are street parties in Brixton and Glasgow, there are people celebrating her death. I was born in the North East of England. I am Northerner through and through and damn proud of it. Margaret Thatcher ruined the North of this country and I don't think it will ever truly recover, no matter what anyone says. It is always a sad, horrible day when anyone dies and my sympathies go to her family, but myself and my family felt the result of her actions. I cannot and will not shed a tear, but I do not dance on her grave either. I didn't like the conservatives then, I do not like them now and she is everything they embodied. I'm sorry, but these are my personal opinions and If I have offended anyone, I am sorry and this wasn't my intention. I was just saying my mind.

[krakenslayer]

Right, so Margaret Thatcher died today and it's all over the news. Apparently, she died from a stroke at the age of 87. Right now, there are street parties in Brixton and Glasgow, there are people celebrating her death. I was born in the North East of England. I am Northerner through and through and damn proud of it. Margaret Thatcher ruined the North of this country and I don't think it will ever truly recover, no matter what anyone says. It is always a sad, horrible day when anyone dies and my sympathies go to her family, but myself and my family felt the result of her actions. I cannot and will not shed a tear, but I do not dance on her grave either. I didn't like the conservatives then, I do not like them now and she is everything they embodied. I'm sorry, but these are my personal opinions and If I have offended anyone, I am sorry and this wasn't my intention. I was just saying my mind. Totally agree with the above. Where I live, the name Thatcher falls roughly between Stalin and Hitler in the league tables of reviled leaders. She has even entered our lexicon: a jobsworth traffic warden, for example, who takes pleasure in slapping people with tickets is just as likely to be called "Margaret bloody Thatcher" as they are "mini Hitler". It's a shame when anyone dies, and I feel for her the same sympathy I do for any human being whohas passed away. But she lived a long, prosperous and happy life, whilst thanks at least in part to her actions, many many others died in poverty.

[EvilNed]

A mangy little cunt, she was.

[shootemindehead]

No loss. Pity she didn't die in 1979.

[Danny]

Not a fan of her policies but she definitely made many ripples in terms of artistic freedom in the time period and onwards. The video nasty campaign made us take a hard look at our media and how we demonised sexuality but lauded gore and violence and people were not ready for the shot on shiteo combination of the two. Not a fan but media would be very different in this country without her choices.

[krakenslayer]

Not a fan of her policies but she definitely made many ripples in terms of artistic freedom in the time period and onwards. The video nasty campaign made us take a hard look at our media and how we demonised sexuality but lauded gore and violence and people were not ready for the shot on shiteo combination of the two. Not a fan but media would be very different in this country without her choices. So wait, are you saying the Video Nasties witch-hunt was, in some way, a positive outcome?

[Danny]

So wait, are you saying the Video Nasties witch-hunt was, in some way, a positive outcome? It forced people to talk about it. People who said "ban this sick filth" had to really deal with doing so and - in todays terms- unwittingly viral market for the films in the bootleg market and give them a much greater infamy and appeal to begin with. In turn it shined a light on what we actually considered "sick filth" to begin with. It took a long time, years and years in fact, but it lead to a lot of changes where things like nudity arent considered in the same vein as shooting someone in the head and having it pop like a melon. Case in point compare americas jackass in the 2000's with the uks dirty sanchez. Two very similar shows under very, very different censorship protocols. the witch hunts were bad, but it raised the issue and made us protest it in the name of art and free speech. If we hand't had it occur we might be dealing with a situation like america where only private networks like hbo and such can show anything remotely "adult" yet die hard is a bloody pg-13 in the cinema. Its all ripples in the pond at the end of the day, you dont have to agree with what someone did, but occasional bad acts can have the unforseen consequences that are actually for the better. id say this is a case of that but it took at least a decade and thats being generous.

