Margaret Thatcher, R.I.P.?

[Lost Leopard Spot]

noted rabid leftie and thatcher-hater, Peter Oborne, thinks the in-all-but-name state funeral for Maggie is a mistake...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... stake.html

I'm not Peter Oborne by the way. So nobody should start claiming their £20.

[Montreal Wanderer]

In Canada we give state funeral to Governors-General (Queens rep. as head of state), Prime Ministers, Cabinet Ministers and the occasional eminent Canadian (like me) not in one of those roles. Some provinces give provincial state funerals. Usually premiers bu Maurice "the Rocket" Richard got one. So it is not a question that vexes us.

[seanworth]

After listening to Glenda Jackson yesterday this board seems relatively tame.

[Lord Kangana]

You do realise we'll have to do this for f*cking Blair now we've set the precedent, don't you?

I hope whoever made this decision is happy with themselves.

[Lord Kangana]

And that article is bob on.

[Worthy4England]

As someone who generally votes Labour, we should no more do it for Blair as Thatcher.

It's just plain wrong.

[Montreal Wanderer]

After listening to Glenda Jackson yesterday this board seems relatively tame.

Indeed. I did like the speaker's ruling.

[Worthy4England]

After listening to Glenda Jackson yesterday this board seems relatively tame.

We toned it down because of some of our more sensitive listeners.

I'm so glad Glenda called it as it was and didn't feel the obligation to say something nice about the reprehensible old cow*

*Toned down.

[Bruce Rioja]

As someone who generally votes Labour, we should no more do it for Blair as Thatcher.

It's just plain wrong.

And for someone who is/was generally pro Thatcher, I agree.

[Worthy4England]

As someone who generally votes Labour, we should no more do it for Blair as Thatcher.

It's just plain wrong.

And for someone who is/was generally pro Thatcher, I agree.

Shall we join the LibDems?

[thebish]

You do realise we'll have to do this for f*cking Blair now we've set the precedent, don't you?

I hope whoever made this decision is happy with themselves.

no we won't - Mummy says it is totally different...

[Bruce Rioja]

As someone who generally votes Labour, we should no more do it for Blair as Thatcher.

It's just plain wrong.

And for someone who is/was generally pro Thatcher, I agree.

Shall we join the LibDems?

Ah, but then we'll have to decide who it is that we chummy up with.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

noted rabid leftie and thatcher-hater, Peter Oborne, thinks the in-all-but-name state funeral for Maggie is a mistake...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... stake.html

I agree with some of what he says.

If I were advising the Queen, I would advocate a very conservative approach to constitutional matters.

For example, I thought it was a terrible idea for HM to attend a cabinet meeting last year.

I do feel that the Queen's advisers are between a bit of a rock and a hard place on this question, however.

If she hadn't agreed to this, that would have been a statement in itself, to many people, and would have brought opposition of a similar strength to that which has met the decision to grant the ceremonial funeral.

It had occured to me that if Labour had been in power, their Prime Minister could simply have decided not to ask the Queen, as appears to be the protocol http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN06600.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (of course, a Conservative PM is not free within his own party to decide this), thus letting HM off the hook.

The plot thickens, however, when you discover that it was Tony Blair's Labour government that did indeed ask the Queen's permission in advance, back in 2006. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013 ... er-funeral" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What then was the Queen to do? The request for this 'divisive' woman came from the opposing party, for goodness' sake?

For me, all of this is more interesting than the question of comparing her to Atlee. Though some questions do occur to me there - did Harold Wilson, the Labour PM in 1967 when Atlee died, ask the Queen for any kind of state funeral? Had Atlee himself been asked what he wanted? If so, what was it? What did his family want?

I ask these questions despite thinking the comparison is lacking in other ways. State/ceremonial funerals have a strong military element, and Atlee was never involved in any war in which British territory and the protection and self-determination of British citizens was at stake. Likewise, Atlee was not the longest serving PM since 1827, nor was he a major first of the order of 'first and only female PM of the UK' and 'first elected female leader of any major power in history'.

[Worthy4England]

I never voting for that old bag again either.

[Worthy4England]

As someone who generally votes Labour, we should no more do it for Blair as Thatcher.

It's just plain wrong.

And for someone who is/was generally pro Thatcher, I agree.

Shall we join the LibDems?

Ah, but then we'll have to decide who it is that we chummy up with.

Nooooooooooooo. We just sit on the opposition benches with no bugger really listening and get paid a decent whack + exes.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

pencilbiter, stop it with the first elected female leader of a world power in history. We've had this debate elsewhere, and I remember you lost.

[thebish]

Oh dear... looks like I wasn't the only one then.

http://www.bigtop40.com/
Live iTunes Top 10
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2 Duke Dumont Need U (100%) [feat. A*M*E].
3 Nelly Hey Porsche.
4 Pitbull Feel This Moment (feat. Christina Aguilera)
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10 Taylor Swift 22

Apparently it's going to be top ten this weekend in the official chart. Having never charted before in it's 70+ years of existence.......

In this crazy capitalist markets driven world, every dog will eventually have it's day I guess!

just debating on the news whether the BBC should play it or not!

[thebish]

personally I always kind-of hoped Thatcher would never die - so that we didn't have to go through all the wall-to-wall analysis every hour and every minute of the day...

today it's an in-depth analysis of the guest list..

Jeremy Clarkson???

[Montreal Wanderer]

For me, all of this is more interesting than the question of comparing her to Atlee. Though some questions do occur to me there - did Harold Wilson, the Labour PM in 1967 when Atlee died, ask the Queen for any kind of state funeral? Had Atlee himself been asked what he wanted? If so, what was it? What did his family want?

Attlee [sic] was cremated. You don't need a gun carriage for the remains. He did have an impressive Westminster Abbey funeral service. See http://www.britishpathe.com/video/earl- ... e-of-memor" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; .

[thebish]

For me, all of this is more interesting than the question of comparing her to Atlee. Though some questions do occur to me there - did Harold Wilson, the Labour PM in 1967 when Atlee died, ask the Queen for any kind of state funeral? Had Atlee himself been asked what he wanted? If so, what was it? What did his family want?

Attlee [sic] was cremated. You don't need a gun carriage for the remains. He did have an impressive Westminster Abbey funeral service. See http://www.britishpathe.com/video/earl- ... e-of-memor" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; .

surely you only put [sic] if you are quoting someone else's mis-spelling - not if you have actually corrected it??

also - when I do funerals the body usually arrives uncremated - so has to be carted in something (not often a gun-carriage, granted!)