American Reacts Margaret Thatcher: Britain’s Greatest Prime Minister… or its Worst?

Original Video: • Margaret Thatcher: Bri...
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[@peterhall8572]

I was born in 1970, the big difference was back then politicians had meetings about what to do! Now they discuss what to say!

[@robinhooduk8255]

wrong. labour was told what to do by the trade unions.

[@hanifleylabi8071]

Whole communities near where I'm from still have 50% unemployment because of the way she attacked the miners. Her actions in Northern Ireland set peace back and helped drive recruitment to the IRA. I was taught in mobile classrooms that were decades past their sell by date. We had to wear hats and coats inside during winter and there were buckets collecting water from leaks in the ceilings. And she snatched free milk from primary school kids. Her Section 28 policy banned teachers from talking about gay relationships which meant yet another generation of young lgbt people grew up in a hostile environment. Terrible person.

[@gillianlawrence2684]

Sbe was a wit h. Maggie thatcher the milk snatcher was her nickname. Broke up comunities. Around mining. And steel companys.

[@julessimone4959]

My school was the same, several puddles in the corridors from leaking roof. Head teacher got into trouble for sending out letter to parents criticising the government on state of school and vacant teaching positions.

[@rafalkaminski6389]

Not at all. Just decisive.

[@petejones7878]

I can not find the words bad enough to describe what I think of Thatcher

[@MrBulky992]

I think many social problems of today can be traced back to Margaret Thstcher's era.

[@primalengland]

I was born in the mid 50s and grew up in the industrial north west of England. I was, like my father, a true red Labour supporter…… until the Thatcher years. I lived in a mining town. Leigh, and experienced the riots. She had many faults, but was far stronger and braver than any prime minister, previously or since.

[@AutoAlligator]

Agreed.

[@karenblackadder1183]

Same here. I was and still am in Cumbria. Throughout the 70s, it was one pathetic, weak government after another. The unions were holding the entire country to ransom. Inflation was rocketing. She had to do something drastic. Good job she was a lot tougher (not to mention smarter) than those before her. Didn't always agree with her, but couldn't liking and respecting her.

[@ProfessorBernardFuck]

I was born in the late 60s. I grew up in a market town that was surrounded by mining ones in the north east. In retrospect I understand the end goal was in Britain's interest, but I did see the devastation she wreaked on so many communities around me. People stuck in towns with no jobs for years on end, which also meant the few jobs available could pay rock bottom wages. I never saw any upside in my surroundings until well into the 90s, so my personal view of Thatcher's reign will forever remain negative.

[@AutoAlligator]

@@ProfessorBernardFuck Unfortunate. While I understand some of what you said I think you represent an ignorance that made it impossible for England to function. Mrs Thatcher was the remedy to your particular malady. God rest her.

[@ProfessorBernardFuck]

@@AutoAlligator To say the only way to solve an industrial dispute is by destroying the industry is representing ignorance. Both Germany and Japan experienced strikes and walkouts, yet they managed to resolve them all without closing down all their industries, which is why they still have a healthy manufacturing heartland while Britain is at the mercy of the financial service sector. Thatcher was the end to some people's particular malady, but to the rest she was the cause of it, hence the reverence/hatred in equal measure she invokes.

[@ProfessorBernardFuck]

To emphasise how unfair the poll tax was, as a 19 year old still living with my parents, I received a poll tax bill for £600, which at the time was well over a month's income. The Duke of Westminster, at the time the richest man in Britain (he owns most of central London) only had to pay £180. Under the previous rates system, our household (aka my dad) had to pay £800 per year, under the poll tax our family of four paid £2,400. It was the most politically suicidal decision she made. Most people at the time didn't give 2 craps about europe or any of the other stuff, but the poll tax was something else!

[@mairiconnell6282]

My cousin was killed during the Falkland conflict I remember the three day week, Arthur Scargell and the Miners strike, quite awful days with Communities completely wiped out just like Detroit today. I hated her but recognise her achievements. I liked the fact that when she was challenged by the USA not to retake the Falklands she retorted, would America give up on Hawaii. Similarly, when she hauled Regan over the coals about his invasion of Grenada, she had to remind him that Grenada was actually a BIOT just like Diego Garcia and he had declared War on the UK. However, her stance against the murderous IRA for me was outstanding. I believe that saved countless lives not just here but abroad as other Countries followed suit and never gave into terrorism. As for her rightful in my opinion scientism of the European Union she was spot on for me.

[@peterjackson4763]

The three day week was under Edward Heath in the 1970s.

[@imnotyourfriendbuddy1883]

After Bobby Sands died the violence got much worse. Thatcher could have prevented that with relatively minor symbolic concessions. Her hardline stance just poured fuel on the fire. Also the IRA won unofficial political status in The Maze. Years of violence in the streets just to make sure prisoners of the Crown know they were subjects of the Crown.

[@mairiconnell6282]

@@imnotyourfriendbuddy1883 A terrorist is just that on both sides.

[@peterjackson4763]

@@imnotyourfriendbuddy1883 It is extremely unlikely that it would have reduced the violence.

[@jackdubz4247]

Maggie was pro-single market and customs union. Are you?

[@rickybuhl3176]

The Newsweek magazine cover at the time, with "The Empire Strikes Back" and an aircraft carrier in the background was bloody amazing in terms of early memology..

[@LemonChick]

When he says "Europe" he just means the EU. Sloppy language which to be fair is very common.

[@Isleofskye]

very common market,in fact...

[@razor1uk610]

Simon Whistler also mangled _Heseltine_ [hess-el-tie-ine] into Hestateane ..perhaps he was hungry and got mixed up with that cook Heston Blloominghell and a loli?

[@karenward267]

I was a teenager during the 70's. Thatcher was a lightening rod. She was either liked or disliked. The Falklands Wars definitely gave her and the conservatives a boost. Bobby Sands had recently died when I first emigrated to San Francisco. Due to its large, vibrant Irish community, I was advised not to go to any of the Irish bars because I had an English accent, which was very sad as I trained as a nurse with a wonderful group of Irish nurses, and was invited to visit their homes in Ireland.

[@ladykaycey]

I was a teenager in the 80s. I worked in a Royal Naval base and our cars were routinely stopped and checked underneath them for bombs. It was a very real threat.

[@karenward267]

@@ladykaycey OMG. My brother was based in Plymouth during this time. It was hard to be in the US and have him in the Royal Navy during this time. I watched a documentary years later and finally understood how devastating the Exocet missiles were to the RN. I’m very glad you and your shipmates came home safe and sound.

[@ladykaycey]

@@karenward267 I wasn't in the navy, I was a civil servant in the naval base. There were thousands of us, both white and blue collar workers. The threat was very real for everyone.

[@vinnyganzano1930]

As a football fan born in Glasgow there was a song sung by the fans of one certain team following the death by hunger strike of bobby sands as he was an ira terrorist. I won't quote all the lyrics I'm sure they're out there but it did enquire "could ye go a chicken supper bobby sands?"

[@RyanMcnll]

Thatcher completely obliterated the north of england and sunk the north into a massive recession

[@timglennon6814]

Us Brits used to say that Ronald Reagan was Margaret Thatcher’s bit on the side. 🤣

[@adamclark6756]

I was 19 when she came to power and the country changed seemingly overnight. I grew up in a community based society and post Thatcher i live in a 'me, me, me' society. She had no compassion in her politics and that was the saddest thing. I have nothing good to say about her really.