[shootemindehead]

I can't say that the "video nasties" bill had any effect but a negative one Danny. I remember it well. I don't think it aided dialogue either. It just let Conservative gobshites have their day and gave windy politicians a bogus platform to make it look like they were doing something good for society...while miners were being charged by cavalry and nearly 4 million were stranded on the dole. The utter nonsense spewed forth by Grahame Bright, Mary Whitehouse and other wretched people of that ilk is remarkable in its inanity. I think that if left alone, the so called video nasties would have eventually faded into cult collector obscurity, like they kinda have and censorship laws would have relaxed out to where we are today anyway, but probably earlier. I'm old enough to remember not being able to get hold of a copy of 'Zombie Flesh Eaters', a film which I can buy on Blu-Ray now...from England. It was just bizarre. In short, it ddin't get anyone talking, it just provided a soapbox for the wrong people to stand on and talk bollocks.

[AcesandEights]

Well, this: Is still scarier than this: (and more stylish)

[Danny]

In short, it ddin't get anyone talking, it just provided a soapbox for the wrong people to stand on and talk bollocks. Exactly, and if they made a fool of themselves talking crap is not only discredits their accusations but drives people to buy the product to judge for themselves.

[shootemindehead]

Yeh, but unfortunately it didn't end at yap. Items got banned and people couldn't buy the products. That's the problem. If it was just fools making a show themselves, it would have been fine. But, these fools were actually calling the shots.

[krakenslayer]

Yeh, but unfortunately it didn't end at yap. Items got banned and people couldn't buy the products. That's the problem. If it was just fools making a show themselves, it would have been fine. But, these fools were actually calling the shots. Yeah, people were prosecuted, actually went to jail and received real criminal records (that still exist on their police file and will appear on enhanced disclosures for a lot of jobs) for selling "obscene materials" that you can now pick up in HMV for a fiver.

[Purge]

I don't know much about Maggy Thatch outside of the Iron Lady movie (is Meryl Streep, like, the best actress ever?) and the UK folk on the board would know her better, but I suspect she was your country's version of George W. Bush: a Neoconservative disguising herself as a Conservative. It's important to never get those two things confused.

[krisvds]

"Let's privatise her funeral. Put it out to competetive tender and accept the cheapest bid. It's what she would have wanted." Ken Loach.

[Neil]

I cannot and will not shed a tear, but I do not dance on her grave either. I didn't like the conservatives then, I do not like them now and she is everything they embodied. I'm sorry, but these are my personal opinions and If I have offended anyone, I am sorry and this wasn't my intention. I was just saying my mind. She got us out of the dire economic mess Labour had got us into in the 70s. She was just the right PM at the right time - Basically the Churchill of the 80s IMHO. - - - Updated - - - I don't know much about Maggy Thatch outside of the Iron Lady movie (is Meryl Streep, like, the best actress ever?) and the UK folk on the board would know her better, but I suspect she was your country's version of George W. Bush: a Neoconservative disguising herself as a Conservative. It's important to never get those two things confused. Comparing Thatcher to George W Bush is odd IMHO. Thatcher, very powerful character and highly driven towards her goals... Bush? - - - Updated - - - No loss. Pity she didn't die in 1979. Result = British ecomony in turmoil, unions running/destroying the country and most likely the Falklands given away. But let's not stop facts getting in the way of needless poor-taste spite. It's interesting that people who criticise her generally do so with personal insults rather than bringing an informed opinion to the table. - - - Updated - - - It's a shame when anyone dies, and I feel for her the same sympathy I do for any human being whohas passed away. But she lived a long, prosperous and happy life, whilst thanks at least in part to her actions, many many others died in poverty. Unfortunately when the conservatives inherited the country, we were in a total mess, in many ways thanks to labour... Much as we are now! Some tough steps had to be made to change the direction the country was headed in - Remember the crippling strikes of the 1970s? People suffering blackouts? No heating and lighting? Three day working weeks, so industry was idle 4 days a week! Hospitals closed all but to emergency cases! Some big changes were needed to save the country, and Thatcher thankfully did it! Now with the harsh reforms to sort the country out, unfortunately some suffered, but I suspect most would agree it was for the greater good. Without her reforms the country would have continued into an even worse mess! Spock had quite a nice little saying applicable to this...