'Mrs Thatcher's funeral should set a precedent' blog discussion

Former_MSE_Helen

This is the discussion to link on the back of Martin's blog. Please read the blog first, as this discussion follows it.

Read Martin's "Mrs Thatcher's funeral should set a precedent" Blog.

Please click 'post reply' to discuss below.

angelcakes_smw

Lets have an official public vote on the matter.

Nicholas-bloody-Parsons

Thatcher set the bar very high, which is winning 3 elections and ensuring national economic prosperity for a generation........ Unlike Blair and Brown who have impoverished the country for a generation.

zerog

Nicholas-bloody-Parsons wrote: »

Thatcher set the bar very high, which is winning 3 elections and ensuring national economic prosperity for a generation........ Unlike Blair and Brown who have impoverished the country for a generation.

Voters are selfish. Those who actually have a legitimate gripe about Thatcher (and not the idiots who just parrot what their parents say or just want to riot) were impoverished for a generation and Blair and Brown ensured their personal economic prosperity.

Martin wrote:

Yet on electoral terms she had a superb record – although of course that’s matched by Tony Blair, so does this guarantee him similar treatment when his time comes?

No, Thatcher's popularity increased with every election (until the stupid poll tax), whereas Blair started losing voters from the start.

paulineb_2

Not in Scotland it didnt.

JezR

All, or nearly all of the content of the funeral was agreed before this government, or for that matter Gordon Brown. Indeed it was suggested that under Brown a full state funeral was proposed and expected - there is evidence in newspapers which was easy to find at one time but more difficult now as current events are found first.

Optimist

JezR wrote: »

All, or nearly all of the content of the funeral was agreed before this government, or for that matter Gordon Brown. Indeed it was suggested that under Brown a full state funeral was proposed and expected - there is evidence in newspapers which was easy to find at one time but more difficult now as current events are found first.

It is called the "True Blue Committee" and was started around 2006. In fact Andy Burnham the shadow heath secretary complained about the name last week... He was a bit red faced when told it was a Labour idea

Fire_Fox

No need to invite 2000 people and spend £10 million, it could be done a lot cheaper or with more cost covered by her estate, millionaire relatives or the Tory party since they love her enough to eulogise for seven hours. Taxpayer should be paying for a decent amount of policing. Do not like that the ConDems are refusing to reveal the cost until afterwards.

wozearly

zerog wrote: »

Voters are selfish. Those who actually have a legitimate gripe about Thatcher (and not the idiots who just parrot what their parents say or just want to riot) were impoverished for a generation and Blair and Brown ensured their personal economic prosperity.

You could equally argue that those with a legitimate reason to cheer Thatcher were elevated in wealth during their generation's time. And to be frank, I'm not sure that those badly impacted by Thatcher would all agree that Blair and Brown ensured their prosperity.

There isn't necessarily any logic in the tribalism that goes with political parties. If you divorce yourself from having a side and try to look at the merits and flaws of both arguments, you can often see good, bad and hot air in the rhetoric of any political party.

Fire_Fox wrote: »

No need to invite 2000 people and spend £10 million, it could be done a lot cheaper or with more cost covered by her estate, millionaire relatives or the Tory party since they love her enough to eulogise for seven hours. Taxpayer should be paying for a decent amount of policing. Do not like that the ConDems are refusing to reveal the cost until afterwards.

Whatever anyone's personal views on Thatcher, she was Britain's first female Prime Minister, hugely well-recognised and influential on the world stage, and had an enviable electoral success record, being the longest serving Prime Minister in the 20th Century.

The combination (although not necessarily any individual element) to me is a reasonable justification for the state to mark it formally.

jamesd

One potentially easy and uncommon criterion: will the Queen attend? If yes, semi-state or state is OK.

Ken68

Estimated £10million. WOW. The Grantham Co-op could do it for about £5000.