[@Isleofskye]

MCJIBBIN RED ALERT !! This WILL split your viewers right down the middle as there is no middle ground. She is either the best peacetime PM ever or the worst so get your popcorn...:)

[@generaladvance5812]

I wasn't born at the time so I don't have any strong opinions about her. I'm an outlier.

[@Isleofskye]

That's a fair and honest answer. I was very much there, even working amidst all the National newspapers in Fleet Street, Central London, and saw The Unions marching "Maggie, Maggie, Maggie, Out! Out! Out! " was all around there then as they knew their little game was over as The Unions totally ran the show even telling The Employers which printers they could employ (family and friends ). Then she shut them down.The Sun moved to Wapping and one by one they all left the area for other parts of London so they are now scattered all over the place/.

[@PaulMcCaffreyfmac]

She's certainly not the worst. We have that now :)

[@linky8899]

im in 50% that fkn hate her

[@m68lanc]

As someone that lived through her time in office I can honestly say you either loved or hated her, it was as simple as that. I was working as a Butler in London in the early 1990’s and she came to the residence I was working at, I was the only English member of staff and she made a point of talking with me. In fact she talked with me for more than half an hour to the dissatisfaction of my employer, she came across as a very charming lady that had a genuine interest in what I had to say. I will never forget that conversation mainly because it made me realise I should never judge someone until I’ve had a chance to get to know them…… I was a northern working class lad that hated Maggie, I ended that day having respect for a lady that had done what she believed was for the best. I’m not saying I agreed with her but I respected her a lot more than I ever expected to.

[@xhogun8578]

Must admit I jump on here to read the comments. Maggie always brings strong feelings either for or against. I am old enough to remember the winter of discontent and living with power cuts. My mother was a staunch conservative and loved Thatcher. My father was Labour, always interesting dinner conversations at our house.

[@jackdubz4247]

I was born in 1979. I am old enough to remember her policy of "managed decline" of the North of England and Scotland. Especially Scotland. She's the reason the Conservative Party was wiped out in Scotland in the 1997 General Election.

[@GaryGernon]

I grew up in Essex, in the South of England. When I speak to older people about her down there the response is generally very positive. I now live in Yorkshire, where it's anything but positive.

[@dib000]

You should come to Wales 🤣😂🤣

[@GaryGernon]

@@dib000 I can imagine 😂

[@tbrowniscool]

I'm from Yorkshire and 32 and looking at what thatcher did I am torn. People were dancing in the street when she died. But I see why she did those things.

[@GaryGernon]

@@tbrowniscool I'm 39 and was born in 1982 so whilst I do remember her in power I was only a kid. I spent 32 of those years in a southern echo chamber so maybe I'm a little biased but many people of my parents age down there speak glowingly in reference to her. I've even heard her referred to as our greatest prime minister ever on several occasions. After the financial insecurity of the 70's a lot of people down there suddenly had money to burn under Thatcher... Then again, there's not many coal mines in Essex 🤔

[@davidfarley1803]

Maggie’s in the mud, in the mud Maggie’s in the mud 🤣🤣🤣 hated by everyone in the North 👍🏻

[@tmarritt]

My family both suffered and boomed under her, my parents moved to London stated a buisness and made good money, but my relatives with less education and mobility quickly found themselves out of work, and it's been like that for three generations.

[@elunedlaine8661]

I was living in an ex-mining village in South Yorkshire in the year 2000. The whole community was affected by the local pit closure. The miners lost their jobs - in total over167,000 miners became unemployed countrywide. The mining families weren't earning so the local shops suffered as no-one had any money to buy goods. The villages are still suffering over 35 years later. In addition to the pit closures, we lost the steel works and the ship building yards. Very few people living in 'The North' of England have a good word to say about Thatcher's reign

[@Isleofskye]

At least Arthur Scargill got to buy his NUM Union flat valued at £2 Million in Barbican,London so not all bad...

[@jpw6893]

Labour actually closed more mines. Anyone got a good word for them?

[@Isleofskye]

@@jpw6893 After living in an area so solidly Labour that they had their National HQ in our High Street, I have a very good word for them......xxxxS....

[@jpw6893]

@@Isleofskye is it twats?

[@Isleofskye]

@@jpw6893 lol. Well the 4th letter is "t" but I was thinking of a word starting with "c" :)

[@revbenf6870]

You probably need to distinguish Europe the continent from the EEC (a purely economic entity) and what it morphed into, the EU with an explicit goal of political union. So the UK sees itself as European historically and in many ways, but not necessarily in terms of becoming part of a single entity. The word integration implied giving up sovereignty to become part of a larger entity.

[@paul1979uk2000]

In truth, there was a lot of politics in the EEC, after all, a lot of the rules and regulations of it's members needed to be the same to allow the free flow of trade, basically, integration was happening way before the UK even joined the EEC and it's always something people mistake, the EU trade zone compared to a free trade deal which are not even in the same ballpark of openness and as a Canadian politician once said during Brexit, he would have loved to have the same trade terms the UK had whiles in the EU compared to the free trade deal Canada got with the EU, a lot of people confuse the two when they are nothing alike. Besides, it's common sense, if you want more open trade, the laws, rules and regulations have to be more or less the same for it to work, in other words, you can't have a true economic union without a political union and that's something a lot of Eurosceptics don't understand.

[@jackdubz4247]

@@paul1979uk2000 Europhobes, I'd never use the term Eurosceptic, are not the most intelligent people walking the Earth right now.

[@kindainvisable]

When she was Education Secretary she removed milk from schools. Children would run around calling her “Thatcher Thatcher Milk Snatcher”. To be fair the milk tended to be warm and disgusting.

[@jpw6893]

Her choice was to cut Milk or teachers.

[@usernamesreprise4068]

As the new Education Secretary she was instructed to make savings in the education sector, what all these haters either don't know or don't care to know was that during the second world war severe rationing had to be imposed on the population since the Germans were sinking so many of our supply ships at the time - and half of them naturally were for munitions supply, all at a time when childhood rickets was still a very serious problem amongst the western worlds lower class's, and with that in mind the government decreed ALL school children HAD to stay for compulsory school dinners AND were to be given half a pint of fresh milk daily to ward off rickets............for the DURATION of hostilities only !. .......twenty four years later and under NO rationing and in a recovering economy they were STILL getting it ! it was Ted Heath who ORDERED her much against her heartstrings as a mother to end it. I remember it well getting my school milk...........trouble was we were getting so much at home by now we simply didn't WANT it and used to squander it. as a scheme it was wasting millions the education industry could have put to better use...........and the left wasted NO time in circulating the "Thatcher Thatcher milk snatcher meme against her like she was some kind of pariah even though THEY had first thought up the idea under Harold Wilson's previous government !

[@davidhoward2487]

@@jpw6893 I remember her saying that families should afford to buy milk, and really we could...

[@davidhoward2487]

@@usernamesreprise4068 Fair post....thanks....

[@lordschwann5417]

Was beginning to think i was the only one that thought bout the milk. Was actually happy it got axed.

