The Labour MP for Jarrow (a rotten borough if ever there was one) Stephen Hepburn has decided to negate the importance of Margaret Thatcher in the history of this country by tabling the following motion.That this House recalls the cruel and divisive reign of Margaret Thatcher and demands that the statue be removed from the Members' Lobby until such time as its erection has been approved by a vote in the House.I can think of two words, and the second is off. Thatcher, love her or loathe her, deserve a statue in Parliament. She precided over massive social change in this country which has not been rolled back.
If you said to a 15 year old today that 25 years ago you had to wait five months to get a telephone line and you had rent the handset from BT they'd quite rightly think we were all mad. And that is just one, of many great things she changed about this country.
7 comments:
Strangely, I agree. Though I would be sorely tempted to scrawl across the plinth: 'It's because she was a woman NOT because she was THAT woman'.
But then I'm a bitter and twisted ex-Trot. And I've already been upset enough today by receiving an email with a photo of my ex-wife sharing a happy moment with Tony Blair; I hasten to add I have no objection to her being happy, accepting a CBE, or even sharing a joke with Tony Blair - but please NOT while I'm eating my cornflakes!
Another Labour MP who had never had a real job in his life.
As ship repair is a major industry in his constituency he might care to look at thro-put during the Thatcher years
I am with you there . THE ADORATION OF THE MAGGIE...should be compulsory
( Previous post was hysterical by the way)
Hepburn has made a career out of his Labour Party membership, first as a union official, then as agent to the former Jarrow MP Lord (Don) Dixon, then Deputy Leader of South Tyneside Council, before being selected as PPC for Jarrow on Dixon's elevation. His only known contribution to parliamentary life is as a player in the all party House of Commons football team.
His only redeeming facet is his support for Sunderland AFC!
"She precided over massive social change in this country which has not been rolled back."
There's a missing adjective between "massive" and "social change" that might be relevant to whether or not Mrs T deserves a statue.
For those who believe the missing adjective to be "positive", then the statue is uncontroversial. For those who believe it to be "negative", then it is obviously controversial.
Since a large number of people in the country, and their representatives in the House of Commons, believe the latter, voting on whether to erect the statue is entirely reasonable.
(this isn't based on personal animosity; I'm a Southerner doing-all-right-thankyou and very glad I can have as many phones as I like whenever I like. But people in the working class communities that her government turned into welfare ghettoes might disagree, and their voices should be heard too.)
John B
Maybe it's time for you to read the real Peter Hitchins takeup on Maggie, 3 phone colours ,black ,yellow well banana ,green , I won't go on as those rose tinted glasses may fall off
Man, I'd forgotten about the horrendous phone service and having to rent the phone.
I, of course, belong to the camp that thinks that there should be a total of three statues in the House of Commons: Cromwell, Churchill and Thatcher.
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