Dear spindoc,

I have offered little in the way of direct comment on Margaret Thatcher rather I have reacted to positions taken on her 'sainthood'.

What I have taken exception to was your pomposity and your denigration of other with words like 'sick puppy' and 'gutless cretins'. If you think you have the right to spew that bile on a public forum without being challenged then think again.

I invite you to reread your post and understand just how contradictory and nonsensical it was.

You went from “I did not state or imply that all was “above board”. And “War is always full of political and military skullduggery” to then laying out how everything was really above board and anyone who thinks it wasn't is engaging in conspiracy theories.

A little consistency would be refreshing.

My understanding is the decision to use conventional torpedoes instead of the Tiger fish was because of doubt about its reliability. You are attempting to claim it was done to give a chance for the crew to escape. What evidence do you have to support this?

As to the legacy of a booming economy the figures were not as pretty as some would have us believe. The previous Labour government had steered the UK's balance of trade from the red into the black and while Thatcher was able to push those figures higher for a time by the end of her term they were at record levels in the red. Actually levels the likes of which have not been seen since.

All relatively predictable if ones manufacturing sector is savaged.

I think we were ultimately fortunate to have the Hawke/Keating team modernising our labour relations and markets. Just as it took Howard to move on guns often it is the other side of politics who manages reform best when it involves their base. Compassion seems to play a bigger part of the process.

Dear onthebeach,

I have not offered an opinion on Mrs Thatcher's character, to do so would of course be in poor taste at this moment, but addressing her legacy is not.

csteele,

Thanks for your comment. You are right, there needs to be a line drawn somewhere.

The web has brought a nastiness that goes beyond hate politics. We are seeing the growth of a new savage, violent culture where bile, personal denigration and abuse is the order of the day and even accepted by some as a way of dealing with others. It is the anonymity of the web, but more. A new troll culture of internet isolates? It is astounding and horrifying that there are people who need to unload their bile and take every opportunity to do so.

onthebeach,

"What does lack principle is to deliberately misquote, making things up as you have done. That is to lie".?
I'm afraid I have no idea what you are referring to.

hasbeen

"Thatcher saved & rebuilt a country, not destroyed a country & sent it broke".
That's an interesting interpretation of history. A pity the facts don't back it up.

What amazes me is that many of the people on TV either publicly celebrating or mourning Thatcher are not old enough to have even lived through those days. Their opinions would be second-hand at best.

I think they are jumping onto various bandwagons to push their own contemporary views - whether they are hardline neo-conservatives or from the far left.

What's more is they easily dismiss the views of those who had that first-hand experience as though they don't know what they are talking about.

To be a successful politician one must be thick-skinned enough to take with equanimity whatever is thrown at you. Maggie Thatcher was an extremely successful politician. I don't think she particularly cared what was said about her when she was alive, and I am sure she doesn't care what is said about her now. My impression of her that she was caring about those she was close to, and the rest of the world could go to hell for all she cared as long as she got her agenda through. I am a dual citizen of the US and Australia. I would hope that any president of the US or prime minister of Australia would do exactly as she did in the Falklands if Australian or American territory were invaded by a foreign power.

Thatcher had no problem ordering the sinking of the old WWII cruiser General Belgrano with the loss of 323 Argentine sailors. A decision taken for political reason, with no military significance what so ever.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/argentina/9233976/Thirty-years-on-Argentine-survivors-of-the-Belgrano-sinking-recall-the-moment-Falklands-war-erupted-around-them.html