baldysblog.co.uk

Quite often one sees articles and old farts ‘doing anti-Thatcher’ things. For people like Joe Brand, Morrisay and Adrian Chiles, ‘sneaking Green Room stuff’ is their meat and drink and required when faced with fading careers.

To be frank, the ‘loathing of Thatcher’ by an actresses such as Duncan, the ‘I am so clever’ Johnathan Miller and all the other ‘Luvvies’ is of little surprise to ordinary people but, it has an amusing side to it too – total irrelevance to ‘today’s audience’. All of these sad people are clinging to the past and likely despite bigger waists, failing eyesight and receding hairlines, unaware of their transition from ‘teenage rebel’ to an ancient ‘establishment figure’ in the view of younger people.

Reality

Margaret Thatcher was removed from power in November 1990 which is over 18 years ago and means that people who are 18 years old were hardly born and as few 12 year old children take an intimate interest in politics, even people who are 30 hardly know who she is in any real sense although they may remember a comment from their parents.

If you throw in the couple of million economic immigrants, legal or not that have settled in the UK on New Labour’s watch, the potential ‘audience’ for pro or anti Thatcher comments, is considerably diminished to such an extent that one wonders why bother ?

A Confrontation With Time…

Sometime last year whilst visiting one of my Sons and their now +20 year old former babysitter was planing her own wedding, in the course of conversation, I made an “Emelda Marcos” joke with reference to women and shoes.

Kindly and discreetly, my Daughter-In-Law pointed out that ‘Emelda Marcos’ would mean absolutely ‘zilch’ to young Kelly. It made me stop and think about a lot of other ‘references’ I often used in talking to people. We use such references as a kind of ‘shorthand’ (will even that word be understood in our word processor/texting days?), as a way of portraying an ‘empathy’ or ‘where we are coming from’, without boring others with our intimate rationale.

Now all of this is fine providing that everyone we communicate with is ‘reading from the same page’ as it were. Of course with the Internet, blogs and equal access to most things, that has all changed and in a sense we are no longer in India, the 19^th Century, Rudyard Kipling and the Raj or perhaps, in a way we still are:

“For the Colonel’s Lady an’ Judy O’Grady Are sisters under their skins!”

‘Communications and access’ have made us at least apparently, equal even where that may not be totally true at all levels.

There is Another Factor…

The problem is that any ‘bogey man’ can only command attention whilst there is ‘living memory’.

The Industrial Revolution fed directly off peasants being thrown off the land thus creating the ‘work force’ prepared to work for low wages out of neccessity. So too the much needed industrial reforms under the Thatcher Government will be remembered bitterly by many former miners, steel makers, printers and so on but to most people below the age of 35 or 40 will view it as their reality – “It’s just the way it is today”. For them the sub text is: “Was it ever any different ?”

These people prattling on about Thatcher have more in common with the sad old gits who used to say in the 1950s as we youngsters unintentionally disturbed them, things like “I fought a war for your…” Yep they did the same as did my Dad but I made darn sure I stayed in my Mother’s womb until it was over !

But I always look to the future whilst trying to learn from the past and let’s face it, in most ways under incompetent Governments since Thatcher’s time, most of those bitterly fought and hard won benefits have been frittered away by lesser people since and that is the saddest part of all.

Those men who stood on the Picket Lines, the Police ordered to confront them, all believed totally in what they stood for as did the Parliament that passed the Law. In comparison today what can New Labour say, what principles can they claim as their ‘heritage’ ?

True, you may hate Margaret Thatcher if you will but she achieved stuff, not just the Falklands War, the reform of the Trades Unions and the rebirth of Britain’s economy. What can New Labour claim in their time from assuming power based upon the majority benefits of her time ?

An illegal war and bankrupting the UK economy… Enough Said ?