Yesterday’s death of British leader Margaret Thatcher signals the last “Iron nail” in the coffin of Thatcher/Reaganomics.
The only places that display grief over Thatchers passing are the financial districts of London and Wall Street, her true constituents.
From “Raw Story”:
“in the edgy south London neighbourhood of Brixton, sworn enemies of the former Iron Lady were planning a huge street party for Monday evening — with more than 600 people listed as attending on Facebook.
Coal miners were among Thatcher’s bitterest foes during her 1979-90 premiership — and for one senior mining official marking his birthday on Monday, her death was the icing on the cake.
“I’m having a drink to it right now,” David Hopper, regional secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in northeast England, told AFP with unabashed glee.
“It’s a marvellous day. I’m absolutely delighted. It’s my 70th birthday today and it’s one of the best I’ve had in my life.”
Others on the left also hailed Thatcher’s departure as a cause for celebration.
“We’ll be glad to see the back of her,” Judith Orr, editor of the far-left Socialist Worker weekly newspaper, told AFP.
“She ruined the lives of tens of millions of working class people in Britain.
“And she rejoiced in war. She was the one who said we should rejoice in the sinking of the Belgrano, in the deaths of hundreds of young Argentine conscripts.
“That was one of her most disgusting moments, but there is a long list of crimes.”
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Unlike the conservative creation mythology of Saint Ronald in the United States, Britains are celebrating the end of the Thatcher era.
Loathed by the working class, Thatcher ushered in austerity, destroyed mining unions, and like Reagan, she took free school lunches out of the mouths of children.
Like Reagan’s “stunning victory” in the invasion of the tiny island of Grenada, Thatcher went to war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands while wrapping herself into similar covert operations that Reagan bumbled through all over the world. If there had been no Thatcher, the rise of Reagan would have been more controversial.
But today, the parties in the streets reflect the sour taste of Thatcherism all over Britain. Here’s a few quotes from two critics; singers Morrissey and Billy Bragg:
Morrissey- “Thatcher will only be fondly remembered by sentimentalists who did not suffer under her leadership, but the majority of British working people have forgotten her already, and the people of Argentina will be celebrating her death. As a matter of recorded fact, Thatcher was a terror without an atom of humanity.”
Billy Bragg- “This is not a time for celebration. The death of Margaret Thatcher is nothing more than a salient reminder of how Britain got into the mess that we are in today. Of why ordinary working people are no longer able to earn enough from one job to support a family; of why there is a shortage of decent affordable housing; of why domestic growth is driven by credit, not by real incomes; of why tax-payers are forced to top up wages; of why a spiteful government seeks to penalise the poor for having an extra bedroom; of why Rupert Murdoch became so powerful; of why cynicism and greed became the hallmarks of our society.
“Raising a glass to the death of an infirm old lady changes none of this. The only real antidote to cynicism is activism. Don’t celebrate — organise!”
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As noted above, The Thatcher and Reagan administrations meddled in some of the nastiest business in distant parts of the world slated for resource extraction.
In 2005 Thatcher’s son Mark Thatcher pleaded guilty to aiding a coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.
In his blockbuster expose’ “Prelude to Terror”, author Joseph Trento describes how Thatcher, her husband Denis and son Mark cultivated a tight relationship with head of Saudi Intelligence Kamal Adham, who brought Mark Thatcher into the international arms trade. As Trento describes, in 1982 arms dealer Ian Smalley threatened to reveal the British arm of the Iran-Contra affair, which actually began while President Carter was in office. The Reagan team, led by top spook and soon-to-be CIA director Bill Casey committed treason by selling arms to Iran in a move to prevent the Iranians from releasing American hostages. The Iran deal became known as “The October Surprise”, preventing Carter from being re-elected and ushering in the era of Reagan. Sources in Trento’s book say Mark Thatcher went on to supply Iraq with arms in the lead-up to the first Gulf War.
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Unlike the legendary short memory in Reagan’s America, the British have a clear recollection of the damage that Thatcher and her destructive policy has left and they celebrate her passing.
How do you really feel? 😉
http://p.twimg.com/AwpeN3QCAAEBhKv.jpg:large
funny you quoted billy bragg as i had his song “Thatcherites” in my head the whole time reading your post…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlkXQm7tSCY
Thanks for that Billy Bragg link, the guy is a great activist/critic.
I also checked out your Bujitsu site, very thoughtful stuff, thanks,