Thatcher - saved by Scottish oil
Discussion
As the title thread, the two greatest strokes of Tory luck finding the oil off the Scottish coast and the Falklands conflict. Made Maggie look deceptively like a political genius. Deregulated the financial industry and some peeps have still not been compensated in monetary terms for some of the ensuing howlers this produced. Sold off the Country's silverware, closed down much of our heavy industries, encouraged 'greed is good', and nailed the lid with 'no such thing as society'. On top of that we had the sell off of school sports grounds, the notion that no school kid ever loses at anything, the watering down of school discipline. To add to the list is the wider division of classes and wider division in wealth terms of the North and South. TBH haven't seen much better performance from any P.M since.
crankedup said:
As the title thread, the two greatest strokes of Tory luck finding the oil off the Scottish coast and the Falklands conflict. Made Maggie look deceptively like a political genius. Deregulated the financial industry and some peeps have still not been compensated in monetary terms for some of the ensuing howlers this produced. Sold off the Country's silverware, closed down much of our heavy industries, encouraged 'greed is good', and nailed the lid with 'no such thing as society'. On top of that we had the sell off of school sports grounds, the notion that no school kid ever loses at anything, the watering down of school discipline. To add to the list is the wider division of classes and wider division in wealth terms of the North and South. TBH haven't seen much better performance from any P.M since.
Nah that can't be right. According to good sages of PH it was all Gordon Brown's doing.crankedup said:
As the title thread, the two greatest strokes of Tory luck finding the oil off the Scottish coast and the Falklands conflict. Made Maggie look deceptively like a political genius. Deregulated the financial industry and some peeps have still not been compensated in monetary terms for some of the ensuing howlers this produced. Sold off the Country's silverware, closed down much of our heavy industries, encouraged 'greed is good', and nailed the lid with 'no such thing as society'. On top of that we had the sell off of school sports grounds, the notion that no school kid ever loses at anything, the watering down of school discipline. To add to the list is the wider division of classes and wider division in wealth terms of the North and South. TBH haven't seen much better performance from any P.M since.
It was under Labour that Oil was discovered; late 60's/early 70's. Sod all to do with Thatcher.
It was under Labour that collosal amounts of revenue was pissed up the wall on DHSS payments/inept investment in industry.
Sod all to do with Thatcher.
If the Conservatives sold the silverware, Gordon Brown certainly sold the Gold.
If by silverware you mean utilities please remember that the nation retained a stake, and the control of priving. This was sold by Labour hence the Uk pay more for utilities than France, Germany or the Netherlands who followed the Uk and retained control.
But dont let facts get in the way of your little rant
crankedup said:
As the title thread, the two greatest strokes of Tory luck finding the oil off the Scottish coast and the Falklands conflict.
Nothing to do with the mess that Labour made in the seventies then?crankedup said:
Made Maggie look deceptively like a political genius.
As opposed to the Seventies lot? Are you serious! Anyone would have looked good compared to that lot!crankedup said:
Deregulated the financial industry and some peeps have still not been compensated in monetary terms for some of the ensuing howlers this produced.
Can't comment on that one except to ask why you think the regulated system was any better?crankedup said:
Sold off the Country's silverware,
Because state ownership is so good...crankedup said:
closed down much of our heavy industries,
Which one did she close down? They went bust all by themselves!crankedup said:
encouraged 'greed is good',
How is society more "greedy" than in the seventies or sixties?Can you explain how depending on state monopolies makes society less "greedy"?
Can you explain why state employed workers producing poor goods or services and demanding more at the expense of everyone else is not far more greedy and destructive?
Have you noticed the steady rise of the charity shop or how much charities get in donations. No sign of rampant greed there...
crankedup said:
and nailed the lid with 'no such thing as society'.
That fantasy depends entirely on deliberately quoting her out of context.The actual speech was about not blaming society for your problems and showing some personal responsibility and initiative.
Unless of course you think that personal responsibility and initiative should be the responsibility of "someone else" in which case, yes, you're bang on.
crankedup said:
On top of that we had the sell off of school sports grounds, the notion that no school kid ever loses at anything, the watering down of school discipline.
