Margaret Thatcher is dead.

[kentonio]

And being saddled with repairs and maintenance bills they couldn't pay:

The vast majority managed just fine. Should we not give people opportunity because a small minority might fail?

[Hauldren Collider]

Why MOBIUS thinks it's more efficient to have public ownership of private goods instead of private ownership I'll never understand. Americans learned very quickly after colonization that the easiest way to get someone to care about something is to give him ownership of it.

Poll taxes are unconstitutional in the US by amendment, but how much were they planning on charging on the poll tax?

[The Mad Monk]

The vast majority managed just fine. Should we not give people opportunity because a small minority might fail?

Goodness, you almost sound like a right winger!

[kentonio]

Goodness, you almost sound like a right winger!

Shh, don't tell anybody.

[molly bloom]

The vast majority managed just fine.

Did they ?

I'm all for opportunity and social mobility, but like the privatization of the nation's assets this wasn't about selfless good deeds, and you're glossing over an awful lot of what was wrong with Thatcher's governments- record levels of unemployment- the highest since WWII, demonization of minorities, whether they were unions, lesbians and gay men, immigrants, or British descendants of Commonwealth citizens, urban deprivation and communities simply left to founder after the loss of industries.... good thing for her that she had North Sea oil revenues to rely on...

[Hauldren Collider]

Privatization is pretty much always good. @ unions being a "minority". Oh, I'm so sorry your labor monopoly is getting crushed. Booey hooey hoo.

[The Mad Monk]

Absolutisms are pretty much always bad.

[molly bloom]

Privatization is pretty much always good. @ unions being a "minority". Oh, I'm so sorry your labor monopoly is getting crushed. Booey hooey hoo.

What you actually know- zip diddly.

[Hauldren Collider]

Bzzt, wrong, you're the one who has to google everything.

[molly bloom]

Bzzt, wrong, you're the one who has to google everything.

Wrong & boring...

[kentonio]

Did they ?

I'm all for opportunity and social mobility, but like the privatization of the nation's assets this wasn't about selfless good deeds, and you're glossing over an awful lot of what was wrong with Thatcher's governments- record levels of unemployment- the highest since WWII

I'm not glossing over it, the country was broken as hell and it took a revolution to bring it back to life. Yes that was an incredibly painful process, but when we compare Britain today to Britain in the seventies, I don't see how anyone can claim it's not an improvement. It's also worth pointing out that many of the things she's blamed for such as the move away from manufacturing leading to the impoverishment of the working class north were going to happen anyway. How exactly would a heavy UK manufacturing industry today compete with China or India?

demonization of minorities, whether they were unions, lesbians and gay men

The Tory anti-gay stuff of the time was awful, and I'm ashamed that the party promoted it. I'm also extremely pleased that the modern Conservative party is back on the right track with it, despite their many other failings. I have no idea why you'd refer to the unions as a minority however, have you forgotten Heaths 'Who governs Britain?'.

urban deprivation and communities simply left to founder after the loss of industries.... good thing for her that she had North Sea oil revenues to rely on...

It certainly made the transition to a service based economy a lot more tolerable than it could have been.

[Hauldren Collider]

I'm not glossing over it, the country was broken as hell and it took a revolution to bring it back to life. Yes that was an incredibly painful process, but when we compare Britain today to Britain in the seventies, I don't see how anyone can claim it's not an improvement. It's also worth pointing out that many of the things she's blamed for such as the move away from manufacturing leading to the impoverishment of the working class north were going to happen anyway. How exactly would a heavy UK manufacturing industry today compete with China or India?

This. Let's take a look at what Felch has to say about this sort of stuff:

Free trade is a good thing. Opposing it is a sign of weakness and cowardice. If an illiterate Mexican peasant can do your job, then you're not worth an American wage, and you should probably kill yourself.

Felch

The principal of course also applies to the UK. If an Indian peasant can do your heavy manufacturing job, then you aren't worth a British wage, etc

[Imran Siddiqui]

Why in the world are you using Felch as some sort of authority?

(not speaking of the content of what he may say or not say, but to quote him in another thread as if he were some awarded economist is just... strange)

[Jon Miller]

For productive behavior (unlike service behavior), there isn't the need for so many people...

And even for 'required service' behavior like baristas as starbucks there is only a need for so many people...

JM

[Jon Miller]

For productive behavior (unlike service behavior), there isn't the need for so many people...

And even for 'required service' behavior like baristas as starbucks there is only a need for so many people...

JM