Could it be that Theresa May has the same characteristics as Margaret Thatcher? The same ethos and principles? The same duplicity? But with more deviousness and ruthlessness?
Is the retrograde attitude towards the NHS and Education the tip of the ice-berg? Grammar schools may be just the start.
She is in charge of the most extreme right-wing government we’ve had since Thatcher. There is already a gulf opening up between her rhetoric and actions (How well I remember Thatcher standing on the doorstep at No. 10 quoting St Francis while thinking Ghenghis Khan).
Are we heading for a hard Brexit, privatisation of the NHS, austerity for the poor, Grammar Schools, and corporation Tax cuts? Are we heading for bigger bonuses for the guys at the top and more inequality?
Do they think that with Labour is some disarray they can get away with anything?
As the economy shrinks who will pay the price? Is Theresa planning on letting the public services, disabled and poor paid pick up the bill?
I remember the division and despair of the Thatcher years well. All the kids with no future. The attitude of apathy. ‘What’s the point?’ was the mantra. ‘There’s nothing to work for! There are no jobs!’
I remember the riots and social fury.
Are we heading for more of the same?
On the positive side – at least we got Punk and some great music!
I’m still not sure I understand the whole school thing. Can you explain for me? (And yeah, she kind of does sound like what I’ve always heard folks say about Margaret Thatcher.)
Cheryl, Theresa May is not “Margaret Thatcher” no matter how some would have it. For God’s sake what we have Jeremy Corbyn as PM (won’t happen) and who will be the real power behind him? I remember the riots, not just the Miners, when the Police turned on them charged them with more vicious force than was necessary. I voted Labour for as long as I can remember except when that crooked money grabbing Bastard Blair was PM who went along with Bush to start a War. Opher is not going to give a true view on the Grammar School question, he was a State School Teacher – only a better school than the majority of state schools not only under the Tories but the worse time was Labour under Blair.
Margaret Thatcher was a one off just as Blair was, he was not in it to help the Country only to help himself as time as proved. As for Theresa May for heavens sake she has to be give a chance, what do we want John Macdonel running the Country because thats what it would be with Corbyn as the puppet.
I don’t agree with all that Anna. The far worst time in education was under the Tories. The teachers pay was appalling. I was a Head of Department and my kids had free school meals. I couldn’t afford a car and had hand-me-down clothes. It was terrible. The school leaked water and was decaying.
The Labour Government under Blair put large amounts of money into schools, NHS and other public services. Our pay went up 30%. The school was refurbished. We got computers, furniture, building and whiteboards. As soon as the Tories got back in the cuts came swinging back. My son teaches in my old school. His pay has reduced. His workload is through the roof. They’ve had three rounds of redundancies. His pension has been slashed. The school building programme came to a halt.
Tony Blair did a lot for public services and inner cities. His huge mistakes were to follow the Thatcher policy on manufacturing and banking and try to emulate Thatcher by going to war. He became Bushes poodle and created a right mess. But the economy did really well under Blair and there were a lot of good things.
Under Thatcher there were riots, miners strike, press strikes and social division. I still hate her guts. She was vile. She deregulated causing BSE and sold off everything she could, including all our oil money, to rich buddies over-seas. She let Murdock in to take over the media.
May is following the same way – closing hospitals, privatisation programmes, disability payment reductions, grammar schools, Faith School (Jihadi academies) and Free Schools (No teaching quaklifications required). She’s heading for a hard Brexit which will shrink the economy but you can bet your bottom dollar that the rich won’t suffer. They have already reduced taxes for them and are reducing corporation tax. The poor, public sector and disabled will pick up the bill.
Sadly I agree with you Anna. I can’t see Jeremy being elected as PM despite the fact that he has most of the policies I agree with. The only one I don’t agree on is immigration. I don’t think he understands the mood. I don’t think the majority of the country like him.
I’ll vote for him but I think the Tories are planning to run riot. They don’t think they have any opposition.
I just hope they are wrong. Things may change. The Tories may also be hopelessly divided and their policies are caustic. People might warm to Jeremy. That’s what we have to unite and fight for.
I also agree that John McDonnell is the power behind Jeremy and I’ve got mixed feelings about him.
Grammar schools are where kids sit an exam at 10/11 years old – called the 11+ – which decides if they are clever enough to go to a Grammar school. 10% are creamed off. The other 90% fail and receive a worse education.
I am greatly opposed to it because it is elitist (it favours rich kids who are tutored to get through the test) and removes all the kids with aspiration and ability from the other schools. 90% of kids are lsabelled failures, which is self-fulfilling, and receive a worse education than they otherwise would have had.
Theresa May has all the hallmarks of Thatcher. I can see it developing.