How many? On her instructions? Mine wasn't and it's still there today.Discipline just as much in the seventies, nineties and zeros which shows that it isn't just down to her.
crankedup said:
To add to the list is the wider division of classes and wider division in wealth terms of the North and South.
How has it got wider? surely class, in the traditional sense, is less relevant than ever.crankedup said:
TBH haven't seen much better performance from any P.M since.
Well you are certainly right there!12gauge said:
Didnt we produce oil in the 70s too?
Anyway, Tories could have put Satan himself up for election, with Kinock and Foot at the helm of labour they still would have won.
Oil was discovered in the Norwegian sector in late 1969, with Amoco making it's Montrose discovery shortly afterwards. Then BP found the Forties in 1970 with production starting in 1975 and peaking by 1979. The BBC made a fascinating documentary called Crude Britannia last year.Anyway, Tories could have put Satan himself up for election, with Kinock and Foot at the helm of labour they still would have won.
Arguably gas was more important oil to Thatcher - with the Dash for Gas by the privatised electricity companies, the country's reliance on coal and hence militant coal miners was dismantled once and for all.
crankedup said:
As the title thread, the two greatest strokes of Tory luck finding the oil off the Scottish coast and the Falklands conflict. Made Maggie look deceptively like a political genius. Deregulated the financial industry and some peeps have still not been compensated in monetary terms for some of the ensuing howlers this produced. Sold off the Country's silverware, closed down much of our heavy industries, encouraged 'greed is good', and nailed the lid with 'no such thing as society'. On top of that we had the sell off of school sports grounds, the notion that no school kid ever loses at anything, the watering down of school discipline. To add to the list is the wider division of classes and wider division in wealth terms of the North and South. TBH haven't seen much better performance from any P.M since.
Quite possibly the most ill-conceived, biased, ignorant post ever witnessed on Pistonheads.9/10, an excellent effort
Sidicks
Thought that little thread opener would light up your keyboards. I used to be, until last week, a Lib-Dem leaning to left on some political topics. I recall the bad old days of 'us V them' and the pounding of Unions and heavy industries. She decimated the Northern mining industry for what was then considered 'best for the Country', but the failing was it was carried out without any consideration of the implications of Societies and small business that relied upon the coal industry. What a shame that we were less enlightened then and couldn't have offered shareholdings for the workers in those days? I just remember it being all out war between Government and workers rights. Thatcher was no political genius but she was a smart and clever manipulator up until the Poll Tax fiasco.
hornetrider said:
crankedup said:
the notion that no school kid ever loses at anything, the watering down of school discipline. To add to the list is the wider division of classes and wider division in wealth terms of the North and South.
Hang on. All the above was ZanuLabia you numbnuts.Police State said:
crankedup said:
As the title thread, the two greatest strokes of Tory luck finding the oil off the Scottish coast and the Falklands conflict. Made Maggie look deceptively like a political genius. Deregulated the financial industry and some peeps have still not been compensated in monetary terms for some of the ensuing howlers this produced. Sold off the Country's silverware, closed down much of our heavy industries, encouraged 'greed is good', and nailed the lid with 'no such thing as society'. On top of that we had the sell off of school sports grounds, the notion that no school kid ever loses at anything, the watering down of school discipline. To add to the list is the wider division of classes and wider division in wealth terms of the North and South. TBH haven't seen much better performance from any P.M since.
It was under Labour that Oil was discovered; late 60's/early 70's. Sod all to do with Thatcher.
It was under Labour that collosal amounts of revenue was pissed up the wall on DHSS payments/inept investment in industry.
Sod all to do with Thatcher.
No No No
Every drop of oil that comes out of scottish waters costs the UK money
Or so the blue tie lovers would believe
Thatcher got a big boost from north sea oil which didn't really come on stream until the late 70s and 80's and anyone who denies this is basically a fool.
Cue the shouts of me being a socialist f
kwit
Every drop of oil that comes out of scottish waters costs the UK money
Or so the blue tie lovers would believe
Thatcher got a big boost from north sea oil which didn't really come on stream until the late 70s and 80's and anyone who denies this is basically a fool.
