Margaret Thatcher and the new conservatism (from 1975)

[Vlad n U 2]

I like potatoes.

[INDY500]

Anyone seen The Iron Lady?

[Irvine511]

i will have to go see it with my mother at the end of January.

[Axver]

Never mind that, anybody seen the new best website ever? Is Margaret Thatcher Dead Yet?

[Vlad n U 2]

Originally Posted by Axver

Never mind that, anybody seen the new best website ever? Is Margaret Thatcher Dead Yet?

Haha, yes.

[financeguy]

I will not be seeing it. I do not think a Hollywood actress has the capability of portraying such a great lady.

[Canadiens1131]

So Thatcher and Reagan were responsible for the Soviet Union collapsing, then?

Funny, I thought it was the simple fact that a command economy doesn't fucking work.

[purpleoscar]

Originally Posted by financeguy

I will not be seeing it. I do not think a Hollywood actress has the capability of portraying such a great lady.

Her performance is the main reason to see it.

Originally Posted by INDY500

Anyone seen The Iron Lady?

It's good. The events go by a little too quickly but the acting is astounding. I'll be annoyed if Streep doesn't get her third Oscar.

[Moonlit_Angel]

Originally Posted by Axver

Never mind that, anybody seen the new best website ever? Is Margaret Thatcher Dead Yet?

I honestly thought she was . I freely confess to knowing barely anything about Thatcher, other than the fact that she was the British Prime Minister for the '80s and that a lot of people did not like her at all. I don't recall us ever really learning about her in school. Judging from the bare basics I understand of her policies, it doesn't sound like I would've likely supported her, either, would I have been old enough and living in Britain back then. But I suspect Earnie's assessment is spot on-as his posts often are .

Honest questions: did most of the dislike of her come about because of her policies, or were there some who didn't like the idea of a woman being in such a high position of power? Or was it a mix of both? And does anyone think she felt she had to present herself as tougher in order to be taken more seriously?

Edited to add: Well, I just saw this online about her:

Thatcher was one of the few Conservative MPs to support Leo Abse's Bill to decriminalise male homosexuality[33] and voted in favour of David Steel's Bill to legalise abortion,

Pro-choice and pro-gay rights, so I wouldn't disagree with her there.

[PhilsFan]

Originally Posted by Canadiens1131

So Thatcher and Reagan were responsible for the Soviet Union collapsing, then?

Funny, I thought it was the simple fact that a command economy doesn't fucking work.

Horseshit. Rocky ended the Cold War.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsJnxlXepsY

[financeguy]

Originally Posted by Moonlit_Angel

Pro-choice and pro-gay rights, so I wouldn't disagree with her there.

Most conservatives in the UK are pro-choice. A conservative politician is as likely to be pro-choice as a Labour politician. In so far as there are pro-life politicians in the UK (and frankly, there aren't many) many of them are left of centre on other issues. Indeed in 11 years of Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government, there was never a serious attempt to restrict abortion - if anything, the opposite.

Although Thatcher sometimes mentioned God and Christianity in her speeches (quoting the parable of the Good Samaritan on one occasion, for example) the religious right as a political force simply does not exist in Europe.

[Moonlit_Angel]

Oh, really?

Did not know that. That's pretty interesting . Wonder why there's such a drastic difference in attitude on that issue in Britain vs. here in the States?

[financeguy]

^ Well, that's a complicated issue. We could be here all day discussing that. Most European countries are "post-Christian" to a greater or lesser extent.

Incidentally, I was somewhat surprised to learn that Thatcher, as a young MP, voted for Leo Abse's bill, as her government was later accused of homophobia with regard to its Section 28 clause:

The amendment stated that a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".[2]

Section 28 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

However, that said, I never got the impression Thatcher particularly associated herself the clause but maybe gave way to right wing elements in her party who were never very happy with the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the first place.

[Moonlit_Angel]

Originally Posted by financeguy

^ Well, that's a complicated issue. We could be here all day discussing that. Most European countries are "post-Christian" to a greater or lesser extent.

That's true, and I certainly don't need this to delve into a discussion on THAT topic. I just find the difference interesting.

Originally Posted by financeguy

^ Incidentally, I was somewhat surprised to learn that Thatcher, as a young MP, voted for Leo Abse's bill, as her government was later accused of homophobia with regard to its Section 28 clause:

Section 28 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

However, that said, I never got the impression Thatcher particularly associated herself the clause but maybe gave way to right wing elements in her party who were never very happy with the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the first place.

Wouldn't surprise me. It sounds like, looking at that link, there was a lot of confusion and craziness over that whole issue.

It'll be so nice if/when we reach a day when that issue doesn't matter to anyone anymore.

[MrsSpringsteen]

I saw Iron Lady last night. The movie isn't all that great, but Meryl is just mesmerizing. I don't see how she doesn't get the Oscar.

[deep]

hopefully because it is not a great movie, no one will see it

My Week with Marilyn is also not a great movie

[MrsSpringsteen]

I think it's worth seeing for the performance, don't see what's wrong with that. People spend money on much worse and much less.

I haven't seen My Week With Marilyn but I would see that just for Michelle Williams.

[financeguy]

Originally Posted by MrsSpringsteen

I haven't seen My Week With Marilyn but I would see that just for Michelle Williams.

Is it a film about Marilyn Manson?

[melon]

Thatcher and Reagan were political inevitabilities, considering the economic stagnation of the late 1970s. That being said, the economic stagnation of the late 2000s/early 2010s is the end game of their era, as lax regulation and low taxes are--surprise, surprise--going to lead to corrupt corporate behaviour and high national debts.

It's just a matter of finding that "middle ground" between the regulatory state and laissez-faire capitalism.

[purpleoscar]

Better societies are always ones with more virtue. Any society that fosters more virtue will win. Markets that don't punish robbery and illegal behaviour won't last and governments that get too big and pressure for cronyism and nepotism will be replaced. The systems are too complex so it will have to be trial and error over and over again and hopefully with an enough educated populace we can avoid repeating mistakes. High taxes aren't the answer (because who trusts government to transfer the money to other than their staff?) We need to help those that can't help themselves but handouts to capable people fosters the opposite of virtue. Smart regulation and avoiding low interest rates for long stretches of time will smooth the cycles. The rest is up to US.