Silhouette ManThe last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
We're all Maggie's children
THE SUN
ANDREW MARR Last Updated: 08th September 2007
THE widely praised TV series, Andrew Marr's History Of Modern Britain, reaches the Thatcher years tonight (BBC2, 9pm).
Here, in an exclusive article for The Sun, the BBC's former political editor explains why he thinks Britons today are, in effect, ALL Mrs Thatcher's children.
IT probably calls for a shrink, or a large glass of whisky. But I have finally admitted that Margaret Thatcher is my mother.
Not literally, of course. My real mother is sparkier, just as tough, and wouldn't take kindly to that idea.
But politically, Thatcher has made us all her children.
Of the prime ministers since the war, she was the one who changed the political weather.
With our privatised, still-powerful economy, our low direct tax rates, our sceptical attitude to Europe, our close relationship with the US and the disappearance of real socialism from our politics, we are still the country she shaped.
Even today's reforms of the public sector by mimicking the market — which seem to be struggling — had their origins in the Thatcher years.
Her successors, John Major and Tony Blair, inherited a land that had gone through a traumatic revolution in the 1980s.
They have changed us at the edges — a bit more indirect tax, new rights for some workers, for gay people — and, of course, many more people have come here from abroad, mainly Europe.
But fundamentally they carried on in the direction she set. She fell out with Major, but Blair admits his debt.
Even his much-criticised relationship with Dubya echoes hers with Ronald Reagan.
And the rest of us? With our groaning credit cards, our love of home ownership, and what she called "the great car economy", plus our suspicion of big government, we too are living Thatcherised lives.
That's why, in the fourth of my films telling the story of modern Britain, I say we are all — rebel or not — the children of Margaret Thatcher. I thought for a long time about that.
When she came to power I was an enthusiastic Left-winger. I just couldn't believe she would survive. And the truth is, she very nearly didn't.
She was a lucky politician. Without the tax from North Sea Oil she'd have found it hard to get through those first, rocky years. If her Cabinet had been less wet they might have stopped her.
If Galtieri's Argentine forces had been better prepared we might have lost the Falklands war — and she would have been out.
If the miners had been led by wily leaders, rather than the deluded Arthur Scargill, she might not have won that victory.
Had Labour not been busy tearing itself apart in public she might have found her general elections a little tougher, too.
Had the IRA been better informed about which bedroom suite she would be using they would have murdered her in Brighton.
And us? The great shake-out in British industry in the early Eighties was too tough, too drastic.
Many companies that went then could still have been with us today. She could be harsh. The poll tax was a disaster. That's the nature of revolutions.
There are always victims, always mistakes.
But this is a rich country now. And you can't eat the fruit while sneering at the farmer.
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
Thatcher the Milk Snatcher is gone. Even Hell wont except her because she is too Evil for it.
Your views, but the Lady's Not For Turning.
Most of the previous Generation (Not sure how old you are and if you are from the Generation that grew up in 70's and 80's) are very glad to see her gone at last. For many various Reasons.
1.On Her Majesties Secret Service 2.The Living Daylights 3.license To Kill 4.The Spy Who Loved Me 5.Goldfinger
Thatcher the Milk Snatcher is gone. Even Hell wont except her because she is too Evil for it.
Your views, but the Lady's Not For Turning.
Most of the previous Generation (Not sure how old you are and if you are from the Generation that grew up in 70's and 80's) are very glad to see her gone at last. For many various Reasons.
I'm 28 - remember Thatcher. More memories of John Major as I was growing up in the 1990s, though. I remember writing notes on the John Major/John Redwood "Put up or shut up" leadership campaign n 1995 when I was like 11! I was born a few days after the Brighton Bomb that almost killed the entire British Cabinet in October 1984. I share my birthday with that of Sir Roger Moore.
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
That's kind of him, does he go to your place, or you to his?
No, but he did me the very great pleasure of giving me his autograph in 2002. I don't think that he signs any more. The picture was of him in Egypt holding gun among the tall pillars.
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
Thatcher the Milk Snatcher is gone. Even Hell wont except her because she is too Evil for it.
Your views, but the Lady's Not For Turning.
Most of the previous Generation (Not sure how old you are and if you are from the Generation that grew up in 70's and 80's) are very glad to see her gone at last. For many various Reasons.
exactly ding dong the wicked witch is dead ,i got married in 86
and thanks to her my mortgage carried a 15% interest rate pure bloody
greed now this country makes sod all
Very weak tribute package on Newsnight last night, with Paxman struggling to get something original out of his guests, also poor Sun headline: Thatch dead in bed in Ritz, almost like it's one of their rhyming pun headlines. Surprising.
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Silhouette ManThe last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
Very weak tribute package on Newsnight last night, with Paxman struggling to get something original out of his guests, also poor Sun headline: Thatch dead in bed in Ritz, almost like it's one of their rhyming pun headlines. Surprising.
Yes, I saw it. My blog commentator Martin Amis featured, interestingly!
Yes, The Sun headline is very poor, but indicative of the quality of the newspaper itself I suppose.
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
Silhouette ManThe last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
Well, she was Ptrime Minister of the UK for eleven and a half years, what do you all expect? Give her her week or so and then it'll all be over. Whether one liked her or her policies or not, she deserves all the attention she's getting, she changed all of our lives one way or another for better or for worse.
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
I remember him being interviewed and he said the only reason
he did the Conservative Conference was they were the only
ones to ask him. Could be true and then It could of been he was
trying to distance himself from them. Sadly depending on
where you live in the UK. Maggie was either Loved or Hated.
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Michael France, the screenwriter who contributed to Goldeneye and did uncredited edits to the draft screenplay of The World Is Not Enough, has died aged 51. He also worked on films such as Cliffhanger.
Comments
THE SUN
ANDREW MARR Last Updated: 08th September 2007
THE widely praised TV series, Andrew Marr's History Of Modern Britain, reaches the Thatcher years tonight (BBC2, 9pm).
Here, in an exclusive article for The Sun, the BBC's former political editor explains why he thinks Britons today are, in effect, ALL Mrs Thatcher's children.
IT probably calls for a shrink, or a large glass of whisky. But I have finally admitted that Margaret Thatcher is my mother.
Not literally, of course. My real mother is sparkier, just as tough, and wouldn't take kindly to that idea.
But politically, Thatcher has made us all her children.
Of the prime ministers since the war, she was the one who changed the political weather.
With our privatised, still-powerful economy, our low direct tax rates, our sceptical attitude to Europe, our close relationship with the US and the disappearance of real socialism from our politics, we are still the country she shaped.
Even today's reforms of the public sector by mimicking the market — which seem to be struggling — had their origins in the Thatcher years.
Her successors, John Major and Tony Blair, inherited a land that had gone through a traumatic revolution in the 1980s.
They have changed us at the edges — a bit more indirect tax, new rights for some workers, for gay people — and, of course, many more people have come here from abroad, mainly Europe.
But fundamentally they carried on in the direction she set. She fell out with Major, but Blair admits his debt.
Even his much-criticised relationship with Dubya echoes hers with Ronald Reagan.
And the rest of us? With our groaning credit cards, our love of home ownership, and what she called "the great car economy", plus our suspicion of big government, we too are living Thatcherised lives.
That's why, in the fourth of my films telling the story of modern Britain, I say we are all — rebel or not — the children of Margaret Thatcher. I thought for a long time about that.
When she came to power I was an enthusiastic Left-winger. I just couldn't believe she would survive. And the truth is, she very nearly didn't.
She was a lucky politician. Without the tax from North Sea Oil she'd have found it hard to get through those first, rocky years. If her Cabinet had been less wet they might have stopped her.
If Galtieri's Argentine forces had been better prepared we might have lost the Falklands war — and she would have been out.
If the miners had been led by wily leaders, rather than the deluded Arthur Scargill, she might not have won that victory.
Had Labour not been busy tearing itself apart in public she might have found her general elections a little tougher, too.
Had the IRA been better informed about which bedroom suite she would be using they would have murdered her in Brighton.
And us? The great shake-out in British industry in the early Eighties was too tough, too drastic.
Many companies that went then could still have been with us today. She could be harsh. The poll tax was a disaster. That's the nature of revolutions.
There are always victims, always mistakes.
But this is a rich country now. And you can't eat the fruit while sneering at the farmer.
Your views, but the Lady's Not For Turning.
Most of the previous Generation (Not sure how old you are and if you are from the Generation that grew up in 70's and 80's) are very glad to see her gone at last. For many various Reasons.
That's ten years of education under New Labour for you. 8-)
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I'm 28 - remember Thatcher. More memories of John Major as I was growing up in the 1990s, though. I remember writing notes on the John Major/John Redwood "Put up or shut up" leadership campaign n 1995 when I was like 11! I was born a few days after the Brighton Bomb that almost killed the entire British Cabinet in October 1984. I share my birthday with that of Sir Roger Moore.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Oh you 8-)
No, but he did me the very great pleasure of giving me his autograph in 2002. I don't think that he signs any more. The picture was of him in Egypt holding gun among the tall pillars.
exactly ding dong the wicked witch is dead ,i got married in 86
and thanks to her my mortgage carried a 15% interest rate pure bloody
greed now this country makes sod all
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Yes, I saw it. My blog commentator Martin Amis featured, interestingly!
Yes, The Sun headline is very poor, but indicative of the quality of the newspaper itself I suppose.
+1
Sick of hearing about this.
Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
www.cancerresearchuk.org
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Yes, I believe he was, Nap.
he did the Conservative Conference was they were the only
ones to ask him. Could be true and then It could of been he was
trying to distance himself from them.
where you live in the UK. Maggie was either Loved or Hated.
Indeed, Kenny Everett was a fan. Here he is at the Tory Party Youth Rally in London (1983) with Maggie, Bob Monkhouse, Monty Modlyn and Ted Rogers.
did you think of adolf hitler for the basis of this argument?
well we all have our flaws don't we?
Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
www.cancerresearchuk.org
No, I was thinking of Mussolini. 8-)
who say "I'll leave the country if ******* wins the election "
Be made to LEAVE ! :v
really funny parts. A great Comedian.
Well done in adding that tribute. Something to celebrate for once!
'Goldeneye' screenwriter Michael France passes away aged 51
http://www.mi6-hq.com/news/index.php?itemid=10877&t=mi6&s=news
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/on-this-day--titanic-finally-sinks-143120684.html#kXTxiKJ
'The Unsinkable Ship' hit an iceberg the previous night,
but sank into the North Atlantic at 2.20am on April 15, claiming 1,502 lives.
Even if the finished film is not perfect, I still enjoy Goldeneye since it was the first time I got see a James Bond film in the cinema.