'Which Prime Minister would you resurrect?' poll

gaily

I know everyone hated Thatcher when she left, but she didn't nancy about like the others. They didn't deserve a pair trousers between them!!!

redux

pennypinchUK wrote: »

"Wipeout" of manufacturing? Manufacturing is still the 3rd largest sector in this country. What is more, the Conservative government of the 1980's heralded the introduction of high tech manufacturing, rather than low skill basic manufacturing.

I stick by what I said about the shift from manufacturing to services, and I'm not the only one

Try this:

THE PRIME Minister has repudiated the Eighties view that manufacturing industry is not economically essential, and criticised the economic inheritance left him by Margaret Thatcher.

In an interview with the Independent, John Major said he 'passionately believed' Britain needed a bigger industrial base: 'services aren't enough.'

Questioned on the Thatcherite orthodoxy that emphasised the service sector, he retorted: 'I don't agree with it. I didn't agree with it in the Eighties. I was a minority view in the Eighties; I am not a minority view now and, anyway, I am in a better position to expound my views.'

The Prime Minister said ... but not Cameron, not Brown, or Blair

Note the name in the middle paragraph

[written in March 1993]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/major-rejects-thatcher-view-on-manufacturing-pm-criticises-economic-inheritance-and-highlights-honours-reform-in-an-interview-with-andrew-marr-1495419.html

Scroll to the end, and:

But Lord Prior, the chairman of GEC, warned last night that there would be no short cuts to rebuilding Britain's manufacturing base. In evidence to the Commons Select Committee on Employment, he said: 'Manufacturing industry is no longer there and therefore we have to source a lot of our components from other countries.'

Lord Prior added the 'penny has dropped' in many ways with the Government, but the question was whether it had done so soon enough. 'It will require a sustained effort over 20 years to get our manufacturing base back to the levels we want to see. To say that as oil goes down manufacturing will go up shows a lack of knowledge of the true facts of manufacturing industries.'

I can still remember Prior in that career addressing a group of people, and telling them with some glee that he told Thatcher what she could do with the new ministerial post she offered him. Unfortunately he saved us from knowledge of his actual words.

Stop_Press

Why bring Thatcher back? There's nothing left to sell-off!

happyinflorida

I wouldn't have voted for any of them - especially not brown or blair (that is insane to vote for them?!) so I looked up the last three as I didn't know what they'd done when in power and from what I read, Eden was a peace maker and didn't want war - unlike our last few PM's! So I voted for Eden!

rimmiba

I work in manufacturing in England as a Purchasing Manager. Trust me, there is not a lot of manufacturing left.

In my role I meet a great many representatives of suppliers. They are all singing from the same song sheet - their customer base is disappearing as plants and factories close. How often do you hear of any start-ups in this country?

The Thatcher years in particular, and the Tory years in general, have despised our manufacturing base, preferring to support the financial services sector.

The same sector, of course, that has caused the financial melt-down we are now experiencing at home, in Europe, and in the global economy.

Maggie Thatcher was the queen of boom and bust. Anyone remember 15% interest on mortgages?

billshep

I'm afraid I'm not old enough to remember the bottom 6 and don't have enough interest in politics to know anything about them.

Maybe Maggie is on top because it's long enough ago to fade the worst memories. And at least in those days you knew where you stood with politicians!

jaskirving

Have you all gone mad? Thatcher ruined this country.

brucie24

jax1305 wrote: »

Seriously? Thatcher? the removal of so many rights of ordinary people; 'greed is good' mentality; demise of council housing; a selfish me,me,me society; demise of community spirit - not to mention taking away my school milk!! I'm not saying that Blair, Brown got it right - they basically tinkered with policies, did a few good bits but the idea was still that the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many (to reword Mr Spock's phrase), business is boss and the little people have to put up and shut up. But I would squarely lay the pitiful state of this country at the feet of Thatcher and find it abhorrent that anyone would think that bringing her back would solve the problems of today. Fully agree with Elvis Costello sentiments from many years ago. Suggest those of you with your brains engaged, support (if you haven't already) the attempts of the Occupy protesters (which is NOT an anti-capitalist protest) to address wealth inequality (WE ARE THE 99%) and the efforts to introduce a financial transactions tax (RobinHoodTax.org). Okay climbing off soapbox now.

Couldn't put it better except to add to her acheivements - the destruction of UK industry, the privatising of utilities leading to foreign ownership, the squandering of North Sea Oil and ridding us of UK energy reserves leaving us wide open to import exploitation. The list goes on and on :mad:

redux

rimmiba wrote: »

Maggie Thatcher was the queen of boom and bust. Anyone remember 15% interest on mortgages?

Yes, and in fact this paragraph was in that Independent article I posted above.

Asked what he was going to do to boost engineering, he replied: 'I think you have to consider firstly the inheritance I had when I became Prime Minister: we had 15 per cent interest rates, inflation just under 11 per cent; there was no certainty interest rates wouldn't go up and no certainty that inflation wouldn't go up.'

That's Major complaining about the position he inherited from Thatcher, rather like Cameron's bleating now.

thistledome

Didn't bother to vote, seeing that list made me realise what an absolute shower we have to "choose" between when we vote. If I could have been bothered to vote, would prob. be for Thatcher.

Love to see all the lefties on here foaming at the mouth at the result, thread is worth it for that alone:rotfl: