I'm sorry, but I can't see her as anything but the architect of the conservative political policies that led Britain to be in the current mess it is in...
Then you are close-minded. A person's bad actions do not neutralise their virtues (or vice-versa!). You can think that Margaret Thatcher is a bad person, and still admire her resilience, being one of the most powerful women of the 20th century. Conversely, just because she opened a lot of doors for women in politics, you don't have to think she is a good person, or refrain from criticising her. The world is not black and white.
Spot on comment Marina. I agree with everything you said. Great leaders don't get where they do by mumbling into there hands and going out of their way to make everybody happy.
I went to London on my honeymoon in 1975 to meet my English husband's family. I saw the architectural beauty, but I was appalled by both the state of the city, with constant strikes, high unemployment, parched lawns in public parks and general bleakness.
I was introduced the concept of squatters rights, whereby a guest could arrive to your house for dinner with a suitcase and decide not to leave and the host would be helpless against it. My left-leaning new in-laws thoroughly approved. One relative believed that if one went to university and studied an arcane subject and if, upon graduating, could find no employment in said field, the government should pay what they would earn if they could have found employment.
Employment lines went around the block. I believe the Conservative ran a billboard showing one queue with the headline "Labour Isn't working." It was so obviously true.
I believe Margaret Thatcher coined the phrase, The Loony Left. So bang on.
My two adult daughters live in London raising their children. It seems to me to be a model city, doing so much for so many disparate people. Interracial couples are everywhere. No doubt people of colour still suffer discrimination, but I have never seen so many mixed race families. Parks are everywhere and well kept. Art galleries, music venues seem to be thriving, though no doubt they are struggling. The state schools my grandchildren attend are impressive. As is the health care they receive.
I realize this may not be true of the north of England, but as far as I know, the north has always suffered. I believe it is suffering a great deal less than it was in 1975, but as I haven't seen it, lived in it for extended periods I have in London I am willing to admit that I don't know.
I live in Toronto, Canada and nothing gives my fellow Canadians more pleasure than to wail about poorly England is doing.
For culture, urban beauty, astounding public transportation, it makes Toronto, with its sense of social responsibility, clogged traffic, homelessness, and very limited public transportation system...embarrassing.
"For culture, urban beauty, astounding public transportation, it makes Toronto, with its sense of social responsibility, clogged traffic, homelessness, and very limited public transportation system...embarrassing."
Want to know what's embarrassing? ^^^^^^
Your utterly un-self-aware, vile, loathesome, hateful sense of privilege and disdain for those who are not affluent.
Your reply is unfortunate. You do not know me. I am guessing you would be quite surprised by my level of 'affluence' now, but certainly by the extremely low level of affluence and lack of privilege to which I was born and raised.
What is truly unfortunate for the less privileged is the tone taken by so many who see themselves as their allies.
Persuasion, rational and respectful argument will always win the day. That's what the Sisters of Charity taught me.
Madam, you wrote disparagingly of "Toronto, with" (so presumably, "for") its "sense of social responsibility"
I am not trying to "argue" with you or "convince" you of anything.
I am sorry if my words cut.
But we Americans are now living in a fascist state enabled in large part by attitudes like yours regarding social responsibility and the role of government in helping everyone, of any color, creed, or political party, to have a fair shake at a decent life.
P.S. "Persuasion, rational and respectful argument will always win the day." I agree with you that discourse, particularly political discourse, SHOULD work that way.
The ongoing dismantling of US democracy by a kakistocratic regime fueled by lies and hatred is, sadly, living proof that your ideal -- and mine -- for public discourse is just that. An ideal.
Sounds like a typical lefty Democrat speaking above. US debt is in the trillions no thanks to the credit card mentality of past Democrat governments. Sadly the left would rather live in delusion than face the fact that for a country to survive it must live within its means.
No I totally disagree with that comment. Relying indefinitely on government handouts and the belief that the world owes them a living is pie in the sky thinking. You obviously fall into that category.
One's flaws do not exclude one's virtues. Unlike many people think, you can dislike Margaret Thatcher's beliefs, actions, and even think she is a bad person. That doesn't negate the fact that her ascend to power was very impressive, and her resilience as a woman was admirable. I loved reading this article, and do agree that Thatcher's story is fascinating!
The comments did make me sad: a lot of thinking without nuance, treating human nature as absolute... But that's to be expected from the internet, I guess.
Hoping you are NOT a Thatcher supporter, because if you are, or worse, if you are a fan of the US f45c15t regime, I would, as a paid subscriber (and fan of your late bloomers thesis), be obligated to end my paid subscription. A pittance, I know.
I get that it is not safe for you, as a visitor to our shores, to have public opinions about politics or the US regime, which is now openly calling US CITIZENS "terrorists" for standing against it and for our Republic.
(2) FORMAT.
Book chapters and newsletters posts are different beasts. I skimmed this post but will likely never read it carefully. I fear many others might do the same.
For posting digitally, headings (and subheadings) are absolutely essential to help us readers track the long wall of undifferentiated text.
Because online, there are no pages to turn, no page numbers. And this chapter has no in-text identifiers -- e.g., headings, subheadings, to help us track where we are in narrative, especially if we're interrupted.
From the web's earliest days, structuring content has been a best practice.
I'm sorry, but I can't see her as anything but the architect of the conservative political policies that led Britain to be in the current mess it is in...