[@evorock]

Interesting that you are covering Thatcher. I was one of "Thatcher's children" (born in 75 but my childhood was lived under the rule of Thatcher). She was premier during an interesting time, because it was the second height of the cold war, with Maggie agreeing with Reagan to house mid range ICBMs at Greenham Common in Berkshire, which put an even bigger target on the UK for the Russians. This led to huge protests by CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament), and the filming of a lovely little film called "Threads" about Sheffield, before, during and after a nuclear war. In terms of the country, where I grew up (in leafy, fairly well off Hampshire on the south coast) the effects were not that bad, but up north, it was nothing short of horrendous

[@ladykaycey]

I was a teenager in Scotland, living in a county of mining villages. It was awful.

[@jpw6893]

@@ladykaycey and yet Labour closed far more mine. For some reason she gets all the blame.

[@ladykaycey]

@@jpw6893 I'm neither defending or accusing. Just stating how it was in the 80s in my part of Scotland.

[@jdbdiwi2333]

@@jpw6893 she destroyed the social safety nets and absolutely antagonized the people who's lives her policies destroyed. Her and Reagan destroyed us with their neoliberal economic bs.

[@jpw6893]

@@jdbdiwi2333 she fixed the huge mess the country was in

[@chrisjohnson4165]

She also invented soft ice cream when she was an industrial chemist. BTW, as a school kid, I remember they used to leave the little milk bottles out in the sunshine until it tasted like vomit.

[@karenblackadder1183]

Absolutely!. Kids all over the country were cheering. They would no longer be forced to drink that dreadful milk. To this day, 55years later, I can't stand the taste of milk. Only ever use it in cooking/baking.

[@rafalkaminski6389]

Not a Milk hater, but forcing children to drink i find abusive :)

[@MrBulky992]

@@rafalkaminski6389 Children were not forced to drink milk at school: it was totally voluntary and I never did. After the free milk was removed, the instances of rickets amongst schoolchildren increased significantly.

[@MrBulky992]

@@karenblackadder1183 Most children I was with at school with were happy to drink the milk. I always hated it.

[@bobbyshaftowenttosea5410]

" thatcher controversial? " We don't care, we just want to torment Connor with 100 likes and Christmas studying British pm's.!

[@davidwallin7518]

I think there are more than he thinks!

[@generaladvance5812]

I'm from the South and way too young to have been around for Thatcher, I only know what my dad told me. That the country was a mess due to constant strikes by the unions. Rubbish building up for weeks in the streets and near constant power cuts. That she finally got the unions on a leash and defended British citizens abroad during the Falklands conflict.

[@icechoc]

See, in Wales she's extremely unpopular because of the coal mines.

[@AutoAlligator]

Your Dad is right.

[@michaelfoster5577]

People forget that her government closed fewer coal mines in a longer time in office than the Labour governments led by Harold Wilson

[@vinnyganzano1930]

@@icechoc She's still unpopular in Scotland too but the unions needed a swift response to how much power labour gave them.

[@Dunk1970]

@@icechoc If you ask people who they think closed the mines, 99% of people will leap to say Margaret Thatcher, such is the propaganda that the left has spread. Yet she and Heath before her presided over the slowest rate of pit closures across the entire period of decline. Between 1947 and 1994, some 950 mines were closed by UK governments. Clement Attlee’s Labour government closed 101 pits between 1947 and 1951; Macmillan (Conservative) closed 246 pits between 1957 and 1963; Wilson (Labour) closed 253 in his two terms in office between 1964 and 1976; Heath (Conservative) closed 26 between 1970 and 1974; and Thatcher (Conservative) closed 115 between 1979 and 1990. Attlee : 25 pits per year Macmillan : 41 pits per year Wilson : 31 pits per year Heath : 7 pits per year Thatcher : 10 pits per year That’s Labour closing 354 in just 12 years (30 per year!). Conservatives closing 387 in 21 years (18 per year). It had been a long steady reduction for 32 years prior to her coming into power and she oversaw fewer pits closing per year than had been happening already. She essentially inherited a great mess across several dying industries from previous governments. Note: I am not purely blaming one party over the other for said mess. This topic is about Thatcher though and not the Conservatives or Labour. Thatcher oversaw a change in the economic focus areas for the country that saw us change from being the sick man of Europe to getting back on the road to being a solid economy again. She sought to reduce the stranglehold of power the unions had down to reasonable levels, particularly around the legitimacy of strike action. Levels that the Labour party did not choose to reverse during their 13 year reign from 1997 to 2010. To quote Blair addressing the TUC at the beginning of his tenure: "Modernise your political structures as we have done in the Labour party. Influence with this government and with me is not determined by anything other than the persuasiveness of your arguments." "The old ways - resolutions, the committee rooms, the fixing, the small groups trying to run the show - have no future.” "New trade unionism - that is your aim. Partners for progress. That is your slogan." "Let's build trade unions that are creative, not conservative, that show they can work with management to make better companies.” "Unions that people join not just out of fear of change or exploitation, but because they are committed to success.” "Unions that look forwards, not backwards, that support workers as they are, and foster the adaptability they need to be secure in a competitive and fast changing world." "We will not go back to the days of industrial warfare, strikes without ballots, mass and flying pickets, secondary action and all the rest." No party wanted the unions to have the tyranical powers that they once wielded.

[@johnwatt5921]

I was a child demonstrating Maggie and she destroyed all the company's and communities. she destroyed not just Scotland but northern England which we stand in solidarity with my brothers and sisters from the north of England. you are not alone in the struggle

[@davehoward22]

She put loads of my family on the steel works picket line here in Sheffield

[@collywobbles1163]

Nope. She opened up the North and got away with the doll. Only thing we got was Cheryl Cole. A chav type footballers wife. America didn't even want her because her accent was so not understandable. And, Susan Boyle. A huge global success. The MEN in the North and Scotland however are proving lack lustre and lazy. Which is anti Thatcherism. Education in UK is free, so make the most of it. Only way out of poverty. I think it should be the other way around. Parents pay for schooling and University free. If, you can get marks to get in. The thought of me paying tax into a schooling system that only produces chavs. Who can't read nor do any Maths. Is wholly shocking. I agree with the Poll tax. Pay per person rather than council tax. I ALSO think National Insurance in UK should be paid from birth and not from 16 or 18. If the poll tax had been inbedded the landscape now would have been very different. As, there are a lot of people who own country homes and Estates but don't pay council tax... The only thing currently the Scottish have going for them as a global income is Scotch aka Whisky. The oil and gas is owned by England via the independent corporate aka Duchy of Lancaster. So, even if Scotland voted independence. Nothing for the Scots would change until the Duchy of Lancaster was dissolved. Which won't happen anytime soon. Like Brexit will mean Scotland get less money from the UK and England. Living of money from Scotch, which is actually Whisky and an Irish invention....

[@RaceSimCentral]

I'm from the north of England and I think a lot of northern communities lost out through her policies. She was universally hated where I'm from.

[@timglennon6814]

Yes, she hated us Northerners with a passion. The 🐄

[@spirosgreek1171]

Fun Fact: During one european summit, the then Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou (democratic socialist in ideology. A really big name in greek political history) was speaking, with Thatcher constantly interrupting him and arguing with him over what was said (differences in ideology most likely), until Papandreou lost his cool and said "My lady, you have broken our balls!" (In greece, the expression is used as a way of saying to someone that they have pissed us off/triggered our nerves)

[@samrevlej9331]

Wow, the expression also exists in Greek? I thought it was only a Romance language thing. We have it in French too.