Cue the shouts of me being a socialist f
kwit Parrot of Doom said:
"Sold off the Country's silverware"
Sold off the country's steaming heaps of ste, more like.
I am suggesting that if the Government of the day had the bigger picture in mind perhaps part privatisation could have been used with workers sharing in profit, which may have materialised, who knows.Sold off the country's steaming heaps of s
te, more like.crankedup said:
As the title thread, the two greatest strokes of Tory luck finding the oil off the Scottish coast and the Falklands conflict. Made Maggie look deceptively like a political genius. Deregulated the financial industry and some peeps have still not been compensated in monetary terms for some of the ensuing howlers this produced. Sold off the Country's silverware, closed down much of our heavy industries, encouraged 'greed is good', and nailed the lid with 'no such thing as society'. On top of that we had the sell off of school sports grounds, the notion that no school kid ever loses at anything, the watering down of school discipline. To add to the list is the wider division of classes and wider division in wealth terms of the North and South. TBH haven't seen much better performance from any P.M since.
Not a big fan of Thatcher then?Can you remember Britain pre-Thatcher? We were the poor man of Europe, Industries controlled by the Unions, with run down City centres, it was an 'Old fashioned' country. Thatcher pulled Britain up by her Shoe laces, modernised the country and started it on the road to being a successful country with a thriving Economy.
She did start us off on the Privatisation road, but check the records, if it was so bad why didn't Labour turn it back? The fact is that they actually carried it on and extended it even further than Maggie would have dreamt about.
Labour comes to power, spends money, fecks things up and get's the country into debt. The Tory's then get voted in, make some tough unpopular decisions to put things right, the economy begins to improve, debts are paid off and then just when the country starts to reap the benefits, Labour get back in on the Promise of Extra Government spending - and who can resist that - then they get back in, spend money, feck things up.................and so it goes on.
I didn't like Maggie towards the end, she became a parody of herself, but she was a leader with balls who dragged the UK into the modern world.
She did start us off on the Privatisation road, but check the records, if it was so bad why didn't Labour turn it back? The fact is that they actually carried it on and extended it even further than Maggie would have dreamt about.
Labour comes to power, spends money, fecks things up and get's the country into debt. The Tory's then get voted in, make some tough unpopular decisions to put things right, the economy begins to improve, debts are paid off and then just when the country starts to reap the benefits, Labour get back in on the Promise of Extra Government spending - and who can resist that - then they get back in, spend money, feck things up.................and so it goes on.
I didn't like Maggie towards the end, she became a parody of herself, but she was a leader with balls who dragged the UK into the modern world.
Edited by JensenA on Saturday 11th December 16:53
thinfourth2 said:
No No No
Every drop of oil that comes out of scottish waters costs the UK money
Or so the blue tie lovers would believe
Thatcher got a big boost from north sea oil which didn't really come on stream until the late 70s and 80's and anyone who denies this is basically a fool.
Cue the shouts of me being a socialist fkwit
You are right, Thatcher got a big boost from the oil. But your question should be - if Thatcher got a boost from it, why the hell didn't Labour, who also had the opportunity? Every drop of oil that comes out of scottish waters costs the UK money
Or so the blue tie lovers would believe
Thatcher got a big boost from north sea oil which didn't really come on stream until the late 70s and 80's and anyone who denies this is basically a fool.
Cue the shouts of me being a socialist f
kwit Because they wrecked the economy, exactly the same as they've done this time.
crankedup said:
hornetrider said:
crankedup said:
the notion that no school kid ever loses at anything, the watering down of school discipline. To add to the list is the wider division of classes and wider division in wealth terms of the North and South.
Hang on. All the above was ZanuLabia you numbnuts.Seriously, its a shame that posters here immediately go defensive at the first perceived post which may be wrongly interpreted as Socialist. Many of the responses are overblown and debate becomes impossible. I am not suggesting that all of my opening comments are accurate merely debate topics. Nobody has defended Maggie on the Falklands conflict as yet, but this was a huge bolster to her Premiership?
The kids playing fields sell off was certainly a Thatcher product and yet that is not being accepted?
The kids playing fields sell off was certainly a Thatcher product and yet that is not being accepted?
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