Then you are close-minded. A person's bad actions do not neutralise their virtues (or vice-versa!). You can think that Margaret Thatcher is a bad person, and still admire her resilience, being one of the most powerful women of the 20th century. Conversely, just because she opened a lot of doors for women in politics, you don't have to think she is a good person, or refrain from criticising her. The world is not black and white.
Spot on comment Marina. I agree with everything you said. Great leaders don't get where they do by mumbling into there hands and going out of their way to make everybody happy.
I went to London on my honeymoon in 1975 to meet my English husband's family. I saw the architectural beauty, but I was appalled by both the state of the city, with constant strikes, high unemployment, parched lawns in public parks and general bleakness.
I was introduced the concept of squatters rights, whereby a guest could arrive to your house for dinner with a suitcase and decide not to leave and the host would be helpless against it. My left-leaning new in-laws thoroughly approved. One relative believed that if one went to university and studied an arcane subject and if, upon graduating, could find no employment in said field, the government should pay what they would earn if they could have found employment.
Employment lines went around the block. I believe the Conservative ran a billboard showing one queue with the headline "Labour Isn't working." It was so obviously true.
I believe Margaret Thatcher coined the phrase, The Loony Left. So bang on.
My two adult daughters live in London raising their children. It seems to me to be a model city, doing so much for so many disparate people. Interracial couples are everywhere. No doubt people of colour still suffer discrimination, but I have never seen so many mixed race families. Parks are everywhere and well kept. Art galleries, music venues seem to be thriving, though no doubt they are struggling. The state schools my grandchildren attend are impressive. As is the health care they receive.
I realize this may not be true of the north of England, but as far as I know, the north has always suffered. I believe it is suffering a great deal less than it was in 1975, but as I haven't seen it, lived in it for extended periods I have in London I am willing to admit that I don't know.
I live in Toronto, Canada and nothing gives my fellow Canadians more pleasure than to wail about poorly England is doing.
For culture, urban beauty, astounding public transportation, it makes Toronto, with its sense of social responsibility, clogged traffic, homelessness, and very limited public transportation system...embarrassing.
"For culture, urban beauty, astounding public transportation, it makes Toronto, with its sense of social responsibility, clogged traffic, homelessness, and very limited public transportation system...embarrassing."
Want to know what's embarrassing? ^^^^^^
Your utterly un-self-aware, vile, loathesome, hateful sense of privilege and disdain for those who are not affluent.
Your reply is unfortunate. You do not know me. I am guessing you would be quite surprised by my level of 'affluence' now, but certainly by the extremely low level of affluence and lack of privilege to which I was born and raised.
What is truly unfortunate for the less privileged is the tone taken by so many who see themselves as their allies.
Persuasion, rational and respectful argument will always win the day. That's what the Sisters of Charity taught me.
Madam, you wrote disparagingly of "Toronto, with" (so presumably, "for") its "sense of social responsibility"
I am not trying to "argue" with you or "convince" you of anything.
I am sorry if my words cut.
But we Americans are now living in a fascist state enabled in large part by attitudes like yours regarding social responsibility and the role of government in helping everyone, of any color, creed, or political party, to have a fair shake at a decent life.
P.S. "Persuasion, rational and respectful argument will always win the day." I agree with you that discourse, particularly political discourse, SHOULD work that way.
The ongoing dismantling of US democracy by a kakistocratic regime fueled by lies and hatred is, sadly, living proof that your ideal -- and mine -- for public discourse is just that. An ideal.
Sounds like a typical lefty Democrat speaking above. US debt is in the trillions no thanks to the credit card mentality of past Democrat governments. Sadly the left would rather live in delusion than face the fact that for a country to survive it must live within its means.
or.. we could tax people and corporations appropriately. Why is it so hard for y'all to get this?
By "y'all" I'm assuming you align yourself with the right, which in the US today is the fascists.
No I totally disagree with that comment. Relying indefinitely on government handouts and the belief that the world owes them a living is pie in the sky thinking. You obviously fall into that category.
One's flaws do not exclude one's virtues. Unlike many people think, you can dislike Margaret Thatcher's beliefs, actions, and even think she is a bad person. That doesn't negate the fact that her ascend to power was very impressive, and her resilience as a woman was admirable. I loved reading this article, and do agree that Thatcher's story is fascinating!
The comments did make me sad: a lot of thinking without nuance, treating human nature as absolute... But that's to be expected from the internet, I guess.
Two things
(1) IMPLIED SUPPORT FOR THATCHER?
Hoping you are NOT a Thatcher supporter, because if you are, or worse, if you are a fan of the US f45c15t regime, I would, as a paid subscriber (and fan of your late bloomers thesis), be obligated to end my paid subscription. A pittance, I know.
I get that it is not safe for you, as a visitor to our shores, to have public opinions about politics or the US regime, which is now openly calling US CITIZENS "terrorists" for standing against it and for our Republic.
(2) FORMAT.
Book chapters and newsletters posts are different beasts. I skimmed this post but will likely never read it carefully. I fear many others might do the same.
For posting digitally, headings (and subheadings) are absolutely essential to help us readers track the long wall of undifferentiated text.
Because online, there are no pages to turn, no page numbers. And this chapter has no in-text identifiers -- e.g., headings, subheadings, to help us track where we are in narrative, especially if we're interrupted.
From the web's earliest days, structuring content has been a best practice.
Thanks.
you dont need a paid sub anyway, it’s only for archive access now
what?
Paid subs are no longer necessary unless you want archive access
Has there really not been a female Chancellor in the UK? Really?
Not when the book was published no