Thatcher poll: worst or best

Thrugelmir

grizzly1911 wrote: »

Weren't they given an effective go ahead by Thatcher and allowed to ravage pension surpluses and take extensive pension holidays when they paid nothing? Shouldn't they have used those days of sunshine to prepare for the rainy days?

Sorry, majority of holidays were in the 90's.

Brown raided the pension funds in 1997 as believed share prices could only ever rise.

Thrugelmir

ukcarper wrote: »

Have to have a ballot now so members will have a say.

See leader of Unite has been relected on a 15% turnout.

Doesn't auger well for a summer of discontent that's been planned.

Perhaps the Labour party association is turning people off........

CLAPTON

grizzly1911 wrote: »

I am sure there are one or two more missing targets and not meeting some overly high expectations. IME across 4 (separate geographic locations) hospitals I can't fault them bearing in mind the constraints in which they work

Perhaps it is a postcode lottery. We have up till now had an excellent PCT, GP surgery and local hospital where we currently live.

so you are alright jack?

grizzly1911

CLAPTON wrote: »

so you are alright jack?

Perhaps we are. Considering the size of the NHS It would be surprising if it didn't have issues.

It is always easy to criticise the the exceptions rather than praise the vast majority of instances when it does perform as "designed". A design from which far too much is expected.

StevieJ

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Never had the balls to take the Unions on. In fact no Labour leader has in my lifetime. Blair promised much but failed to deliver change.

So you weren't around in 1979, the winter of discontent, why do you think all those workers were on strike?

grizzly1911

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Sorry, majority of holidays were in the 90's.

Brown raided the pension funds in 1997 as believed share prices could only ever rise.

So absolutely nothing to do with Mrs T? The fact they may have acted on it after she departed is nothing to do with conservative policy at that time?

Wasn't the tax credit reduction an extension of a Conservative policy with Lamont initially reducing tax credits and Brown putting the final boot in?

StevieJ

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Employment Law along with Health and Safety rules have negated much of what was good about the Unions.

Good job we have the EC to protect our rights now the unions have been neutered

ukcarper

grizzly1911 wrote: »

Perhaps we are. Considering the size of the NHS It would be surprising if it didn't have issues.

It is always easy to criticise the the exceptions rather than praise the vast majority of instances when it does perform as "designed". A design from which far too much is expected.

Do people not remember waiting up to 2 years to get an appointment if fact a lot of people were admitted as an emergency before getting appointment. When you were admitted as an emergency you had a good change of spending a couple of days on a trolley.

BobQ

CLAPTON wrote: »

You are bitter about the NHS system in the 80s but are relaxed about the NHS situation at Mid Staffs

One is a cause of continuing bitterness about Thatcher but you have no bitterness about Blair/Brown.

I don't understand that.

I am bitter about the NHS in the 80s partly because it affected people I know. People who were in pain but enduring long waiting lists and lack of equipment as part of her Government systematically starving the NHS of funding in that period.

I am inclined to blame Thatcher for the experiences of some of my family because the problems were symptomatic of the anti-public sector policies she espoused. In terms of the specific events that upset me, it was in one hospital and I cannot blame Thatcher alone for that. The General Manager of the hospital was as much to blame.

I think what happened in Mid-staffs is a disgrace but I do not blame Blair and Brown for the failings of one hospital. Partly because the events are largely down to local management. But partly because Blair/Brown did the right thing in terms of funding the NHS. I accept they can be criticised for throwing money at the problem but the scandal reported was due to poor management not lack of funding.

sabretoothtigger

There isnt a close to the poll but I declare the ayes have it
I dont think she was the worst PM but its very easy to view her actions negatively

This popped up in google, quite funny that Russell Brand of all people should stumble across Thatcher in London on her last days
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/apr/09/russell-brand-margaret-thatcher

Russel_Brand wrote:

I can't articulate with the skill of either of "the Marks" – Steel or Thomas – why Thatcher and Thatcherism were so bad for Britain but I do recall that even to a child her demeanour and every discernible action seemed to be to the detriment of our national spirit and identity. Her refusal to stand against apartheid, her civil war against the unions, her aggression towards our neighbours in Ireland and a taxation system that was devised in the dark ages, the bombing of a retreating ship – it's just not British.