Margaret Thatcher dies after stroke, aged 87

[Dark Midnight]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/margaret-thatcher-dies-aged-87-following-stroke-120503055.html#9fRoVrd

This is the days big news in the UK. Opinions of the Baroness are, and have always been, incredibly divided.

Personally I am of the opinion that, love here or hate her, she was a much loved member of someone's family and that should, if nothing else, be respected.

[Sophia C]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/margaret-thatcher-dies-aged-87-following-stroke-120503055.html#9fRoVrd

This is the days big news in the UK. Opinions of the Baroness are, and have always been, incredibly divided.

Personally I am of the opinion that, love here or hate her, she was a much loved member of someone's family and that should, if nothing else, be respected.

 
Well, there will be a lot of talk about this today, which will certainly be interesting to watch. I wasn't a fan (who was?) but her presence was one of those things that defined my childhood. My generation was shaped by her, for good or ill.

I agree that she was a person and shouldn't be vilified while her family is mourning.

[Snowdrop]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/margaret-thatcher-dies-aged-87-following-stroke-120503055.html#9fRoVrd

This is the days big news in the UK. Opinions of the Baroness are, and have always been, incredibly divided.

Personally I am of the opinion that, love here or hate her, she was a much loved member of someone's family and that should, if nothing else, be respected.

 
Can I just nudge in and say that the fact that people seem to either adore her or despise her, with almost no in-between, has always been a source of immense bafflement to me?

[Dark Midnight]

Can I just nudge in and say that the fact that people seem to either adore her or despise her, with almost no in-between, has always been a source of immense bafflement to me?

 
Can I ask you to explain this? I've never actually heard anyone from outside the UK express any opinion on her.

Whilst she was Prime Minister, there was a great deal of change in the UK, some good and some bad (same as with anyone else really) but a lot of people have forgotten the good she did and only ever remember the bad......

[dionysiandame]

Can I ask you to explain this? I've never actually heard anyone from outside the UK express any opinion on her.

Whilst she was Prime Minister, there was a great deal of change in the UK, some good and some bad (same as with anyone else really) but a lot of people have forgotten the good she did and only ever remember the bad......

 
I'm sensing this, especially since my "political" Twitter feed is mainly Anarcho-Communists/Socialists (What can I say? I like listening to people who share similar ideals.) While many are singing praises in rememberance of her, some of the other talk is borderline vitriolic;

"Unfortunately while Margarat Thatcher is dead, David Cameron is still alive."

Ouch.

In the game of politics it seems you can never really "win" unless you've been idealized through tragedy (See Kennedy)

[Melamphoros]

Can I ask you to explain this? I've never actually heard anyone from outside the UK express any opinion on her.

Whilst she was Prime Minister, there was a great deal of change in the UK, some good and some bad (same as with anyone else really) but a lot of people have forgotten the good she did and only ever remember the bad......

 
My memory of where I heard this is a bit fuzzy, but didn't she refuse to participate in economic sanctions towards Apartheid South Africa until she had no other choice?

[RandallS]

Personally I am of the opinion that, love here or hate her, she was a much loved member of someone's family and that should, if nothing else, be respected.

I can agree with that. I often did not agree with her policies, but like her American counterpoint, Ronald Reagan, I always liked her as a person.

[RandallS]

Can I ask you to explain this? I've never actually heard anyone from outside the UK express any opinion on her.

You apparently weren't in the US at the time. Also, like Reagan, she has been almost canonized by some US Conservatives.

[MadZealot]

You apparently weren't in the US at the time. Also, like Reagan, she has been almost canonized by some US Conservatives.

Truth.  If you have a Conservative friend on FB you'll eventually see her face paired with this quote:  “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
 
While that one makes me chuckle, I'm more fond of the following three:

“If you just set out to be liked, you will be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and would achieve nothing. ”

“I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left.”

“When I'm out of politics I'm going to run a business, it'll be called rent-a-spine.”

[Maulus]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/margaret-thatcher-dies-aged-87-following-stroke-120503055.html#9fRoVrd

This is the days big news in the UK. Opinions of the Baroness are, and have always been, incredibly divided.

Personally I am of the opinion that, love here or hate her, she was a much loved member of someone's family and that should, if nothing else, be respected.

 
Although i didn't agree with her politics, and i believed a lot of what she did was detrimental to the British economy and people, i still respected her. She stuck to her guns, was tough and honest in what she believed. She also did what she did because she believed it was the right thing to do.

She also was a lot tougher than most Politicians and Prime Ministers since she was ousted from power.

Dan

[Snowdrop]

Can I ask you to explain this? I've never actually heard anyone from outside the UK express any opinion on her.

Whilst she was Prime Minister, there was a great deal of change in the UK, some good and some bad (same as with anyone else really) but a lot of people have forgotten the good she did and only ever remember the bad......

 
Oh, sorry, I meant people in the UK.  I've always found Thatcher interesting because while there are politicians in the US that people either love or hate with little in between, I get the impression that the even today feelings in the UK about her are much more intense than the usual feelings here about former presidents.

[Nyktipolos]

Although i didn't agree with her politics, and i believed a lot of what she did was detrimental to the British economy and people, i still respected her. She stuck to her guns, was tough and honest in what she believed. She also did what she did because she believed it was the right thing to do.

She also was a lot tougher than most Politicians and Prime Ministers since she was ousted from power.

Dan

This is generally where I stand on her as well. I was reading an article today about her that talked a lot about her life previously to becoming PM, and how she made such astounding advancements in politics (and academia), especially in many places where she was either not welcome to expected to succeed because she was a woman; I can at least respect her on that alone (although, like Dan said, I disagreed with what she DID in politics).

[axismundi]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/margaret-thatcher-dies-aged-87-following-stroke-120503055.html#9fRoVrd

This is the days big news in the UK. Opinions of the Baroness are, and have always been, incredibly divided.

Personally I am of the opinion that, love here or hate her, she was a much loved member of someone's family and that should, if nothing else, be respected.

 
I never voted for 'maggie'.  The stuff that is happening in the British media is in very poor taste because of the simple axiom: you should not attack a person who is dead because they are unable to defend themselves.

[Valentine]

I never voted for 'maggie'.  The stuff that is happening in the British media is in very poor taste because of the simple axiom: you should not attack a person who is dead because they are unable to defend themselves.

 
I don't agree that the dead should be immune from criticism.  How are we to discuss history if we are never permitted to speak ill of the dead?  How are we supposed to learn if we can't ever say that someone no longer living harmed people or did wrong?  That is completely unworkable.  It is not wrong to discuss the harm Thatcher did, harm whose consequences affect many still living, just because she is now deceased.  That shows a profound lack of compassion and care for everyone else.

Holding back from attacking the defenseless was certainly not a value she herself would have espoused.  Frankly, I just wonder if there were any clauses in Thatcher's will making sure the worms wouldn't get one last government handout from her.

[Dark Midnight]

I never voted for 'maggie'.  The stuff that is happening in the British media is in very poor taste because of the simple axiom: you should not attack a person who is dead because they are unable to defend themselves.

 
I agree that the media storm is in poor taste, but not for the same reason. I believe that anyone and everyone has the innate right to be laid to rest in peace and their families allowed to grieve.

The people who are planning to protest her funeral are on about the same sewer level as the Westboro lot IMO.

You want to protest againt what she stood for? Fine. But have a little respect for her family (and a little self respect) and leave it until AFTER the funeral!