badgerx16

"The dignity of the individual and the demands of justice require, particularly today, that economic choices do not cause disparities in wealth to increase in an excessive and morally unacceptable manner.." "...it must be borne in mind that grave imbalances are produced when economic action, conceived merely as an engine for wealth creation, is detached from political action, conceived as a means for pursuing justice through redistribution." Pope Benedict XVI ( HTH )

That improves my opinion of him.

"Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope." I make that 0 / 4 on the retrospective scorecard.

For those asking how she got re-elected if her policies were so bad, this is the political map after the 1983 poll : And after the 1987 one : I think there is probably a clear correlation between the economic impact of the Government and pattern of voting.

1) 2) Friends in high places ? 4 weeks after we get an Argie for Pope.....

All the 'pundits' say it was a good challenge, other than thie quote in the OP I am struggling to find any news outlet that agrees with ALF - who cares about being top of the NPC last season, we beat them, are staying up, and he's a sore loser.

Que ???

There will always be 'winners' and 'losers' - the problem with Thatcher's Government, as with the current shambles, was/is the perception that a change in taxation is shifting the burden towards the less well off.

Have you ever seen Brassed Off ? A very thinly disguised tale of the closure of Grimethorpe Colliery. The facts about their economic status were ignored by effectively bribing the men to vote for redundancy. ( And whilst Major may have pulled the trigger, Thatcher loaded the gun ).

Rather than simply fling insults, this is the opposing perspective : "Protesters complained that the tax shifted from the estimated price of a house to the number of people living in it, with the effect of shifting the tax burden from the rich to the poor. Owner-occupiers paid because they could not hide; for those in the expensive properties it cost less than rates had but for many it cost more; some renters did not pay, knowing they would be long gone when the bills arrived. Councils of towns with highly mobile populations, such as university towns, were faced with big store rooms of un-processed "gone-aways". The initial register was greatly irregular. It was based on the rates register for "owned" houses with lots of other unreliable data such as housing benefit recipients. The big collection issue was the 20%/100% split. People in employment had to pay 100%, students and the registered unemployed paid 20%. The nature of the shared house market meant that not even the landlord knew exactly who was living there; tenants were replaced, and may have shared a "single" room with their partner. So the local council had no idea who was living where and when. "

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/coal-mines-named-for-closure-were-profitable-1559633.html ( from 1992 ) "John T Boyd, a firm of American mining specialists hired by the corporation last year, named Parkside, Trentham, Betws, Grimethorpe and Houghton Main as collieries that were commercially viable"

Indeed, short term political opportunism leaving a long term economic problem : "Currently 30% of the electricity we use is generated from coal-fired power stations..." "...70% of the coal used to generate the nation’s energy is imported from places such as Russia, South Africa and Colombia" ( http://www.ukcoal.com/why-coal/need-for-coal/the-need-for-coal )

Well, one thing that this thread has finally put to rest - Barry Sanchez is most definitely NOT Dune !

Neil Kinnock in a recorded interview just played on the BBC : "Arthur Scargill, the strategic genius responsible for Margaret Thatcher"

No, that's Sheffield

Agreed. ( Also with Pugwash's post ) I think many people's perspectives will be coloured by where they lived through the 80s, 'north' or 'south' - I wouldn't think there's much mourning going on in Barnsley this afternoon. However, 'celebrating' the death of somebody is something that should be limited to a very select few - Hitler or Saddam Hussein perhaps.

"Downing Street said Lady Thatcher would be accorded the same status of funeral as the Queen Mother and Princess Diana" That would be the best thing she ever did for me, if we got a day off.

"This woman is headstrong, obstinate and dangerously self-opinionated." ( Report on Margaret Roberts by the ICI Personnel Department, rejecting her job application ) "Margaret Thatcher was beyond argument a great Prime Minister. Her tragedy is that she may be remembered less for the brilliance of her many achievements than for the recklessness with which she later sought to impose her own increasingly uncompromising views." ( Geoffrey Howe ) "I was frequently embarrassed by the way Margaret conducted herself within the European Community. Her tactics were counter-productive and damaging to the UK's interests. On most issues her approach was foolish. Her style and tone of voice came to irk the others so much that they instinctively sank their differences and joined forces against her" ( Nigel Lawson )

20 minutes away at Accrington in the League, after Stuart Nelson was sent off, ( Beatts scored the penalty past him ). He then played in the following match, an FA Cup defeat to Preston NE.

Tea, black, one sugar.

So, is the Daily Mail correct ? Is he a 'Vile product' of the benefits system, or just a sick, self-centered, bastard ?

Away at Brentford and home to Sheff Utd are 2 they'll struggle to get a point from. :)

Fulham win please. There are enough teams in the mix already for 18th place, with Sunderland or Villa looking favourites. ( Please, please, Saints, don't c()ck up at Reading ). I want QPR down as soon as possible.

I think the whole referendum is the wrong way round anyway - when Queen Elizabeth 1 died, King James of Scotland took the throne of England, so the Scots took control of England, not the other way round.

This.