How Dumb can the Government get?

mewbie_2

posh*spice wrote: »

Sorry I hate MT - always have and always will. Life under her was miserable._pale_

Thank God, there's someone else on here who doesn't regard Thatcher as a supreme being.

neverdespairgirl

mewbie wrote: »

Gas light? In the 1970's? Are you sure about that? Did you not have windows in the office? I am assuming you worked during daylight hours.

In the winter, normal office hours are longer than daylight hours!

Sapphire

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

In the winter, normal office hours are longer than daylight hours!

Yes – and another thing I just remembered was that it was freezing cold, not just dark in the office when the power cuts took place.

Sapphire

dopester wrote: »

Conservatives have been out of power for what... some 11 years... since 1997. House prices have about tripled since then in a mad speculative property boom and credit orgy. You can't keep blaming Thatcher and the Conservatives for all the problems the UK now has in front of it. Your suggestion Thatcher was responsible for destroying small business is laughable... she went on to open up opportunities for a whole economy of small businesses.

I said 'thanks' to you by mistake. :mad:

Where have I kept 'blaming Thatcher and the Conservatives for all the problems the UK now has in front of it'? Your suggestion that I did is laughable – kindly read and absorb my post in full.

The 'property boom and credit orgy' is mainly down to the labour 'government' and its policies, though the Tories did contribute to some degree to the 'must have it all' culture.

The current leading figures in neither party are in any way convincing – they belong to the spend-all era that is just coming to an end. I find them downright revolting. Though the leader of the Social Democrats may be of a similar ilk, I will probably vote for that party, if only because it has done relatively well at a local level in my area. There was an older gent from the SD speaking out against the governments insanity in trying to prop up the property market the other day – I was impressed by him.

dopester

Sapphire wrote: »

Thatcher did make mistakes, in my view, not the least contributing to the destruction of small businesses around the country, many of which had been in operation for a century or more. There used to be a time when 'Made in England' stood for quality, and I regret those days. I also feel she should not have done away with council housing.

If those businesses could not cope when exposed to increased competition, which is generally good for the end-users, bringing about innovation and lower costs for products and services, then I can't feel sorry for them.

No; you didn't blame Thatcher or the Conservatives for the problems ahead. Its just that I can see a time in the future, where should the Conservatives be voted back to power and if they can sort the near economic system-failure out , they will be blamed for all the issues caused by the previous Labour government. As seems to be the case from before.

Sapphire

dopester wrote: »

No; you didn't blame Thatcher or the Conservatives for the problems ahead. Its just that I can see a time in the future, where should the Conservatives be voted back to power and if they can sort the near economic system-failure out , they will be blamed for all the issues caused by the previous Labour government. As seems to be the case from before.

Yes, I can certainly see that happening. However, do you think the current Tory leadership is up to the job of running the country anyway, or improving things for the average person? To me it seems to be of the same poor quality as that of the Labour leadership. There doesn't seem to be anyone strong enough (and with high moral values), in either party. :cool:

MissMoneypenny

Sapphire wrote: »

Yes – and another thing I just remembered was that it was freezing cold, not just dark in the office when the power cuts took place.

Our gas lights must have given out a bit more heat than your candle:D It was still very cold though.

Sapphire

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

Our gas lights must have given out a bit more heat than your candle:D It was still very cold though.

Indeed - and I also remember that people did pull together at this time. I somehow couldn't see that happening now, given how selfish and materialistic this society has become. People were additionally much more politicized than they are now. I can remember lengthy lunchtime discussions at work about left- and right-wing politics both in the UK and internationally, but these days work colleagues only seem to be able to talk about house prices, celebrities, big brother and the like. :eek:

Thinking of politicians, it seems to me that we need a completely different style of politician than what we have now. Currently we have people modelled on Tony Blair, like Cameron, Milliband and (probably) the current leader of the SD, who are more like marketing managers than prospective leaders of the country. TB did have charm and charisma, especially at the beginning of his term in office (he started off quite well, but ended up a huge disapointment). For today, we need a refreshing change, not copycats.

I would like to see politicians who are not bound to the superficial, celebrity-driven culture of society today, and who are not obsessed with political correctness; who are truly for Britain, including this country's past, which people are somehow taught to be ashamed of these days – this is a great shame, because this country does have a long and distinguished history. (Britain had colonies, but so what: all nations had colonies or slaves at sometime in their past, including Africa). Other European nations celebrate their country's past, yet we regard it as something that should be forgotten.

We also need to have politicians who are strong and who do not dither (like the awful power-driven Brown) – people you feel you can trust with the responsibility of leading a country. These days it seems to me that politicians get away with an exceptional amount of lying and cheating – something that I did not feel with politicians of the past (or not as much)…

moanymoany

dopester wrote: »

Thatchers reforms were entirely necessary. When Labour came back to power, Britain's percentage of government expenditure to GDP was significantly lower than that of the other major European countries.

Conservatives have been out of power for what... some 11 years... since 1997. House prices have about tripled since then in a mad speculative property boom and credit orgy. You can't keep blaming Thatcher and the Conservatives for all the problems the UK now has in front of it. Your suggestion Thatcher was responsible for destroying small business is laughable... she went on to open up opportunities for a whole economy of small businesses.

Sorry dopester, When Thatcher's economy hit the skids - about 1991 - businesses new/old, large/small hit the skids. The solicitors where I worked had one guy full time working with local small businesses in South London. By 1992 his workload was down to zero as the businesses went to the wall.

Result of all this - people who had put their houses up to get funding were in big trouble and they and their families became homeless. Businesses that had funded good lives, children in private schools folded. The next year the marriage had often folded, the wife and kids were in a council house (if they were lucky) and private rental, kids now in state schools.

Anecdotal I know, but in my mil's road there were about four/five families/men who ran businesses. Surveyer, solicitor - can't remember others as these two were in laws friends. Businesses all gone.

Thatched did encourage people to start small businesses, but towards the end of her reign they went down like flies.

Sir_Humphrey

I'm not surprised that a board with a lot of financial types love Thatcher here.

After all, they Lord it over the rest of us and run the country now thanks to Mrs T, rather than those terrible working class oiks. :rolleyes: