Baroness Thatcher has died.

[ArrowsFA1]

For me she represented a great politician and one who took the UK dragging and screaming from a country somewhere to the left of East Germany...

Geographically correct at least

[Mintexmemory]

Lucky they bought those bombs off us and not the Americans eh?

Vous etes franglais? Unfortunately the blooody Exocets did work, at least the Mirages had no answer to an aircraft that stopped in mid-air waited for the oppo to pass then rocketed it up the chuff! Vive l'entente cordiale

[Mark]

And rather than embark on a systematic program of modernisation and education which Heath, Wilson and Callaghan should have done, she kicked the crap out of whatever industry was left, ensuring that Britain could not compete against Germany and Japan... and still can't.
Britain's capital basically reorganised itself so that the only really viable industries left are in the City and thanks to Major, Blair and especially Cameron, policies ensure that that remains the case.

That's the worst charge against her. That she completely gutted our manufacturing base, rather than modernising it, she destroyed it. Unlike how they did it in Germany for example which is still very strong in manufacturing. This meant when the financial services crashed, so did the country. No of course Major and New Labour are just as much to blame, but she laid the foundations of a recession which has lasted longer than the great depression.

[Malbec]

Vous etes franglais? Unfortunately the blooody Exocets did work, at least the Mirages had no answer to an aircraft that stopped in mid-air waited for the oppo to pass then rocketed it up the chuff! Vive l'entente cordiale

I believe Ben was referring not to Exocets (which worked fine) but the conventional low tech retarded bombs the Argentinians used on the British landing ships, most of which failed to go off. Had they done so the British land forces on the Falklands would have been a lot smaller with a lot of casualties to deal with and the war wouldn't have gone the same way. Many of those bombs were British built and supplied.

[Mark]

I believe Ben was referring not to Exocets (which worked fine) but the conventional low tech retarded bombs the Argentinians used on the British landing ships, most of which failed to go off. Had they done so the British land forces on the Falklands would have been a lot smaller with a lot of casualties to deal with and the war wouldn't have gone the same way. Many of those bombs were British built and supplied.

The Falklands conflict was a very close run thing, both the UK and Argentina were utterly unprepared for such an adventure and under equipped.
Ultimately once the landing had been achieved it was the superior training of the British soldiers that won out against the under trained and poorly equipped occupying force.

[Mintexmemory]

I believe Ben was referring not to Exocets (which worked fine) but the conventional low tech retarded bombs the Argentinians used on the British landing ships, most of which failed to go off. Had they done so the British land forces on the Falklands would have been a lot smaller with a lot of casualties to deal with and the war wouldn't have gone the same way. Many of those bombs were British built and supplied.

Actually the majority of Brit manufactured weaponery wasn't directly supplied (unless by Thatcher's own son perhaps?) it was 'converted' via the Middle East. The French equipment, however, was a direct sale.
Anyway I hope you now realise that making sweeping generalisations about what we might agree on in this forum is madness and folly!

[Malbec]

Anyway I hope you now realise that making sweeping generalisations about what we might agree on in this forum is madness and folly!

Actually I was trying to kickstart a thread I assumed was going to make the usual gun control threads look like a hugfest. I'm quite surprised that while opinions on her are predictably entrenched and irreconcilable this thread has managed to stay very civilised.

[Mintexmemory]

Actually I was trying to kickstart a thread I assumed was going to make the usual gun control threads look like a hugfest. I'm quite surprised that while opinions on her are predictably entrenched and irreconcilable this thread has managed to stay very civilised.

You provocative little tinker, you!
I think that because this is mainly a 'civil war' that we are retaining some decorum
Photo in the Metro this morning where the image is of a baton-wielding mounted policeman attacking a female press photographer shows how close we came to having a government-endorsed police state (funny it was a year later than 1984!)

[BDunnell]

Vous etes franglais? Unfortunately the blooody Exocets did work, at least the Mirages had no answer to an aircraft that stopped in mid-air waited for the oppo to pass then rocketed it up the chuff! Vive l'entente cordiale

The assistance the French provided to us in the run-up to the Falklands campaign regarding those weapon systems they had supplied to Argentina was actually of more importance and value than many would credit. And I think you slightly misunderstand how the Sea Harrier was used in combat.

[BDunnell]

I believe Ben was referring not to Exocets (which worked fine) but the conventional low tech retarded bombs the Argentinians used on the British landing ships, most of which failed to go off. Had they done so the British land forces on the Falklands would have been a lot smaller with a lot of casualties to deal with and the war wouldn't have gone the same way. Many of those bombs were British built and supplied.

Indeed. Thatcher had a lucky escape indeed regarding the Falklands.