Colin, When you say you made a fortune driving lorries with coal, was this a business you set up during the miners strike?

Yes, it certainly made me feel good knowing we had a woman PM with lots of testosterone! She certainly inspired me to get on in life! I'm sure it was from that day on that we saw more and more women in high places in the workplace too?!

You know people say "never discuss religion or politics when in company as the company often turns nast" How true is that.
When it comes down to it, it is ultimaltey people's personal experiences of the Thatcher years and sorry but mine where not the rosey rimmed ones that some people here feel they where.
Hey ho that's politics! However it is interesting that the North/South divide is explicite here in opinions of Tory/Socialticsim.

Sorry to hear about your Dad Elaine, and yes, it was difficult at the start, because my own husband was made redundant 3 times in a year, we had a big mortgage to pay, so I took the step of starting up a small business on my own, and it was because of her that I was able to get the loan from the bank to start it up, it took off so well, that 5 years down the line I just had to sell it because it had got out of hand, I just couldn't cope with it anymore, but it got us out of trouble and sent us further up the ladder. Getting on in life is all hard work, and a lorra lorra luck as our Cilla would say Had I NOT done what I did at the time God knows where we would be now though with the job situation, so there WERE opportunities to be taken at that time, and yes, she did help me by letting the banks release my funding to start me off on the right road.

Now, talking about socialism, there's something I've always wanted to know since I was a teenager. NOt having ever been interested in politics, I wanted to know what socialism was, and this chap tried to explain it to me by asking me "if you were sitting at a table of 10 people, you all had to work hard for a day's slice of bread, but only 5 of you managed to earn that slice, Socialism is, that you have to share yours with the other 5 people, so would you do it?" I won't tell you my answer Is that Socialism then, some of us have to work hard and pay for those who don't want to work then? I'm only asking! I know what Capitalism is, but I really, honestly don't know what socialism is, shame on me!

As for Baroness Thatcher taking a step back for feminism - how can this ever be the case she was a widely respected female of great power and stature - she wasn't born into being a PM she earned it!!!! Explain how that is not a good thing for the female race?

Thanks Helena, glad I'm not the only one.

I went to an all girl's school, and although not everyone in the country agrees with the choices she made, you cannot take the fact that she is a strong role model for women everywhere to look up to and respect! I'm 23 and I feel that way about her, and the world is a different place today than it was when she was in power! I think it says something that people of my generation still have admiration for her don't you think, how many people can say Tony Blair has impacted their lives....in a positive way! At least she wasn't a puppet!

Isn't it just.....isn't it interesting that the small businesses that prospered were in the south as well. It's grim up north huh?

It does indeed sound more like communism, but in fairness H...what about the people who couldn't go out and earn the slice of bread, what if out of the 5 that didn't ear, 2 were children, 2 were disabled in some way and one was elderly and incapacitated? What then?


Well let's just say it will be a VERY long time before this country sees another female PM. No party will elect a woman as it's head for a very long time. She didn't set a good example and with people like H saying how much she admired her because of the amoutn of testosterone she had...perhaps she isn't admired as being a woman.