[@dannymcgovern40]

I’m from Ayrshire in Scotland and when I left school the unemployment rate was 1 in 3.

[@JamesChiles]

I think those who lived through the Thatcher years tend to have a slightly different view on Maggie than others - which I guess is inevitable. I try to view her with slightly more nuance than some of my friends, as to them she is simply a figure of hate and ridicule. However, when you personally saw the effects of her policies on those around you, with unemployment, inequality and egotism becoming increasingly dominant factors, it's hard to view her kindly.

[@karenblackadder1183]

I was working by the early 70s. This country was dying, thanks to one pathetic government after another. Tough decisions had to be made and she made them. We lost our business and went from living in a big bungalow to a 24foot caravan. I don't bear her any ill will. The people who really annoy me are those who were either small children or not even born in 70s and early 80s venting their bile about a time of which they know nothing.

[@timglennon6814]

I’m 49 years old, and I lived through this Thatcher 💩.

[@peterhall8572]

Bresnev took Afghanistan Reagan took Beirut, Galtieri took the Union Jack, so Maggie over lunch one day took a cruiser with all hands, apparently to make him give it back

[@penzil8901]

She once comments in Soviet Russia that communism is bad ,a news paper guy in Russia called her iron lady because she was the only one who insult communism in Russia from whole west.

[@soozb15]

I was 15 when Thatcher came to power. In the following decade, I feel that our communities had broken down irretrievably and each person was out for themselves. I miss pre-Thatcher society. Of course, she thought 'society didn't even exist...

[@iainsan]

Whatever people's views on Thatcher's politics are, she was remarkable for two main things. First, to go to Oxford University at a time when there were no student grants or loans, despite being from a relatively humble background. Second, to become party leader and Prime Minister at a time when women were not expected to do that and sexism was almost universal.

[@skyebates246]

She didn't really come from humble beginnings though her father was a successful shop owner.

[@iainsan]

@@skyebates246 Her background was humble compared to 99% of university students in the 1940s, who were mainly from the upper middle class or above. She got into Oxford on a scholarship.

[@PaulMcCaffreyfmac]

@@iainsan What is a scholarship if not a grant?

[@iainsan]

@@PaulMcCaffreyfmac Scholarships are rare and awarded to only a few outstanding students. Grants and loans go to anyone who qualifies for university, which is about 50% of every annual cohort. In Thatcher's day, only an elite 3% went to university.

[@FortisConscius]

"Yes, the medicine is harsh but the patient NEEDS it!" - Margaret Thatcher, talking about her reforms / policies. She was a fiercly stubborn libertarian with almost zero pragmatism. Libertarians love her. Socialists hate her. Conservatives don't care much either way for her. She existed at a time socialism failed hard and conservatism offered little better. Hence the hero status in Eastern Europe (she was the brutal antidote to communism / socialism). Libertarian was ripe for the time. Cometh the hour, cometh the woman. Libertarianism did leave the more dependent people down and out. Mining communities, for example, who had invested their whole lives on a job for life seeming unwavering behind the protection of unions. The pendulum swung too far, but it HAD to swing from it's other extreme position. She really needed a hammer and nails but came in like a sledgehammer instead. My 2c.

[@valeriedavidson2785]

Margaret Thatcher was a fantastic leader and most Conservatives loved her. Yes, she made mistakes but she transformed this country and gave us back our pride in Britain. We have never had such a good, strong leader since.

[@zxadf1581]

@@valeriedavidson2785 agreed but her globalist policies gave our manufacturing power to germany. much better than blair, but im not even going to start on how much damage she did to my family and others.

[@panther7748]

@@valeriedavidson2785 She ruined your socio-economical stability and set the path for a Britain outside the process of european integration (=weak and divided). "Pride" and a victory against an militarily inferior power doesn't help international interests or the economy. Let's face it: The anti-EU sentiment is for the most part a reaction to social and regional inequality, something the british people blamed the EU for while in reality it was Thatcherism and the actions the following governments who created these issues. In other words: The pro-Brexit camp voted for a separation from the only institution that tried to help poorer communities, most of which were empoverished by your "strong leader" Thatcher in the first place.

[@mickc7388]

@@panther7748 What a load of drivel you utter, are you related to Arthur Scargill ?

[@michaelquinn2614]

The president of France, Franciòs Mitterrand, claimed she had the lips of Marilyn Monroe and the eyes of Caligula

[@samrevlej9331]

Didn't know that, but then again Mitterrand had a way with words. (P.S.: it's "François").

[@secrets.295]

Thatcher is the greatest PM in British history in my opinion. She changed the British economy to a whole new level. Whatever decision she made was strictly about the economy and what will benefits the UK the most. She has an Asian style leadership. The politicians these days all they do is to play politics and they hardly do a thing about the economy.

[@romystumpy1197]

I agree

[@tinytank6642]

Wish my family could also benefit from her “economic leadership”. My town was devastated.

[@gillcawthorn7572]

I remember seeing her at some sort of open air meeting where a number of school children of a young age had been gathered together .Mrs. Thatcher the Prime Minister was in attendance and quickly noticed how cold the little children were getting ." We can`t have this" she exclaimed" let`s do some exercises" and dressed in her formal clothes ,hat and handbag ,she proceeded to do a series of star jumps ,to encourage the children. I thought her total lack of personal embarrassment was admirable, her only thought was of the children`s wellbeing in the cold. ( By the way ,apropos your remark about the age of your viewers ,I am in my 8th decade ,lived all through this)

[@TheZad101]

The song ding dong the witch is dead got to number 2 on uk singles charts number 1 in Scotland.

[@bobbralee1019]

Next to Brexit this is the most divisive topic surrounding British Politics, definitely not the worst British PM, I'm sure you need to look a lot closer to todays date to find out who that is.

[@maryjsum]

Agreed. This revue is totally biassed against her. Try to find a more balanced critique

[@RaceSimCentral]

Where I'm from she was utterly hated at the time, which is why the label probably did fit within some communities. But I agree.

[@bobbralee1019]

@@maryjsum I guess any bias is probably viewed from your opinion of her before you watched, I didn't think it was at all biased against her.

[@bobbralee1019]

@@RaceSimCentral Like you I come from an area that didn't fair well under Thatcher, the prevailing opinion is that she destroyed more industry in my home town than the German Luftwaffe.

[@ZombieATAT]

Where I live there were street parties when she died. If you're looking for some interesting UK videos try these; The Life and Lies of Boris Johnson. The Dark Side of Winston Churchill.

[@Lemmys_Mole]

Economically she "saved" the UK, except in the industrial communities, socially she absolutely destroyed it...she's gone, the last horcrux 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@martingregory9881]

Stopping the free milk was to most of us kids a real joy . It came in 1/3 pint bottles and for some reason in a lot of schools it was kept on the window sill and in the summer it baked and in the winter it froze . Even to this day I still prefer Thatcher to Blair .

[@dib000]

Wow!!

[@hachwarwickshire1718]

She voted against the ending of free milk. She was just the minister who had to enforce it.

[@peterchapman3740]

i was a yop boy shit wages still now as working class i agree , blair was a wanker and still is

[@mickc7388]

History will prove that Blair was the worse PM in this country.

[@rafalkaminski6389]

Sounds to me like a huge public wasting in process :)

[@dirtbikerman1000]

I'm 42, I was born in 1980. I lived in a mining village in South Yorkshire My dad, uncles and grandad worked at the mine. At 4 years old I remember the miners strike. The miners fought the police. I used to have to walk in the deep snow at 4 years old to a communal canteen to eat because there was no money or food. The miners made a snowman at the picket line and a police car try to run it over but it was built around a concrete bollard hahaha I bet that was so funny haha 🤣

[@andrewfree9766]

Listen to her speeches and interviews. Her last day in Parliament as Prime Minister she wiped the floor with them all.

[@user-ko7oq1pr9j]

I remember the coal strikes, and the battles. Thatcher won’t ever be thought of fondly in Yorkshire

[@monkeydust100]

She may have been hated by alot of people but at least she made decisions without constant U turns.

[@shakya00]

I think you got your answer about "were politics always that dividing". For the difference between libertarians and conservatives : the libertarians are in favor of both civil and economic liberties while conservatives are conservatives on the moral/civil side but usually in favor of some economic freedom. But it depends of the country and each conservative may have a very different view on the economy. As far as I've seen many conservatives in the USA are relatively pro-free markets so they may look similar as libertarians on the economy but in reality they are often protectionists and are in favor of corporate welfare which is not the case of the libertarians. Being euroskeptic/anti-EU has nothing to do with being against "Europe". She was skeptical about the European Union project but she wasn't against "Europe" that is a continent. Many people here in Europe also confuse Europe and the EU so not surprising that an American is confused too especially when the guy in the video say she was "anti-Europe", he should have said "anti-EU" it is more correct. Btw she wasn't totally against EU if it was only a single market for example. She was against the creation of a kind of European States that have more and more power and didn't want the taxpayer to pay billions of dollars to the EU as a contribution each year as they did back then. Now speaking of the video, I'm not expert on Thatcher and the UK but it seems unfair to put her the blame of coal mines closing. First of all, many coal mines closed before and after her. Second, the same happened in many European countries, that's just the way it had to go because : way cheaper coal was available, less coal ressources with time, extremely polluting process, dangerous and badly paid for the workers and other energy sources emerged as alternatives. She just wanted to stop subisidizing unprofitable coal mines...And as every business, if you lose money you eventually close your business and that's what happened throughout Europe (not only in the UK and under Thatcher..) and still happening today but more for ecological reasons.

[@jamesleate]

But she was openly racist, used the police as her own private army and sold off the Nation's assets cheaply to her rich friends. She stole national assets, violently attacked her own citizens. She destroyed unions and then FORCED YOUNG UNEMPLOYED people to take up slave positions at big companies where they had to do a years contract for £5 per DAY with full time hours. At the end of the contract there was nothing to stop them dropping the current slave and picking up a new one (Although it was supposed to be a kind of apprenticeship, after 1 year they had to hire the YTS at normal rate or drop them). £25 a week didn't cover bus fare and lunch for 5 days back then and you had to take the position as you were not eligible for any assistance otherwise. That was social security under Thatcher.

[@pedanticlady9126]

@@jamesleate lol 😁 a somewhat extreme interpretation imho. That's not quite how I remembered it 🤔 and I was a "dyed in the wool" Labour voter. However, in 1983 a Michael Foot led Labour Party was a step too far for me. Had to go with "The Gang of Four" and the SDP as a one off.

[@tonybennett4159]

It's wrong to say that libertarians are in favour of both civil and economic liberties. In Thatcher's time the latter was certainly true and her espousal of Reaganite policies in the UK led to the start of ever widening inequalities in society, mainly because she destroyed collective bargaining and gave all the power to the bosses. As a gay man, however, I saw a reversal of liberties that had begun in the 70s, and her establishment of section 38 was a spiteful move against gay people, so no civil liberties there. She even denounced those who said people had an "unalienable" right to be gay, they do, if they're gay, hell yes. Finally her most telling statement was "There is no such thing as society, only individuals within a society". This was not only a signal that selfishness could be a good thing, but with her background in science was tellingly incorrect. Our pre-eminence as a species was founded on the ability to co-operate. On the plains, an individual wielding a pointed stick at a group of lions would have been devoured. Twenty co-operating humans forming a circle with pointed sticks facing outward would have survived. The go-it-alone individual would have been eliminated from the gene pool. This is the basis of why we developed empathy and looking after one another. If Thatcher didn't mean that, she should never have said it in the first place. It's a sentence that will continue to dog her.

[@rafalkaminski6389]

@@tonybennett4159 i agree with that society is an abstract construct :)

[@the_9ent]

She did more harm than good and split this country leaving swathes of the north and Scotland to rot while the south of England became rich.

[@allenraysmith6885]

PM Tony Blair was a member of the Labor Party. He was liberal and wanted to modernize Britan. He came into office in 1997.

[@StuJee1]

He was a radical

[@MatgoStyles]

Calling coal mines "the economic engine" of communities is misleading. Most mines were unprofitable and therefore had to be subsidised by the Government.

[@steveaga4683]

Hmmm! Not strictly true! It was stated that the Welsh coalminers were the most productive in Europe.....unfortunately, they could not compete with subsidised German coal!

[@dianerogers8805]

The miners priced themselves out of the market, strikes high wages. If firms could get it cheaper abroad they did. My grandad was a miner in South Wales when they used picks.

[@steveaga4683]

@@dianerogers8805 please read my earlier comment

[@dianerogers8805]

@@steveaga4683 And what is your point?

[@steveaga4683]

@@dianerogers8805 my point is that our miners were amongst the most productive....and profitable....in Europe! I am tired of people saying that they could not hold their own in the industry.

[@pauldurkee4764]

She was seen as divisive in her time. She forged a very strong bond with president Reagan and together they sent a very strong message to the soviet union. The agreement to house US nuclear weapons here was a controversial one, and a strong contrast to the europeans who were I believe afraid to take that step, she always called the european leaders a weak lot. She was a strong woman who didn't take any crap, she was a proper leader. There isn't a male politician in britain today who has the guts she had.

[@Ozvideo1959]

She was a bitch. A supposedly working class candidate who was quick to assume an air of superiority, with her assumed accent and was also, like Reagan in the US, quick to turn on her working class roots and crush unions.

[@belindakennedy5828]

Being a Scot I hated her at the time because she treated Scotland as trash instead of being in a union together,the mcCrone report which she put under the title as top secret Made me so angery, but was released under the freedom of information act in the late 90s,along with the poll tax 12 months before any other country in the union was hit with it.thats not a union that's domanation.

[@andrewfisher9125]

Bobby Sands, 'Slimmer of the Year 1981' (he had a telephone in his Jail cell... the number was 808080... ate nothing ate nothing ate nothing). I was doing my second tour when he died.

[@NewkemG]

Her biggest legacy was a love for her country and an absolute conviction to make it better . Her determination and refusal to detour from her plans was both her greatest quality and also her downfall. One thing that can’t be denied is she was respected on the world stage (and also a little feared ) There wasn’t an ounce of diluting or changing what she had to say for PR purposes . A Russian TV show (where guests would routinely perform a dance at the end of the show ) asked her to do said dance . The response was a resounding no and an incredulity that such a question would be asked of the British Prime Minister . Today’s clowns would do it in a heartbeat .

[@PaulMcCaffreyfmac]

I'm 68 and remember Thatcher well. Still one of the the most divisive of leaders she was a prime moving force in moving world politics to the right. I personally (and from a selfish point of view) had an extremely good '80s but in that time Thatcher ennabled the selling off of many state owned assets at knock down prices allowing mainly rich people to own what used to belong to all of us. She also allowed people to buy their own council houses ( local council owned houses and flats available for working folk to rent at reasonable prices without profit being the prime motive) and in doing so put working folk on the property ladder making them less likely to strike and putting them in debt to banks and bankers. Compared to what we have now she seems almost reasonable, certainly honest, but she opened the flood gates for profiteering, malpractice by big financial institutions and the feeling that profit is more important than people. On balance - for me - she remains a baddie.

[@peterchapman3740]

and the unions and such did the same before and still now ,where there is money to be made ,you will find a cunt

[@babalonkie]

"How you feel about Margaret Thatcher?" That is a question that could spark a civil war. She was cold, too cold.

[@babalonkie]

@Martin Skovgaard She dead... Just like her legacy did yesterday...

[@babalonkie]

@Martin Skovgaard Not been paying attention to recent political events then...

[@paranoidgenius9164]

I'll tell you a little rhyme that was sung, when I was at school at 7 years old "Here's Maggie Thatcher, Throw her up & catch her, Squish squash, squish squash, There's Maggie Thatcher!"

[@AndrewwarrenAndrew]

I grew up under Thatcher as the son of disabled working class parents, she made our lives very tough. As usual the rich got richer. I will never vote conservative.

[@marcbiff2192]

The country was a bloody mess in the 70s she sorted it out.

[@andynixon2820]

I was born in the 60s so can remember the 70s and 80s well . Yes at that time politics were just as ( or maybe more) divisive as they are now but the battle lines were built more on class loyalties . But , like her or loath her Thatcher fundamentally changed those old class loyalties for most people. So we had political peace as a result in the 90s and 2000s but the legacy for those left in destroyed industrial places was terrible. Its no wonder they hate her .

[@spencemorgan8002]

Ha ha. Who needs Europe ha ha love you buddy. I'm here to learn 😁🍺

[@peterbrown1012]

Although Thatcher was the first female Prime Minister she had no females in her cabinet. Churchill lost the general election before the end of the second world war, he thought people would be appreciative of him so called an election to ensure he would be PM in peace time, people didn't want a war leader in peace time, he was against having the NHS, Labour won and brought in the NHS in 1948.

[@davidhoward2487]

Best thing that ever happened is the NHS...

[@maudeboggins9834]

Growing up in London in the 70's I can remember many many times when we had to leave our classrooms because of bomb threats. The IRA were always in our background. I was shopping with my mother in Harrods in December 1983 Hans Crescent corner. 24 hours later a bomb went off killing & injuring many people.

[@allenraysmith6885]

You had a good point about politics. Today everything is so divided! It used to be that the two party's would work together, compromise and find a solution. But now, like you said, the party not in power wants the party in power to fail and the nation fail . It's sad.

[@gillcawthorn7572]

I have often heard it said that a good government needs a good opposition . The present parties concentrate on infighting and attempts for self agrandisment, whether in power or in waiting .

[@mizzfunkybox10]

I was born at the end of her premiership but ai do know that my family lost everything. She starved them and the young members of the family were forced to move and start businesses in the South. The rest if the family left behind had awful lives, if you were sick or old you had no hope at all. As a young person I'm greatful for what she did for our country because I personally benefited from it, but I wish she could of been kinder to our people, shown then respect and dignity, and if it wasn't for Queen Elizabeth South Afric would of stayed a racest hell hole so yeah she achieved a lot but she hurt so many people.

[@allenraysmith6885]

I love the Biographies done by Simon!❤ He makes it so interesting!

[@cobbler9113]

To my knowledge, Bobby Sands was elected as an MP for Sinn Fein in 1980 for Belfast West (major Irish nationalist stronghold) when he was in prison. Sinn Fein MP’s elected to the House of Commons refuse to take their seats (a tradition they’ve upheld since 1918) as MP’s have to swear allegiance to the Monarch which is incompatible with their Irish Republican views.

[@fleshen]

I was a young boy whose family came from Wales but was brought up in an industrial English city, this was an awful time whatever side you were on!

[@robinhooduk8255]

i was born in the constituency next to thatchers and my grandmother was a campaigner and leafleter for the conservatives and i met her when i was 4yo. i would say it was just as divided, but the division wasnt as it is now, online. it was area based, in working class north london/enfield she was a hero, employment was booming in non-unionised industrial work. but for single industry industrial towns of the north it was hell, we didnt care though as those unions had made life hell for working class people in north london not in unions, so fuq'em, well thats the way we working class londoners thought.

[@dennisesplin3285]

I liked Michael Foot until I met him. I disliked Margaret Thatcher until I met her. He refused autographs. She pushed Police out of the way and signed. Scary. Impressive. In charge.

[@dennisesplin3285]

Michael Foot was of course the hero of the Labour Left. He was an old school praetorian intellectual. Funnily enough he was a friend and fellow socialist of my family friend Fenner Brockway CND founder Labour Party Secretary under Labour Prime Minister Ramsey MacDonald. A great orator. But politically nieve. Ref Cenitaph Donkey Jacket incident. Margaret Thatcher would not make such obvious mistakes. Discuss.

[@peterhill4100]

I lived about 2 miles from Orgreave during the 1980's and witnessed the riots and bitter feelings of that time. My two uncles didn't speak to each other for 3 years as one went back to work and the other stayed on strike. The unions needed to be be tamed as people had had enough of so many strikes. Yes she did what was needed but the brutally harsh way she did it destroyed communities and created a lot of division. In the end she fell victim of her own arrogance when she tried to introduce the poll tax. Which was perhaps the most unfair tax of all time as it didn't take into account peoples income. I have an equal mixture of admiration and contempt for her as you have to admire her strength but her uncaring approach alienated so many people

[@user-ko7oq1pr9j]

Can’t be far from me, I’m Kiveton park. We had a viable mine that closed. I remember the families that were split due to the strikes. But yes, the poll tax was her undoing.

[@garethfarman9540]

@@user-ko7oq1pr9j Wilson sacked more miners than Thatcher did. I agree on Poll Tax. Brown was more right wing and Thatcherite than Heath ... the growth in the UK, sinse her , has outstripped anything that went before since the war.

[@danielwhyatt3278]

I would’ve thought the most unfair tax of all time was the window tax.😆

[@gingercat777]

Why were there strikes?......for fun and giggles?.....No, people wanted a living wage. Who closed the mines, shipyards, factories?

[@garethfarman9540]

@@gingercat777 Labour closed more pits and sacked more miners than the Tories. You asked the question.

[@shches8480]

Full disclaimer: I do not live in the UK nor did I grow up during Thatcher's premiership. But I think many people mistakenly assume that things were either better or worse in the past than they are in the present. I think our collective historical memory is quite short and leads people to assume or adopt a rosier version of the past than what perhaps history would likely record. In truth, Thatcher's political reign was quite controversial and likely represented the height of political divisiveness.

[@davidmarsden9800]

If the UK was near Nova Scotia we wouldn't be able to get at the French or Germans easily when needed and we're long overdue a rematch according to Al Murray.

