Make Your choice of Political leader

[Paulatic]

I understand that for many people who lived in Mining towns etc, Thatcher was and is still seen as the devil. I grew up in a family whose parents were self employed and struggled to keep going when the power went out during the endless strikes of the 70's and 80's. Its a tough job trying to balance the books after a left wing party leaves the office......

Thatcher any day over Blair! What is it they say never talk about politics or religion.....

We all had power cuts not just the self employed.

Correct only if you need electric to turn the wheels of your business your stuck. Trying to hold the Country to ransom was never going to work and in the end it didn't matter.

Inconvenienced more then stuck but we found ways and generators to work around it. You must believe that Thatchers way to sort the mess was the right way. Maybe it was or maybe it wasn't but I just don't believe the price we paid, financially and socially was worth it.

[reohn2]

Inconvenienced more then stuck but we found ways and generators to work around it. You must believe that Thatchers way to sort the mess was the right way. Maybe it was or maybe it wasn't but I just don't believe the price we paid, financially and socially was worth it.

And are still paying.

It's often said the way to judge a society is by the way it treats the least fortunate,the powerless,the old and infirm within it.
Look around.
Add to that the sickness that espouses that you are what you have,Thatcherism hasn't gone away it's become the norm,helped along in part by Blair.

Then the clowns came in and now we are where we are,in shhh you know what street.

[hjd10]

We all had power cuts not just the self employed.

Correct only if you need electric to turn the wheels of your business your stuck. Trying to hold the Country to ransom was never going to work and in the end it didn't matter.

Inconvenienced more then stuck but we found ways and generators to work around it. You must believe that Thatchers way to sort the mess was the right way. Maybe it was or maybe it wasn't but I just don't believe the price we paid, financially and socially was worth it.

Big Unions trying to control the Country was partly to blame and then the Miners ended up feeling the brunt end of it. Now having spent a little time living in the States and seeing the difference in the politics there as compared to the UK, I'm further away from Labour than ever (We would have been Democrats in the States).
Labour like to throw money at problems, rather than actually try to fix the issues (NHS, Social System etc). They feel like a big government that just soaks away the cash and then leaves it to the next government lot to try and cleanup.
It is a balancing act to keep the system working, increase taxes too much and you end up with a brain drain. Increase benefits too much and you end up with people getting more money than those on the lowest wages. The Labour party of the past never got this balance right........

[mjr]

I understand that for many people who lived in mining towns etc, Thatcher was and is still seen as the devil. I grew up in a family whose parents were self employed and struggled to keep going when the power went out during the endless strikes of the 70's and 80's. Its a tough job trying to balance the books after a left wing party leaves the office......

What revisionist nonsense! It was the HEATH government which set a new record for the national deficit, which wasn't a left wing party government.

Heath lost power after calling an election where he asked voters to give him "clear authority". Sound familiar?

[hjd10]

I understand that for many people who lived in mining towns etc, Thatcher was and is still seen as the devil. I grew up in a family whose parents were self employed and struggled to keep going when the power went out during the endless strikes of the 70's and 80's. Its a tough job trying to balance the books after a left wing party leaves the office......

What revisionist nonsense! It was the HEATH government which set a new record for the national deficit, which wasn't a left wing party government.

Heath lost power after calling an election where he asked voters to give him "clear authority". Sound familiar?

Haha, remember those public sector strikes, massive union control and at the time a rising unemployment rate.

[Cyril Haearn]

Thatcher was the winner in two polls

Many many people loved her
Many many people hated her

Is May getting near that?

[ChrisOntLancs]

i just read (that somebody else just read) that tony blairs been telling people to vote tory. you know, maybe he's finally realised that the entire country from left to right hate the guy and would go to great lengths to defy him.

if that's the case i'll have a new found respect for the guy. this is him putting it right.

maybe.

[irc]

Thatcher was the winner in two polls

Three. 1979, 1983, and 1987 general elections.

[mercalia]

some words ryhme with Tony?

Phoney
Ballooney
Croony
looney
what are the others?

[reohn2]

some words ryhme with Tony?

Phoney
Ballooney
Croony
looney
what are the others?

The only one that rhymes well with Thatcher is milk snatcher.
Her husband Dennis was a big investor in the South African gold and diamond mining,ironically,where if you were a miner you'd most likely be Black,other than the managers and engineers,and where conditions and safety records were atrocious.
No wonder she was a supporter of Apartheid..........

[ChrisOntLancs]

some words ryhme with Tony?

Phoney
Ballooney
Croony
looney
what are the others?

we could run with "pony dare" on a post-watershed forum

[Cyril Haearn]

some words ryhme with Tony?

Phoney
Ballooney
Croony
looney
what are the others?

Tory

[landsurfer]

No choice ... Thatcher, Leader, or not .... ?!? .... or ..... BLIAR .... War Criminal and killer of British Troops .......

[Tangled Metal]

Thatcher! thatcher! Thatcher!

Personally I'm not from a mining area and never knew a miner. I have always been against the idea that a union or unions can try to hold a nation to ransom. A government is elected into power according to the election law and system. Unions do not have the mandate that a government has. So controversially for this forum I believe thatcher did good and evil with the miners but it reduced union influence.

Guess I'm going to get heavily criticised for this view by most people who regularly post on here.

Blair was the only Labour leader I've ever considered voting. Indeed I believe I voted for him in 1997. I stopped all thought of voting for him after Iraq. I believe Iraq needed UN cover but never had it so was wrong.

With hindsight I also resent his government's role in supporting USA with rendition, gitmo and other wrongs. Then the cupboards bare letter of one of his and Brown's guys. Not him but it's kind of his government's attitude.

Hey! Over to you guys to tell me how wrong opinion is and how I'm sooooo very nasty just like the tories.

[landsurfer]

Thatcher! thatcher! Thatcher!

Personally I'm not from a mining area and never knew a miner. I have always been against the idea that a union or unions can try to hold a nation to ransom. A government is elected into power according to the election law and system. Unions do not have the mandate that a government has. So controversially for this forum I believe thatcher did good and evil with the miners but it reduced union influence.

I am from a mining area, and the loss of the mines moves me to tears .... my wife is from a mining family .... Silverwood pit folk ..... my friends where from Kilnhurst Pit, Selby, Maltby .....et al.

But your right ..... totally right !!!