Thatcher - A Very British Revolution

[scottsdad]

Well that's her away now. Dragged out of Downing Street with her fingernails clawing at the door frame. 

Looking back at the series as a whole, and reflecting on it all, I think her time in charge was split between pre-Brighton bomb and post-Brighton bomb. After the bomb she went off the rails a bit, became a complete egotist (taking Norman Tebbit's place in a TV ad; demanding to be the face of the 1987 election, completely doing over colleagues) and convinced she could do no wrong. Her decline since then, and the dementia appearing in the late 90s, makes me think it was starting when she was in office, like Reagan. She should have quit on her 10th anniversary in power; she would have been happier for it, and so would everyone else. 

Also, on Europe. The thing that has ravaged her party ever since. Standing to give a speech in Brighton that fateful day she was flanked by two flags: the Union Flag, and the EU flag. Within a couple of years she was a hardline eurosceptic. But even then she would never accept the UK leaving the single market. Her beef was with the USofE project. These nutters who want no deal now are not remembering her correctly.

 

[Sooky]

She should have quit on her 10th anniversary in power; she would have been happier for it, and so would everyone else. 

 

Thought it was striking towards the end of episode five when Charles Powell, her private secretary, said that he thought she never had a happy day in her life after leaving Downing Street. Which I’m sure will act as some consolation to most members here.

Was an absolutely brilliant and fascinating series. It’s weird being born after the Thatcher era. When you didn’t live through it, it seems almost mythical. You’re sort of brought up with the idea that she completely changed the fabric of the nation, socially and economically. History, for bad or good, was being made every day. I’m not sure I’ll ever witness a Prime Minister like her. Not in terms of policy, but personality. She seemed to have a belief that she was saving the country from itself and that no one was going to be allowed to stand in her way, including her own party, in achieving her goals.

[welshbairn]

By killing off the Unions and encouraging no holds barred, deregulated, "greed is good" capitalism, and encouraging the spread of the model globally, leading to wage stagnation or shrinkage and zero hour contracts at the bottom and exponential wage rises and kleptocracy at the top, she planted the seeds of the current loss of faith in liberal democracy and the rise of neo fascism, imo.

Edited June 24, 2019 by welshbairn

[Sooky]

By killing off the Unions and encouraging no holds barred, deregulated, "greed is good" capitalism, and encouraging the spread of the model globally, leading to wage stagnation or shrinkage and zero hour contracts at the bottom and exponential wage rises and kleptocracy at the top, she planted the seeds of the current loss of faith in liberal democracy and the rise of neo fascism, imo.

I don’t buy the argument that Thatcher, by ‘freeing the people from the state’ was then shocked and disappointed that said people then became greedy b*****ds. What did she expect?!

[scottsdad]

22 hours ago, Sooky said:

 

I don’t buy the argument that Thatcher, by ‘freeing the people from the state’ was then shocked and disappointed that said people then became greedy b*****ds. What did she expect?!

 

It was in the show quite a bit - she was a dyed in the wool conservative. She really believed in being frugal, living within your means, not wasting a penny, etc. The way she talked about her dad covered it. She expected people to be sensible. But people are morons.