[MP-Ryan]

This woman and her government regarded the Chilean dictator Pinochet (who murdered thousands) as a great friend, opposed sanctions against Apartheid South Africa, supported the Khmer Rouge and sold weapons to Saddam Hussein. Yes some great foreign policy decisions there

...and laid the groundwork that ultimately crushed the pIRA's military movement and later forced it into the political power-sharing seen today, was instrumental in policies that forced the collapse of the Soviet Union, politically led of the sovereign defense of a British territory that could have simply been conveniently given up, and promoted the advancement of freedoms and liberty in the former Communist Bloc.

Every country was guilty of myopia concerning Latin America in the 80s and 90s; doesn't mean Thatcher should have been forgiven for it, but it puts her views in perspective (Pinochet also counted George Bush Sr among his friends).  Saddam was funded and supplied with intel by several NATO countries for a multitude of reasons for quite some time (hint:  Iran).  Opposition to sanctions in South Africa were on the wrong side of history, I'll grant, and as for your claims about "supporting the Khmer Rouge," if you're referring to the UN backing of the Khmer Rouge by a number of Western governments, she certainly wasn't out of the ballpark of her contemporaries either.  Black marks?  Sure, but, when put in context, considerably less significant than her foreign policy successes,

I know there are some hardcore Thatcher-haters in the UK - you appear to count yourself among them - but she was quite well-respected for her foreign policy, and for good reason.

[Luis Dias]

Remember, those were the days when Realpolitiks was the game. Thatcher was quite passionately ideological for that time.

[headdie]

I wasnt born until 1984 so have very little first hand recollections of her.

for those looking from the outside of the UK, while her foreign policy might have been not bad she was the death nail of UK heavy industry which was the backbone of the UK working sector which meant in most places there was a job for anyone who wanted one.  With nothing to replace it the UK has been in a constant struggle to recover from that, as a result several regions of the UK are still under EU employment development funding.

The reason she was the death of industry was her determination to break the strong unions which protected them and often were opposed to her policies.

[Suongadon]

I remember spending the 80s wishing we (the US) could trade heads of state with the UK. Those were the days...

Though I just know that some yobs are going to get royally pissed and do something stupid like dance on her grave, or piss on it.

 Hmm, I wonder if it'll get the same coverage as when that guy pissed on the Cenotaph. And if so, how much of the public will actually care?

I'd imagine it won't get any more coverage/caring than when Reagan's grave was danced upon. So, basically none.

[Lorric]

She's the only game in town right now on the news, from when I ate my tea just now. Makes a change at least from having to look at the ugly mug of Kim Jong Un. She must have done something right to get elected 3 times anyway. They were playing it pretty straight by the looks of it, they obviously have to be nice because she's dead, but they did keep mentioning that she divided opinion and showed one guy saying he was happy she was dead and anti-Thatcher protests back in the day inbetween people saying nice things about her. She's getting a lavish funeral by the looks of it.

[Turambar]

Sounds like Reagan in the US.  People love them for some reason, while they went about ****ing everyone that isnt super rich.

[headdie]

She must have done something right to get elected 3 times anyway.

she was the the known devil, Labour at the time was a mess iirc and the Lib dems have always been the "protest vote"

[Flipside]

Also, you need to look at the distribution of voting areas in the UK. Keep London and the South East happy and you can get a large chunk of Parliamentary seats right there.

Whilst it's a complex issue of why there is such a vast density of voting districts around London, much related to population density, it does tend to lead to a 'London-centric' style of Governance that has been a problem for a while.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/2432632/UK-General-Election-2010-political-map.html

[Al-Rik]

The reason she was the death of industry was her determination to break the strong unions which protected them and often were opposed to her policies.

Maybe she was the death of the British Industry,  but in a different kind of way.
By allowing the German reunification... and the following transformation of the former Socialistic States in Eastern Europe that created a lot of competition. Many manufacturing jobs - especially for unskilled workers - went during the 90s to Eastern Europe.

And breaking the strong unions... well, the unions brake down the Labour Government. 27% inflation and strikes for higher wages were not helpful:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_Discontent

[Mongoose]

It is interesting to see how she's getting an overall more positive appraisal over here than it seems she enjoys in her own country. 

[FireSpawn]

It's becasue she stopped the kids over here getting a free carton of milk with lunch at school for decades. Hell, my primary school didn't do milk for students until after I left in 2004.

Here's what they have now:

[MP-Ryan]

It is interesting to see how she's getting an overall more positive appraisal over here than it seems she enjoys in her own country.

Maggie's policies would nearly pass for Democrat in the US these days, hence why she tended to be well-liked in the US and Canada.

[karajorma]

And breaking the strong unions... well, the unions brake down the Labour Government. 27% inflation and strikes for higher wages were not helpful:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_Discontent

Yep, it's pretty true that while I hate the way she threw British manufacturing under the bus in order to break the unions, it was the unions who gave her the stick to beat them with.

Maggie's policies would nearly pass for Democrat in the US these days, hence why she tended to be well-liked in the US and Canada.

Yes but they happened in a very socialist country. As a result I find it quite funny when I hear people complaining about living under Bush or Obama. Neither made changes to their country even remotely close to those made by Thatcher.

[deathfun]

Rehearsals begin for Maggie Thatcher's funeral.

Just someone on Facebook. I thought it was amusing

[NGTM-1R]

Show of hands, who here can name the one group of British subjects who are 100% behind Thatcher?

[karajorma]

Well given that even on the Falkland Islands 3 people voted against the referendum, nope.

[FireSpawn]

I feel like such a bastard for finding this funny still. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmmomV-ax-s

[NGTM-1R]

Well given that even on the Falkland Islands 3 people voted against the referendum, nope.

They're Argentine androids, they don't count.

[MP-Ryan]

I feel like such a bastard for finding this funny still. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmmomV-ax-s

That Scot with the glasses (I've no idea who he is) is hilarious.

[Phantom Hoover]

that's frankie boyle, his schtick is being outrageously tasteless (but he does it well)