a £3 million funeral !!!!

[golach]

Maggie Thatcher to have a £3 million State Funeral!!!!!!! Surely not!!!! The country is in dire straights as it is, without spending this much on the woman.
This is the woman, who sent hundreds of Royal Naval personnel to the Falklands, with redundancy notices in their pockets, I wonder how many paid the ultimate price down there, and never came back to collect their redundancy.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/07/14/margaret-thatcher-to-have-3million-state-funeral-89520-20642963/

[percy toboggan]

Poor woman is still very much alive.
However...when she dies get he rin the ground with a minimum of fuss.
She divided a nation...as many will spit on her grave as say she should be honoured by a state funeral.

I remember Winston Churchill's grand affair - just about - it was a huge, solemn affair on an even grander scale than the Althorp woman.

Would those dockside cranes bow in submission to Maggie's passing catafalque?...nope...and anyway...she managed to get rid of most of 'em!

Simply, Maggie doesn't deserve it. She'll be remembered by many , including myself (who detested her) as a firm, strong conviction politician...she managed to unite the nation for three months in 1982....but by others as a pariah for all that is / was worth celebrating in Britain.

The division a state funeral would cause will serve little, if any purpose...the nation is polarised enough as it is.

[EDDIE]

Maggie Thatcher to have a £3 million State Funeral!!!!!!! Surely not!!!! The country is in dire straights as it is, without spending this much on the woman.
This is the woman, who sent hundreds of Royal Naval personnel to the Falklands, with redundancy notices in their pockets, I wonder how many paid the ultimate price down there, and never came back to collect their redundancy.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/07/14/margaret-thatcher-to-have-3million-state-funeral-89520-20642963/

Falklands belongs to britain she was quite right to go to war not only that its the will of the people to stay british.A state funeral for a former prime minister i agree with

[golach]

Falklands belongs to britain she was quite right to go to war not only that its the will of the people to stay british.A state funeral for a former prime minister i agree with
Did we have a State Funeral for Anthony Eden, Edward Heath or Harold Wilson? No, then why her?
Remember she was the PM who imposed the Poll Tax on Scotland before she tried it in England.

[silverfox57]

Did we have a State Funeral for Anthony Eden, Edward Heath or Harold Wilson? No, then why her?
Remember she was the PM how imposed the Poll Tax on Scotland before she tried it in England.
will they gave tony Blair a state funeral,as pm who took us to war in Iraq.

[teenybash]

Looks as if we, the tax payer, will be paying till the bitter end....it is wrong. Money would be better spent on policing, education or the NHS. [disgust]

[bobandag16]

Maggie Thatcher to have a £3 million State Funeral!!!!!!! Surely not!!!! The country is in dire straights as it is, without spending this much on the woman.
This is the woman, who sent hundreds of Royal Naval personnel to the Falklands, with redundancy notices in their pockets, I wonder how many paid the ultimate price down there, and never came back to collect their redundancy.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/07/14/margaret-thatcher-to-have-3million-state-funeral-89520-20642963/
she gave me 25 p on my pension at age 80 hope my furneral does not cost as much

[EDDIE]

Did we have a State Funeral for Anthony Eden, Edward Heath or Harold Wilson? No, then why her?
Remember she was the PM who imposed the Poll Tax on Scotland before she tried it in England.

Poll tax was actuall quite right but the means to collect it was all wrong look at what the first minister is trying to do abolish council tax and add 3p for every pound on your taxes from your wages its the exact same thing as poll tax when u think about it just worded differntly and a better means of collecting.
If u think about sensibily everyone working over a certain age should have to pay tax towards your local council because we all use the services one way or the other why should the owner of a working class family in 3 bedroomed house have to pay silly money for council tax when there is another working adult living with a family or sharing a flat with someone paying zero towards local council tax for using the same services doesnt make sense

[Kenn]

Absolute waste of money but then has The Mirror got it's facts right or are they just trying to stir things up?