[@npe1]

She said her "medicine" was necessary to cure the British economy, but in reality her policies were based on short term gains and long term problems have ensued as a result of her policies. Britain lost most of its manufacturing base during her years of power and today areas that were once thriving areas of manufacturing - textiles, steel, engineering etc are today wastelands and the people who live there now work in the service industries which pay poor wages in comparison to the relatively well paid work that existed in manufacturing and this has led to social problems which didn't exist in those areas previously. Crime increased and has continued to increase as a result of the hard line monetarism followed by Thatcher and her governments. Even advisors of her political soulmate, Ronald Reagan once remarked to her "Surely you can't build a successful economy based on people opening doors for other people". What she did brought short term gains but ultimately it was not an economic miracle, more of an economic mirage.

[@wolfen210959]

As you will see, while browsing through the comments, she was a very divisive figure. She came to power at a time when the unions had far too much power, she did a good job of lowering their influence within Industry. However, the way she did so was by gutting the Industries where they were powerful. In doing so, she also gutted whole communities in the north of England, who depended on the jobs. She also started the wholesale sell-off of all of our natural resources, the end result being that many foreign companies now own outright the energy production of the whole of the UK. Hence we are dependent on the benevolence, or not, of foreign interests who decide what we have to pay for the energy we produce in our own country. As has been seen over the years, she only started the ball rolling, subsequent Tory governments continued the sell - off, until we are where we are today. We used to be known as a country of shopkeepers, now we are more commonly known as a service economy country. In other words, primarily, we no longer make anything of substance and are simply providing services to those countries that still do.

[@Kernewik101]

And Bliar, thatchers favourite, also continued the sale & dismantling of other utilities/services...we've been paying for this ever since. Mugged

[@oliverflanagan7623]

As a person born in the 1970s and growing up with a family that were through and through labour voters I hated Maggie. She destroyed the unions. Watching the news every night I felt rage at how she could rip everything apart. As a man of 50 now I realised she seen things I didn't. The unions were destroying the businesses themselves. Strike strike strike. No wonder we lost the car industry. Labour leader foot was a communist. As the saying goes as you get older the more right wing you become. I have never been right wing. But at least she saved us from the extreme left

[@tonybennett4159]

I was born in the 40s, and as I've delved more into the history of politics and of the conduct of financial institutions, I've been left with no other choice but to become more left wing. Many of my friends have gone the same way, a few your way, so your generalisation doesn't really hold true.

[@25dimensionsfrancis42]

Love or hate her she had the same iron will as Churchill even though their roots were very different.

[@MrBulky992]

You asked what Mrs Thatcher was saying "no" to in her speech. The three "nos" were in response to 3 tentative proposals made by Jacques Delors, the President of the European Commission, relating to the future development of the institutions of the European Economic Community of which the UK was then part, in furtherance of European integration and 'ever closer union': 1. That the European Parliament should become the EU's elected legislature; 2. That the European Commission (an appointed body) should become its executive; 3. That the Council of Ministers should become the EEC's Senate. I imagine she opposed them because they sounded too much like the trappings of a superstate which would erode the UK's national sovereignty.

[@weewilliewinkle]

Britain is an island standing a minimum of 20 miles off the coast of the mainland of the European continent. We are different to those who live on that mainland and have little inclination to be otherwise. The EU have stated in clear and unambiguous language that all members of the EU must ultimately give up their sovereignty to the EU. That we will not do. Britain has stood on her own very sturdy independent legs for a thousand years and done very nicely thank you. We will continue to value and exercise this independence. There are those who did not want to leave for financial reasons, but this goes beyond mere filthy lucre and there are many who have trouble understanding that. As Churchill said "If the choice is between Europe and the open sea Britain must always choose the open sea."

[@jillosler9353]

The answer depends on your political preference. No different in the States or any other country. Her ethos was it is better to improve your own life than expect the State to do it for you. A great friend of Ronald Reagan and his wife. She was a mother who wept genuine tears at the deaths of our soldiers and sailors in the Falklands War. He is so wrong about the UK attitude to the Falklanders - who to this day prefer to be considered as part of the UK. The reality is that Argentina was going through a severe financial crisis and the President's popularity was failing so he thought 'conquering the Falkland Islands' would bring him kudos via patriotism. It didnt. Unions were ruining this country with strikes at any excuse - while their leaders paid themselves a salary higher than the Prime Minister. Coal was running out so mines were closing - and the relevant Union blamed her. Add that to the fact that no male MP wanted to be governed by a woman - despite the 2 best Monarchs in British history were Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II (women!). At the time she was re-elected more times than any male before her; and has only been equalled by Tony Blair who ruined the country! As for the 'free milk' at school, that was a post-war thing handed out to build up children's health and was never going to be permanent and forever. Maggie Thatcher just happened to be the Minister who ended up the fall guy for a decision made by a vote in The House of Commons! Whenever Labour (left wingers) are in power things always go from bad to worse; and the Conservative Party have the hard task of getting us back in profit. You are so right about your point regarding the Opposition wanting the Government to fail. Despite the haters and those who still can't stand to have a woman in charge, she will remain one of our best and strongest Prime Ministers: the only one ever to stand up to the EU. Her successor John Major was Prime Minister during the first Iraq War.

[@TheOwlOfTheNorth]

Britain is a part of Europe but not EU, it's a big difference.

[@obi-ron]

George III was the king when America declared independence and was the one who the film The Madness of King George was made about

[@deebee1622]

She was a hard faced arrogant piece of work, the ordinary people couldnt stand her, she was very hard on the poor, not a drop of empathy in her, of course, the politicians loved her, but she was hated by the people.

[@NewkemG]

It’s reported that she would correct her ministers spelling and grammar with red pen in Cabinet meetings 😂

[@marktruckingkelly]

Basically the unions ruled Britain and she confronted them head on. Coal mines losing money were closed which ment small communities had a lot of unemployed. She sent an armada to the Falklands and sent the Argentinians packing. She made it possible for ordinary People to buy public housing and many bought their council house. Though she did good and great things, the left never forgave her for closing the mines.

[@darrellpowell6042]

A voted in leader in the UK as Prime Minister has NO set term. The 1st term is the first time you become PM, then if you keep winning elections that term is still just one. So Thatcher won 3 elections back to back in her term of office. A PM has NO set limits of duration, so Thatcher had 11 years as PM in one term of office. In theory a 1 term PM can keep winning elections to stay in power for an unlimited duration but that rarely happens as people would get bored of the same leader and vote them out/ or party out of office. The US sets its term limit in consecutive time as 2 terms of 4 years giving a total of 8 years maximum of two terms. It is

[@justinneill5003]

Basically, Thatcher was excellent on foreign policy, and disastrous on domestic policy.

[@SkepticalSteve01]

If you imagine George III was the worst British monarch, then you obviously haven’t heard about Charles I who kicked off the British Civil War and was eventually decapitated as a sign of Britain’s opinion of the guy. But that didn’t fix the problem with the monarchy - a few kings later, and the British had to invite a couple of Dutch monarchs to take over the throne because the king they were stuck with was the wrong religion. Even with his famous mental health issues (which he eventually got over) the main problem was George III’s government, which among other things was determined to eliminate slavery throughout the empire. And that really didn’t go over well in the American colonies. By the time George III came along the British had long since decided they preferred to govern themselves rather than leave it to some random monarch. You are aware that George Washington was a wealthy landowner who kept numerous slaves and was not known for treating them particularly well? And if America is so advanced, why haven’t you elected a woman president yet?

