In 1999 the cartoonist of some note Ed Hillyer did a comic called End of the Century Club. The second volume, Countdown opened with a big party celebrating the demise of Margaret Thatcher – ding, dong, the witch is dead, and all that. Reading it I reminded me of that legendary day on November 22nd 1990 when she resigned as Prime Minister. I was at 6th form college at the time and the school was torn between the majority dancing with joy and a the minority stomping around with indignant horror, that their glorious leader could be betrayed in such a fashion. But regardless of how you felt about the woman (and it’s safe to say I was happy to see her go) you couldn’t help be affected by her. For anyone who came of age prior to or during her reign (and it was a reign) Thatcher and all she stood for is a powerful focal point.
And at some point, probably fairly soon, she’s going to die.
I have to say I’m not chomping at the bit to dance in the streets but I’m very curious to see what does happen when she passes on. There really hasn’t been a public figure that evokes such strong feelings of loathing since Thatcher. Yes, people say they hate Blair but their hatred always seems a little bit shallow, like they really want to hate him but there isn’t much there to hate, and it just reflects badly on the wannabe hater. Pity him, dislike him, worry about him, yes, but such a strong emotion as hate? He doesn’t really deserve it. Thatcher, however, she was someone to hate. She reveled in it. And I wonder if those emotions will still be strong enough when this old lady shrugs off her mortal coil. I wonder if level-headed people who pondered Edward Heath or shrugged at Lady Di will find their fists pumping in the air when it happens. I wonder if pints will be raised and Billy Bragg songs played in jukeboxes throughout the land. Or has enough time passed that memories been softened and since the young people don’t really know what she’s about it doesn’t really matter in this day and age.
Part of me (I’ll admit, a fairly significant part of me) really wants there to be some kind of spontaneous celebration, not so much to piss on her grave as to reaffirm to our glorious leaders that whatever the long term benefits of her rule (and I accept, grudgingly, that there may have been some, even if the costs were somewhat high) a part, possibly a significant part of the British public weren’t too happy about it and still bear a grudge.
But it’s still kinda weird. There’s “Thatcher” the icon, there to be loved and despised as you see fit, and there’s Margaret the old, frail woman. Is it socially acceptable to still hate her after all these years?
I guess we’ll find out sooner or later…
Yeah, it’s odd isn’t it. Even Elvis Costello seems to have mellowed fractionally about her. I heard him asked in a recent interview if he would really (as the lyrics of Tramp The Dirt Down suggest) dance on Thatcher’s grave when she finally kicked the bucket and he replied “I wouldn’t waste the shoe leather”.
I was arguing with a young tory in the pub a few weeks ago and he was praising Thatcher’s achievements and it took me a while to figure out that he hadn’t actually been born yet when she came to power. Scary. I, on the other hand, threw up the night she got in (coincidentally, I just happened to be ill, but not inappropriately).
To celebrate her death would (imho) be to give her more publicity than she deserves.
My vote is to treat her like Oliver Cromwell and dig up her body and let it rot for all to see. But that’s because I’m in a good mood. I’ll be watching my Young Ones videos when she dies, they always remind me of the Thatcher era in a positive way.
I think I’ve discussed this a number of times with friends. I’m certainly planning to celebrate and I think a lot of people will. It’s not about holding a long-past-it grudge against her its about sticking two fingers up at the people who venerate her and a Tory party that remains obsessed with her reign.
I was in the newsagent on London’s Wardour St (home of media) on monday, looking at the Standard on the rack. This blonde, tucked in flannel shirt wearing geniune yuppie bowls in and turns the page (that I am reading) so he can see the front page headline. The headline was about Gordon Brown staking his claim to the throne of New Labour. The yuppie takes a quick look at it and sort of shouts under his breath “left-wing cunt” and stomps off to buy some Bensons.
First I was angry, then I laughed a lot and watched him until he left. I have to celebrate her death because there are people out there who consider Gordon Brown to be too left-wing. I have to let them know I glory in their tears.
Thatcher is not part of my experience. But Ronald Reagan kicked off none too soon. Glad to see the back of that fucker. So perhaps I can relate. And you’re right about Bliar. I can’t say that the world will be a better place without him, but I do think he is going mad. Perhaps there’s something in the walls of No. 10.
Frankly I want to piss on her grave. I reckon it would be fairly easy to arrange a coach party. Could you imagine a coach convoy on the M Whatever ? Everyone coming together in an appropriate community blitz spirit. All profits divided very thinly across the many things she fucked so badly we’re still not able to put right.
And it’s not just about the insult, or the grudge. Although that is important. Someone who kicked so many people, when they were down where they had been knocked, so hard and so often,and with so much enjoyment, doesn’t get a statute of limitations. As for the feelings of her family, since when did we care about gun runners ?
But as I said, it’s not just about the grudge or the insult. It’s basic working man beer boy voodoo. I’m sure Grant Morrison could shamen it up a bit. But for me it’s more primal. Sure, you can give me a hard time in the office. But I can piss on your car later. Two decades worth of that. In coaches. Gridlocked along the motorway. If you had eldely relatives who couldn’t make it, but had started their pension under her, you could even take a bottle up for them. “This is from my Grandad for his delayed cateract operation.” I have a vision. And a full bladder. A carry out from Bargain Booze, and a sample selection from the local nursing home.
Being a natural contrarian, I was an arch-Tory at secondary school (getting much pain as a result), and now as an adult probably well to the left of the average UK voter. My parents, even now, still think that Thatcher was one of the best ever things to happen to this country, and for that reason alone I’d dislike her immensely.
Ideology, and especially rigid ideology, is a very bad thing. Thatch was an ideologist sans pareil.
I remember the day she went very clearly. I was on a day off from work, met up with a friend and toasted the bitch’s demise in the nearest pub we could find. Didn’t really have the money for beer, but it had to be done. I’ll happily join the toilet queue at her grave.
The concept of it being ‘socially unacceptable’ to hate an old lady is one she would balk at herself. Social unnaceptability implies shared values, and requires the sense of community of which she bought about the destruction.
Ergo, by her own logic – I hope she suffers. I hope vengeance for every life she ruined is wrung out of her on her death-bed.
Well it will be celebrations from me , I still despise the fuckin tory whore and i hope we see the death of the conservative party cunts , pompous fuckin shitbags .Can’t be any more honest than that.
I have written a song also :
Maggie you fuckin cunt you fuckin tory whore ,
I hope we never see the likes of you or your grovelling arse lickers no more ,
the tory party are fuckin cunts and make me fuckin spew,
give me a 12 bore and i’d wipe the fuckin lot out including fuckin you.
One thing is for sure, i know that Margeret Thatcher will rot in hell for her crimes against the irish people. She stood by and allowed ten innocent irishmen to die on hunger strike in the h block cages of long kesh. The asked for political status you could have granted that request but you chose to let them starve to death to show them who was best, so maggie let me tell you their cause wont see defeat and you ll go down in history as the bitch of downing street. Your a cruel evil women who turned the streets of derry scarlet with your hatred of the irish, you dirty london harlet.
She was a callous, egomaniacal bitch, yep. She deserves for the earth over her grave to be packed to stone with the weight of dancing feet.
But she was no worse than those child-murdering ‘freedom fighters’ who starved themselves to death for publicity.
I have said for the last 25 years that if I was given 6 months, Thatcher would have 5.
I cannot understood how anybody with even the slightest grasp of social history could regard this woman and her followers with any sentiment other than total revulsion.
She will be dead soon (hopefully) and humanity will be able to heave a huge sigh of relief that she can no longer cast her malign influence on our affairs.
Rust in Peace