Margaret Thatcher: Thirty years on

[Tribesman]

. Was it thatcher that achieved that, or declining educational standards since the fifties?

It was the changes in the tax burden which lead to declining social mobility , ass evidenced by those countries that appear bottom in the survey.

2. Really, GDP per-capita has for the last 15 years at least been higher than france, and nominal GDP was higher despite have a smaller population which represents a big change from the seventies sick man of europe, so i'd love to see figures for that claim.

So you would like figures that showed growth was bigger than before she took office , then declined under her, then went into negative growth then had a short rally with the credit fuelled boom before declining again and then going back into negative growth before coming back to a figure that was on par with before she got in office ?
Have you ever thought of looking them up ?

3. as opposed to endlessly subsiding state-owned industries....................... if there are less state owned industries are we really surprised that more private business might have got subsidies?

Errrr...she sold the idea that the industries were getting too much subsidy which was a burden to the taxpayer , the same industries got more in subsidies after they were sold than they did before which is more of a burden to the taxpayer

4. its called letting go of failing state owned businesses that the nation had no business owning in the first place.

Selling valuable assets for a fraction of their real value is basic robbery.Its amazing how many foriegn state owned companies jumped at the chance at the British bargain basement sale.

5. we differ on this, and argued it elsewhere

Yes and you still havn't the faintest idea what you are on about.

6. most of britains internal problems stem from poor/loose banking regulation, which is not something that can be laid at thatchers door.

Errrr ...deregulation of the financial sector not at Thatchers door ?????

7. you might want to specify those, but either way i'm kind of doubtful they compare in magnitude to that accomplished by nu-labour.

All of Nu-labours(thatcherite) draconian laws are built on those introduced under thatcher.

8. does it really, and while unfortunate if true if this really among the biggest problems facing britain?

Changing fundamental safeguards for the accountabilty of the government and its agencies to the people is a bloody big problem .

9. crazy murdering dictators who provided vital assistance in a war we might not otherwise have won?

Crazy murdering dictators are crazy murdering dictators.

10. how did thatcher cause the falklands, really? by withdrawing the south atlantic patrol ship, or was it more because of 20 years of FCO procrastinating on the issue of talks with argentina regarding the future status of the falklands?

With her policy of screwing the islanders before the invasion.

12. it was a harmless statement made in private

Yeah right

[HoreTore]

Crazy murdering dictators are crazy murdering dictators.

No no, Tribesman. When the crazy murdering dictator is on our side, he/she/it becomes a crazy, murdering dictator we apologize for and helps in his crazy murders, as well as covering his behind. So you see, there's a very clear difference between the two