[EDDIE]

Absolute waste of money but then has The Mirror got it's facts right or are they just trying to stir things up?

totally agree they probably havent got there facts right and i think as well a wonder if maggie thatcher wants a state funeral or has she no choice in the matter

[Kevin Milkins]

£3 million pounds would sound like good value for money for a funeral for Mr Brown.
Soon.

PS I dont remember Ted Heath popping his cloggs. When did that happen?

[golach]

PS I dont remember Ted Heath popping his cloggs. When did that happen?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2005/jul/18/guardianobituaries.conservatives

[golach]

Absolute waste of money but then has The Mirror got it's facts right or are they just trying to stir things up?

Lizz, this was being discussed away back in 2006

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-399865/Will-Maggies-passing-merit-state-funeral.html

[Melancholy Man]

I'm inclined to think that this is another attempt by the Brown to be masterful and decisive, only to come across as issuing yet another fiat. The man who snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.


Remember she was the PM who imposed the Poll Tax on Scotland before she tried it in England.

There's no denying that the PT/CC was implemented first in Scotland (just as Tony Blair was the PM at the time of the Iraq War), but it was always to be brought to England and Wales the next year. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and the separate status of Scotland within the UK made it easier. It was no more iniquitous for this.

Just as the men who were dispatched to the Falkland Islands, inhabited by people who considered themselves British never mind not wanting to be under a fascist junta had originally joined for such an event (not absolving the state of any duty of care), and - not checking - would have been liable to be recalled for several years after leaving. From a purely practical point of view, without the war, another two years and the RN would have been at the level of Belgium's.

[ywindythesecond]

A £3M state funeral nowadays is very small beer. I expect Maggie will be offended.
I remember the three day week when the unions were trying to gain supremacy. I had great respect for Edward Heath standing up to them but he made two errors. One, he cut off TV at 10pm, and two he called an election. (Anyone who wants to know what the three day week was please pm me, but I suspect that a large percentage of orgers know what I am talking about)
These mistakes set the country back years. Who remembers the "Winter of Discontent" ? Barbara Castle's "In place of Strife" under labour?
I remember the bins in Glasgow not being emptied for weeks.
When Margaret Thatcher was elected it was with a mandate to sort this out and she did. She crushed the print unions and miners who were holding the country to ransom. There was damage, good mines were shut down, lots of people lost their jobs, but then there was stability for a long time, and confidence which led to a major upsurge in the economy.
It doesn't matter how good a politician is. He/she has his time. People forget. Younger people don't know what went before. Maggie's time came.
In my opinion, Arthur Scargill forced the demise of coal mining in the UK, not Maggie Thatcher.

[Melancholy Man]

In my opinion, Arthur Scargill forced the demise of coal mining in the UK, not Maggie Thatcher.

Oh, she played no small part, but the NUM could at least have balloted its members. And realized that there was another source of energy being extracted from the North Sea.

[Kevin Milkins]

Oh, she played no small part, but the NUM could at least have balloted its members. And realized that there was another source of energy being extracted from the North Sea.

If Scargill had balloted the miners we would proberbly have voted to strike anyway.
The fact that it was done in an undemocratic way and we were brought out on strike without a vote led to a devide within the union which proved fatal to the strike effort and the long term future of the coal mining industry.
It has always been my opinion that Scargill and Thatcher had struck a back handed deal.

[Melancholy Man]

I recall Ricky Tomlinson being shocked sideways to discover that a close colleague had been a mole (and would not raise any eyebrows at MI5 having being interested in Soviet-inclined TUers as they now are in Islamist-inclined bodies), but surely Scargill is stretching things? Even discounting the one about Bulgaria - if that's socialism, you can keep it - his statements have been consistently those of a pugilistic and unrepentant Marxist and, in the context of 84/5, fancying himself as repeating the hamstringing of the Heath government.

