It's all Thatchers fault.

ukcarper

Dylanwing wrote: »

Thatcher solved the problems of the Trade Unions, but created far more, and many of our problems stem from her, and NuLabour have just compounded her errors. Council House sales have created a lot of the housing problems, privatisation has created over-priced energy, reliance of other Countries, expensive public transport, and problems of water supplies. She decimated manufacturing, created the benefit ghettoes, and shifted the taxation burden from the rich to the poor. Not forgetting wasting all our money from Oil and Gas on tax cuts for the rich, instead of re-investing in the UK infastructure. All this carp about 'market forces' is fine when things are going well, and your economy will look better than the mixed ones, but when things go belly up, you are horribly exposed.
NuLabour are compounding her errors by continued 'modernisations', privatisations and not taking control of key industries, and adding to them by wasting money on BS Consultants, Computer Systems, pointless non-jobs & red tape. Oh yes, and allowing jobs to go overseas.
If the PO goes, we will see the "benefits" of the private sector. Higher prices, less staff, worse service, but better PR/ spin - And no benefits at all, because the money saved is going to a handful of Directors and shareholders.
The reason why Thatcher is so "loved" - She understood the power of the Press and helped certain media Dictators in their aims.

Another trick NuLabour have leant from the Tories is increasing National Insurance instead of income tax

davilown

kennyboy66 wrote: »

She did of course discover Penicillum and invented the internet, so wasn't all bad.

Penicillin and it was discovered by Alexander Flemming in London in the 1940's when he left a plate of bacteria on the window sill over a weekend. When he got back he discovered a fungal growth on the plate that show bactericidal capabilities.

Generali

chewmylegoff wrote: »

the top rate of tax on "unearned income" (e.g. bank account interest) was 98%.

At some points in the post-war period, the marginal rate of tax has been > 100% on unearned income, ie they took away some of your capital as well as the interest.

It was theoretically possible to get an income tax bill that was greater than your entire income!

Money_Grabber13579

The thing about Thatcher was that hard work was encouraged. Nowadays, the government encourages lazy slobs on benefits which have to be paid for the minority that now do work.

Joe_Bloggs

If you have savings and are forced onto claiming benefits then you may face a notional income of £1 per every £250 in savings per week. Where is the justice in setting this figure in these uncertain times. This notional income counts against the benefits that you could have received. There is often a threshold below which no notional income penalties are in force.
Leave Maggie alone to her retirement and peace. Concentrate on the issues and potential solutions that benefit us all.
J_B.

moggylover

ukcarper wrote: »

I might be wrong but I don’t think the true cost of closing a pit was ever used it was straight profit/loss it didn’t take into account the lost of tax or any knock on effects.

You are exactly right, and although the long-term social effects were repeatedly pointed out to her ladyship at the time, and the cost of them (i.e. long term unemployment leading to health issues and social deprivation and the exhorbitant costs this would involve) she was "not for turning":rolleyes:

The cost of dole money alone has been FAR more than the continued subsidy would have been, and if one adds on the costs involved in increased crime rates, drugs, drink, and extra health care, etc., etc., as well as the loss of tax revenues then it was a diabolically stupid move and yet STILL there are those out there too blind to see and who are still conned by the media spin that was put on it all in those days! Mostly I suspect that they are just too young to have any real grasp of what was going on, and are as media gullible as most of the younger generation appear to be.

That is even before we get into the costs of rebuilding, repairing and restoring our road systems, our schools and our hospitals and the heinous lack of social housing (and the poor state most of that was in after years of neglect under the Tories).

God give me strength! There is non so blind as a Brit who is comfortable in his own leafy suburb and WILL not see!

StevieJ

The pits were closed for political reasons, don't feel special because so was half of British industry really shoudn't smile

FoxtonsRIP

I can't believe they're considering giving the mad witch a state funeral. Who next? Nick Griffin?

StevieJ

FoxtonsRIP wrote: »

I can't believe they're considering giving the mad witch a state funeral. Who next? Nick Griffin?

I thought you Cockneys all loved her

stephen163

I'm sorry, Britain doesn't live in a fairytale world. If we produce things inefficiently, we will be eaten alive by the rest of the world. No exposed element of the economy should be excluded. The overall aim is to increase welfare for everyone, not just minority pockets of workers.

Yes, it is unfortunate and unfair. But the miners have no god given right to their job or the continued existence of the industry. And remember this - Britain was the laughing stock of Europe before Thatcher, she saved us from becoming a welfare state like Germany and France (if you think we have problems, look at theirs!).

I don't understand why a specific industry like coal should be protected from bankruptcy and competition when the rest of us have to adapt and evolve to the ever changing economic conditions of the time. In 1984, the UK taxpayer was subsidising UK coal to the tune of £900 million, that is an instant loss of welfare to each and every tax payer in the country.