{"id":1682,"date":"2013-04-10T23:32:09","date_gmt":"2013-04-10T13:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/climatereview.net\/ChewTheFat\/?p=1682"},"modified":"2020-10-21T11:51:12","modified_gmt":"2020-10-21T00:51:12","slug":"socialism-bankrupted-britain-maggie-saved-it-and-socialists-resent-her-ever-since","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatereview.net\/ChewTheFat\/?p=1682","title":{"rendered":"Socialism bankrupted Britain, Maggie saved it, and Socialists have resented her ever since"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Margaret<\/a>Margaret Thatcher was no saint, but honestly, who really ever <\/strong>is; especially, in power-mongering politics.  She came to power in ’79 as a raging bull and left, some would say, surplus-to-requirements in ’90.  However, don’t forget her impressive, early legacy…
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Where no less than 3 British, Prime Ministers tried and failed, Maggie Thatcher<\/a> succeeded.  Her predecessors couldn’t clean up the utter mess that post-World War 2, socialism-on-steroids made of Britain.  The social welfare state had become too indulgent and public spending was out-of-control.  By the late 70s, Britain was in a state of economic ruin and shutdown.  Maggie did the clean job up, the very necessary clean up job, perhaps, some would say, a hatchet job.  However, where others failed, she succeeded and has been hated for saving the economy, by many, ever since.<\/p>\n

What has been the public response to Margaret Thatcher’s death? Well, the Wizard of OZ song ‘Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead<\/a>‘ is climbing up to the No. 1 spot, for one.  Apparently, a large portion of the nation is heaving a deep sigh of relief that Thatcherism is finally and unequivocally “dead and buried”.  But, look back, why did the nation vote her in 3 times in a row, who were those rogue voters, if we are all seeming to be rejoicing in her demise?  In her day, she was very popular, perhaps memories act like sieves at times?
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Regardless, Maggie Thatcher must be smiling with Machiavellian glee in her grave.  She is still managing to extract bile and venom from her arch, political rivals, the Left Wing.  The unbridled dislike and, even rage, that her name still conjurers 23 years after she left office must provide her with a smug sense of a job well done.  She always was the consummate politician; a real pit fighter.  Maggie really was the last, great, Conservative leader.  She changed the fundamental philosophy of governance of Britain, and in cahoots with her great friend,<\/a> President Ronald Reagan, to the world as a whole.  Since her demise as Britain’s leader, politicians around the Western world have eschewed partisan politics.  Most have clambered to embrace the wishy-washy, populist, fence sitting of the Centre<\/a>.  She has been a major factor in the destruction of both Right and (transparent) Left wing politics.  I say “transparent” for the Left as the Left Wing is still very much Left leaning.  They just hide behind rhetoric of the Centre.  The socialist, Statist<\/a> agenda of the Left is very much live and kicking.  It’s pathfinders like ex-Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who just repackaged the same old philosophy into a much more palatable New Labour<\/a> style.  Labour’s agenda never really changed, it just became more subtle and sophisticated.  They push Statism through uncomprehendable, non-transparent mechanisms such as the hugely costly and fruitless Carbon Tax<\/a>.  But, I digress.  The point is, no self-respecting, populist politico would veer to one “extreme” or tother for fear of voicing a real opinion and becoming, heaven forbid, accountable.  As Mitt Romney famously said<\/a> during the U.S., 2012, Presidential election, 47% of Americans won’t vote for me anyway, they are net, state welfare dependents and won’t vote for tax cuts.  In general though, both sides of the House are fighting for the swing voters in the Centre whether by false rhetoric (Left) or desperation (Right).<\/p>\n

So, I would claim Maggie was instrumental in the destruction of partisan politics.  The West is riddled with hung parliaments<\/a>, with marginal, minor league parities selling their deciding votes to the highest bidder.  Thatcher was the last great and successful risk taker.  I’m Right wing, take it or leave it.  As stated in the Standard book of Left wing campaigning (Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals<\/a>), you’re standard ripost to dissenting voices is to demonise the person.  Use ad hominen attacks on the person to besmirch their reputation, create unpopularity and avoid, at all costs, real debate.  So, this juvenile, but successful, tactic has made Maggie the evil, destructor Iron Maiden<\/a> (not just Iron Lady) with images of swastikas behind her.<\/p>\n

I agree by her third and final term, the Iron Lady (as coined<\/a> by a Russian newspaper when she criticised the Soviet Block in ’76) was becoming a bit stayed.  Perhaps, her alternative to “socialism-on-steroids”, “capitalism-on-steroids” was just as out-of-control as its predecessor.  Capitalism lead to notable failures such as the Black Monday<\/a> financial collapse of ’87 (which, as it happens, bankrupted my dad).  Perhaps then, describing her reign as just “stayed” is a tad generous.  Even her own Party eventually deemed her a “liability<\/a>“?  Moreover, when Thatcher proposed the hugely unpopular Poll Tax <\/a>in’89, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back for many.  That was never going to fly.  The Poll Tax was a local authority, single flat-rate, per-capita tax on every adult; no sliding scale determined by wealth.  That was just a little too Right Wing for even the generally pro-Thatcher Brits to palate, and rightfully so.<\/p>\n

However, all-in-all, she was a great; Winston Churchill, the last great, would be proud.  She saved a desperate, sinking country (as he did 40 years earlier).<\/p>\n

Many of the British, video Obituaries I’m watching are a bit cagey about Thatcher’s record. So I’ll opt for the foreign perspective, which are generally for some bizarre reason, more sympathetic.  Here’s Al Jazeera’s effort [edit: this was removed a few days later, so here’s the CNN effort]<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Obituary<\/h2>\n