The Tory ministers of the 80's should be put on trial for the Ridley plan.

[Conrod]

Makes little, to no sense:hihi:.

And why would that be, my clumsy yping fingers? (I'll forego reciprocating with further use of little cartoons in an attempt at sarcasm).

[sccsux]

Ummm, did you read what fell out of your brain before you hit 'submit' ? Gawon, you're trolling again aincha?

 

Until you posted this, I only thought you had no sense of humour. At least you've just confirmed it (it was a bit of fun, or did you fail to see the little smiling faces at the end?).

 

And why would that be, my clumsy yping fingers? (I'll forego reciprocating with further use of little cartoons in an attempt at sarcasm).

 

It was a bit of fun (hinted at by the little yellow faces). Apologies if you thought it was a dig, but it wasn't.

[Conrod]

Until you posted this, I only thought you had no sense of humour. At least you've just confirmed it (it was a bit of fun, or did you fail to see the little smiling faces at the end?).

It was a bit of fun (hinted at by the little yellow faces). Apologies if you thought it was a dig, but it wasn't.

Fair enough, but it's very easy to misinterpret without the benefit of body language and vocal tone. I'll try to be less delicate in future!

[Wildcat]

Wrong on one count. We as a country were already bankrupt in 1976, and had to call in the IMF to bail us out. It was because of having to follow IMF economic policy in exchange for being bailed out, that the unions went on to provoke the Winter of Dicontent; at the time, they didn't care whether or not anybody could afford to eat, as long as they retained all their powers. Thatcher put paid to that, once and (hopefully!) for all.

 

Wrong on several counts. Yes we called in the IMF, but as Healey expalined later in his memoirs we weren't bankrupt and hadn't need to he had got his sums wrong.

 

By the time of the Winter of Discontent the economy was in recovery the private sector had broken the wage freezes and austerity measures of Callaghan. Callaghan made a misjudgement as did the union leaders who were trying to prevent their membership asserting demands for wage rises in line with inflation. As so often seems to happen a swing to the left from the electorate ends up with a swing to the right in Parliament. The fundamental problem for us democratically even then was that the labour party like the TUC was divorced from what its membership wanted. The initial skirmishes around the convictions of the Shrewsbury pickets sorted out where peoples allegiances lay, the rest is history.

[Tradescanthia]

In response I could say: Do you have manners? Does you mother know you insult people from behind a keyboard? Do you think it's big and clever to be offensive to somebody who has not offered insult to you?

 

However, in answer to your questions, yes, I have a brain; I have more qualifications than most joined and Mensa when I was younger. My mother died some years ago. I have voted Conservative for almost 3 decades.

 

All I can say to that is what a waste of education. Voting Tory once is an accident, a mistake during a weak moment, but to vote for them over 30 years is a form of masochism. Joining Mensa AND voting Tory dosn't add up, only INTELLIGENT people are supposed to be allowed to join Mensa.

Looks like they let anybody in these days........................

[Mr Prime]

Ridley the hero.

The man who started a chain of events that smashed the ultra left unions who were destroying the UK and trying to force a communist government on the country. They overthrew democratically elected governments in their attempts to do so.

Thank you Ridley and thank you Thatcher. Britain could have turned into a communist dictatorship just before the fall of the soviet union.

That would have left the country in a right old mess with 'brother No 1, Scargill' in charge.

 

Can you imagine what life would have been like under the rule of a cretin with a crappy wig?

 

I have heard this theory put around for years. Can you explain in some detail please how if the miners had won the strike that Britain would have turned into a communist dictatorship?

 

They won two strikes in 72 and 74 and this did not happen. They 'overthrew' the government in 74. In reality Heath went to the country and lost a democratic election, no red guards at Buckingham Palace. Had the miners won in 84 then Thatcher may have been knifed by her own side or the government may have gone to the country again. That does not equal a communist dictatorship.

[EvilScotsman]

Not necessarily, but the realism is reflected (quite obviously I would have hoped) by the relative success of capitalist economies.

 

It's those evil capitalist countries where people all have plenty of food, central heating, cars and holidays. DAMN THAT EVIL CAPITALISM.

 

What, like all those capitalist countries in Africa do?

 

Still no answer to the continuous growth question, eh? Why do you think we have a recession every 15 years or so?

[INTERVIEWER]

And, of course, India is a super capitalist society that ensures none of its citizens go hungry...

[upinwath]

Why would they support communism, which if brought in would end the unions totally - they would no longer exist (at least independently, if they were allowed to continue to exist they would be puppets)

 

The supporters would be up against a wall and shot sooner or later. No one accused the idiots of having a brain.

The leaders would be trying for for total equalship as they always do.

[upinwath]

I have heard this theory put around for years. Can you explain in some detail please how if the miners had won the strike that Britain would have turned into a communist dictatorship?

 

They won two strikes in 72 and 74 and this did not happen. They 'overthrew' the government in 74. In reality Heath went to the country and lost a democratic election, no red guards at Buckingham Palace. Had the miners won in 84 then Thatcher may have been knifed by her own side or the government may have gone to the country again. That does not equal a communist dictatorship.

 

First. Scargill was a known communist and member of the commie party for a long time.

Second. He had a track record of refusing democracy when it didn't suit him (see the vote for the last miner's strike - That's 'what vote?' in case anyone can't remember)

Third. He has a record of using violence against political opponents or those that refuse to do as ordered. (See 'scabs in last miner's strike)

Fourth. Scargill was very well supported by the communists in his rise to leadership of the NUM. Do you really think they did that without wanting payback?

Fifth, He was a supporter of the repressive communist states in the former Soviet union.

Sixth. He was actively trying to bring down a democratically elected government.

Seventh. Scargill met Khrushchev in 1956 and scolded him for trying to move away from Stalinism, telling him that "you can't get rid of him by removing his body from the mausoleum".

Eighth. Scargill celebrates the October 1917 revolution. (what an idiot)

Ninth. 3 Jul 2004 ... Although Scargill declared the SLP to be a “Marxist Party”

Tenth. He admitted he supports the old communist governments in the east and wants a communist government in the UK. He was also clear in his intention to remove a democratically elected government by force.

Eleventh. He actually believes the sun shines out of his arse as proven by the fact he started a Marxist party and actually believed people were stupid enough to vote for it.

Twelth. He insisted that the strike was a quasi-revolutionary act (His own words)