[@melscienerf5977]

She was a class and area traitor which hurt the poorer classes and areas like a gut punch. She was impressive in her determination, but her lack of empathy and typical Conservative focus on benefitting the rich with decisions in business and social welfare were questionable at best in many ways. I grew up in a mining village. Saw the devastation in the surrounding areas as each pit shut, families separated and moved in desperation to find work. Miners families were in debt up to their eye balls and the mine bosses took no notice of what their workers and communities desperately shouted. The same goes for in the steel towns like Sheffield. Have you ever watched Brassed off? Or The full monty? 🤔

[@Isleofskye]

I was the most working-class area in London where Labour had its National HQ and she gave endless numbers of us the chance to escape social housing and stand on our own 2 feet for which I am eternally grateful. I worked in the Mining Industry in London and it was a holiday camp before they de-centralized to Donny/Notts/Sheffield and Derby...

[@jpw6893]

Labour closed far more mines

[@sandrapaterson8678]

@@jpw6893 so you keep saying 🤣🤣

[@jpw6893]

@@sandrapaterson8678 when you are right, you are right

[@CouncilOfWolves]

When I was in my twenties I despised Thather and her polices ripped apart the coal mining communities of Britain, however she was going after the unions who at the time had the country on it's knees in a stranglehold. They held too much power. Thatcher had her faults, but she was stubborn and didn't back down. She rarely slept and she and Reagan had a unique and special friendship. She liked powerful men but was not intimidated by them and loved challenging debates with them. Today I feel GB could do with a leader like Thatcher. The woman had balls, unlike today's snivelling weasels in power.

[@navigator100group2]

I was an Underground manager in British Coal, from 1982 onwards, She was right and Scargill was wrong. She had principles and didn't do focus groups.

[@alunevans2377]

Denis was a brilliant consort. What people forget that the 1970s the UK was a basket case. If action had not been taken then this country would have gone down the sewer.

[@markpstapley]

Thatcher was strongly in favour of the EEC and the channel tunnel never would never have got built with out her, but she was strongly anti-EU, but never would have wanted us to leave the EU completely. Amazingly, she managed to persuade the EU to give the UK a rebate of millions of pounds every year. She was personally responsible for shipping violent thug police from London to Yorkshire to bash the peaceful striking miners heads in, when the local police were having none of it. She was the first "neo-con" politician in UK history. Everybody new the Poll Tax was completely un-fair and would cause riots and potentially insurrection, but she would not listen and carried on regardless. Never since, has any UK politician attempted to bring in a tax which took no account, what-so-ever, of peoples ability to pay it. You could almost hear the historic American cry of "no taxation without representation" at the time. If the Conservatives had not been cutting back on the military at the time, the brutal dictatorship government in Argentina, put into power and kept in power by the Americans, probably never would have tried invading the Falklands in the first place.

[@paul1979uk2000]

I wonder what Thatcher would have thought of everything that went on with Brexit. Personally, even thought she didn't like the EU, I suspect she would be appalled at what the Tory party have become and done, as now it's more of a party of fanatics.

[@Beefy5039]

Thanks for the invite, but as Al Murray said, The UK & US, two countries divided by a common language and a great big ocean thank fuck. I was in my 20s in the 80s, so saw all this first hand. I grew up in an area where heavy industry, ship building and mining were the predominant industries, and pretty much all were closed shops, ie you couldnt work in the industry unless you were union-affiliated, and they would strike over the slightest thing. Yeah she broke the unions, but they needed breaking, they were far too powerful. Lady M knew that our manual industries couldnt survive and we needed other options. Sending the task force to take back the Falklands gave the country a massive shot in the arm, 8000 miles away or 10 from our shores, if it flys our flag then its ours. Having the balls to order the sinking of the Belgrano. Galterri chose the wrong PM to fuck with, i think. Anyway sorry for the long reply 80s was a fantastic time to be alive imho. For follow ups, i guess you'll be VPN equipped, try BBC iplayer for a shed load of history documentaries on all aspects of British history, culture etc. The troubles are widely covered

[@stuberry1875]

When she died, there were celebrations throughout the UK and beyond. There were enormous parties in particular in the streets of Brixton, Bristol, Glasgow, Derry and Liverpool. To say she was hated is an understatement.

[@DavisS6311]

I’m 58, this time was the beginning of my adult hood, lots of highs but so many low’s

[@darkcat7938]

The 80s in Britain was the last time politics became super divisive. Sections of the population were being thrown on under the bus. It was hell on toast. I was a kid and I can tell you, there were places that due to civil unrest I was not allowed to go... in the 80s, when kids generally did disappear for the entire day to God knows where and when and nobody cared. And now we watch it all go down again. Pffffff, again.

[@johnharling5246]

Many disliked Thatcher at the time but the public saw her as a necessary evil she was tough uncompromising and not afraid of making unpopular decisions such as taking on the unions which turned out to be very popular with the public fedup of being held to ransom by power mad union bosses. She encouraged share ownership, privatised inefficient nationalised industries and allowed people to buy their council houses with massive discounts for long term tenants. Thatcher also built the EEC into a stronger organisation by forming the Single Market and Custom Union but she quickly realised the Eurocrats were hungry for power and she turned against them which was a mistake as they successful mobilised to get her removed from office. During Brexit many of us wanted a Thatcher like PM to treat the Eurocrats like she treated the unions and beat them into submission.

[@jacksonbrown4112]

She was phenomenal. I'm from a pit village in the North East of England, she pulled us to the modern age and had a great philosophy.

[@hanifleylabi8071]

Heap of shite. Tell me what the unemployment rates are in pit villages in the North East of England?

[@omegasue]

Great video, thank you. Many disliked Mrs Thatcher intensely, and many liked her - whatever people thought our country at the time of her first becoming PM was in a mess - we needed someone of true strength and she had that in spades. She had lots of unpleasant things to deal with in order to straighten the country out. But for sure, when I listen to some of her speeches these days, she was fair and just and democratic. It seems of late the world is slipping into some kind of dictatorship nightmare. We've been part of Europe since about 11th century (maybe before) but we're an Island, which I feel, is a real gift - a treasured gift. Churchill said something along the lines of (and I quote) “We have our own dream and our own task. We are with Europe, but not of it. We are linked but not combined. We are interested and associated but not absorbed. If Britain must choose between Europe and the open sea, she must always choose the open sea.”

[@cabdriveruk]

THE ONLY GOOD TORY IS A LAVATORY, She was scum, all tories are scum, straightened the country alright for her rich mates, and all but destroyed everything the country owned including the NHS. You are living in cuckoo land.

[@michaelfoster5577]

@@cabdriveruk utter garbage! I lost two of my family thanks to an understaffed and incompetent NHS. I was charged to park to visit my dying wife. I lost my job, was refused benefits (told my depression had made me make myself unemployed!), lost my house and was taken to court by the Labour council for non payment of council tax. All under a Labour government that had been in power for over 7 years when that all happened. I detest and despise the Labour party, its hypocrisy and the people taken in by socialism. Up yours.

[@pedanticlady9126]

If you have the time listen to Margaret Thatcher's "Bruges Speech". It will answer a lot of your questions about who she was and her attitude to the EU at that time. Make sure you are aware of the time that that the speech was made to keep it in context.