I'd just like to draw a few thoughts on the reasons for the state of British Industry at the time of Maggie's rise to power. In this I include the aircraft industry, the motor industry, the coal miners, the ship builders, etc...

Watch the video below (and yes I know it is a Carry On film, but it parodies the problems of the time). You will see over zealous Unionism and very poor junior management - don't forget that a lot of the talent that earned it's spurs in leadership during the world wars had either retired or slid up the pole to senior positions. This left a void of competent leaders. Furthermore, years of disinvestment by the Company's Boards and successive Governments had left these industries in a right state. We have Maggie and her Cabinet to thank for sorting out the mess into something that worked (like it or loathe it). So it wasn't just the churlish Unions that were responsible for the state of the country.

Anyway, watch this to remember or reailse what it was like in the mid to late 1970s...

I'm sure you're right VDG.

I should have said that she instigated a substantial pay rise that lifted the junior ranks' (commissioned and non-commissioned) pay to a respectable level; thus preventing my beautiful MGA Mk II from being re-possessed!

Rgds SOS

I like the term, "Worked", By the time she, her government and her friends in management had finished, manufacturing industry was finished as a golbal player and has never recovered since.. Thats why in the present day we have been in actual recession for 5 years, likely to continue to be so for ages and Germany (who's government and companies have a clue on balanced economic's) are not..

Notice I don't just blame a politician..

Made a nation of shopkeepers though..

Alber

Is this all crap then?

http://www.pwc.co.uk/assets/pdf/ukma...ing-300309.pdf

No its not rubbish, a great report indeed.. When was the last time this country made a balance of payments surplus in manufacturing??? 1982... I wonder who was in power then? It shows all the faults in British industry and government policy that will keep on happening and happening. This report also states that at no time has manufacturing pulled back what has been lost in a previous recession.. :(

It is only a study mind, not an actual "this is how things will be like"..

It mentions all future pitfalls too.. :(

Further to Leon's video...

Good old British middle management.. Filled with ex SO2 types..
BTW I have seen Unite reps in action recently.. I spit on them, Red Robbo is still about in some places.. Crap at their day job too..

Biggest mistake in Britsh Aerospace manufacturing? BAE binning its Airbus share.. STUPID!!!!


I'll get my coat..:E

You could replace Unite reps with council officials, MP's, civil servants etc etc.

Here you go, the alternative song to "ding, dong" is "I'm in love with Margeret Thatcher" by the punk band The Notsensibles.

You can buy it here at Amazon
Also, it is on iTunes and currently sits at No 6 I believe...

The B Word :ok:

PS. The revenue generated from this sale will be a windfall to the 50yr old punk singer who now works with disabled and disadvantaged children - so it's a win, win :ok:

Ding Dong not No 1.. :E
Nor the other one either.. About 60K absolutely wasted.. Is Wednesday costing 10 Million? Somebody told the Tories this country is skint?

Lady T's funeral
 

AB, if you and the tens of thousands who have been celebrating her passing carry on partying on Wednesday think of the boost to the economy that will be. Policemen will be paid overtime - and that money will come back into the economy; shopkeepers will have a heyday - especially booze shops; glaziers will make a fortune boarding-up and then repairing the plate-glass windows and so on and so forth. Oh, the irony!:E

Alber Ratman,

It seems from your ranting, rabid posts that in your head all the problems this country faces can be traced back to one woman. How lucky you are to live in such a simple and certain world. If only we'd had Stalin instead of the Russians, we'd all be fine now. Sleep tight.

Let's not pretend that it makes any blxxdy difference at all who lives in No. 10. She was no worse and no better than any prime minister we've had in my memory.

All politicians just react to events (remember Harold Macmillan's famous quote).

So she reacted to her events - just like all the others!

Rgds SOS

Police overtime was welcomed during the miners' strike, the Police Officers sweat shirts had an ASPOM logo. (Arthur Scargill pays our mortgages - although, when questioned and soon to be in the mire over it, they said it stood for Avon and Somerset Police Operation Miner.)

Best recruiter the Scottish National Party ever had.

I shall be there on Wednesday to pay my respects.

One of my student pilots at the local flying club was a policeman at the time of the miners strike and was often on picket duty. The overtime he was paid went towards his multi engine rating which he called his Scargill rating.

He went on to be an airline pilot which he is still doing - it's an ill wind!

I never made a penny out of the miners strike.............................................the hunger strikes though :E bought my first Capri thanks to slimmer of the year:ok:

Not good idea to drink tea and read the comments....new keyboard needed.

thing,

Don't tar them all with the same brush. I have been both a Civil Servant and a Council Officer since leaving the mob. I was grossly overworked and grossly underpaid. Mrs Deepest is still a council official and left for work at 0700 this morning and is still not home.

That's akin to me saying everyone in the Armed Forces is a ****. Plainly not true, but true in some cases.

DN