As you say, youse would have come out on strike with a ballot, what divisions were there? As there were divisions, how would a ballot have repressed them? Could it not be that the strike fell because of Government efforts (hardly surprising), but also internal conflicts with leaders thinking they were the vanguards of the revolution as much as some drafted-in police thought they were refighting Galtieri?

[loobyloo]

Thatcher left behind some legacy, elements of which still resound in our society today: primarily, the lack of a social conscience. She made it okay to despise poor/vulnerable members of society and the 'I'm alright Jack' attitude that now permeates our society.
I agree with Percy: get her in the ground as quickly as possible. I won't be shedding any tears.

[brokencross]

I don't know if she warrants a state funeral but I agree with ywindythesecond regarding her stance against some unions abuse of their position of power.
I dread to think what condition the country would be in now if the unions continued to wield the power they had.

I realise unions are necessary to protect workers rights, but they are not there to dictate policy to Government. Tony Blair's Labour Government would not have been so "successful" if he had to contend with unbridled union power.

[Valerie Campbell]

I don't think she should have a state funeral. She was a servant of the state, not the head of it.

[George Brims]

Perhaps the 3 million would be for crowd control and extra drainage, what with all the people queuing up to relieve themselves on her grave?

[Sporran]

In my opinion, Sir Winston Churchill very much deserved the grand state funeral that the Queen decreed for him. He was a great statesman and orator, and as Prime Minister during World War II, he led us to victory against the Axis powers. His speeches were a source of great inspiration to the British people and embattled Allied forces. Anyone who has listened to recordings of them will understand why. He was well loved and respected by everyone in our nation. As a child of primary school age, I remember watching his funeral "live" on black and white TV, and it was very impressive.

I do not think that Margaret Thatcher deserves such honours. During her 11 year tenure as Prime Minister, she incurred social unrest, industrial strife and high unemployment, as well as cuts in funding for higher education. We also have her to "thank" for the highly unpopular Poll Tax and a sharp rise in VAT. Many people would rather forget about the rule of the Iron Lady, and would like to bury unhappy memories of those times along with her. But certainly not at the cost of 3 million pounds! :eek: That would not make for good economics!

[rob murray]

In my opinion, Sir Winston Churchill very much deserved the grand state funeral that the Queen decreed for him. He was a great statesman and orator, and as Prime Minister during World War II, he led us to victory against the Axis powers. His speeches were a source of great inspiration to the British people and embattled Allied forces. Anyone who has listened to recordings of them will understand why. He was well loved and respected by everyone in our nation. As a child of primary school age, I remember watching his funeral "live" on black and white TV, and it was very impressive.

I do not think that Margaret Thatcher deserves such honours. During her 11 year tenure as Prime Minister, she incurred social unrest, industrial strife and high unemployment, as well as cuts in funding for higher education. We also have her to "thank" for the highly unpopular Poll Tax and a sharp rise in VAT. Many people would rather forget about the rule of the Iron Lady, and would like to bury unhappy memories of those times along with her. But certainly not at the cost of 3 million pounds! :eek: That would not make for good economics!

I barely mind seeing it as well, Churchill was a war leader in trhe greatest conflict every know and merited the state funeral. But...what is the difference between thatcher, major, blair, brown....they are all the same...Thatcher won the economic / political battle....all these other bozo's are re treading supply side economic based policiies.....a bag of lime each thats it !

[cazmanian_minx]

Did anyone catch Mock the Week last night? Frankie Boyle came out with the following:

"Three million quid would buy everyone in Scotland a shovel and we'd dig such a deep hole that we could deliver her to Satan personally!"

[domino]

That sort of money should never be spent on anyone. Irs obscene.

[loobyloo]

Did anyone catch Mock the Week last night? Frankie Boyle came out with the following:

"Three million quid would buy everyone in Scotland a shovel and we'd dig such a deep hole that we could deliver her to Satan personally!"

Brilliant, I love him.