Now, I warn you now this not a particularly political post. I am not ranting about Margaret Thatcher. I am not even talking about her policies or what she did for the good or bad of our country. Sorry to disappoint if that is what you thought you were going to get then you don’t know me very well.
What I am ranting about and getting increasingly rantier about is how this country is behaving in the wake of her death this week. And sadly, how I think that behaviour is going to worsen as we get nearer to her funeral on Wednesday.
Parties being organised to “celebrate” her death? Really?
Facebook groups being set up so that co-ordinate riots and disruption can be organised?
A senior police officer Tweeting that he hopes she “suffered a long and painful death”
Suggesting a crowd be gathered to “piss on her grave”
Now I am sorry, I don’t care which side of the political fence you sit on, this is an 87 year old grandmother who has just died. What sort of a world are we living in where we treat somebody’s death in such a callous way?
“Ding Dong the witch is dead” in the download charts and debates in broadsheet newspapers about whether Radio One should play it during the chart show on Sunday? Really?
This is what we have stooped to?
Please don’t post comments saying “oh yes but She did this, or caused that, or removed that, sold the other”. I know. And I am not saying I agree with all or in fact anything she did or stood for, I am saying that what her death is creating is disgusting.
People Tweeted RIP messages on Twitter the day she died and then got lambasted for it. To the extent they then deleted them. People are now too scared to say anything vaguely complimentary for fear of being shouted at.
This aggression about her as a person has to stop.
Quite frankly it is pathetic. And childish. It comes across as throwing toys out of prams.
Again I am not saying people don’t have a valid beef about her but I cannot buy into celebration and jubilation of her death.
It won’t solve anything. Riot in the streets and achieve what exactly? The police officer who sent that Tweet has now resigned over it. So what did that achieve then?
If this is what civilised society has now become, Margaret Thatcher had it right when she said in 1987 that there is no such thing as society.
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I agree with you, she was a human being, loved and loathed alike but at the end of the day she was Daughter, Mother and grandmother had many friends and they wish to be able to grieve, I don’t condone her policies either, I’m not into politics.
I am more saddened t see what the people are saying and doing, this is not the sort of behavior which happen, the world has Lost respect for each other, people would respect others for having a difference of opinion but seems in this day and age it’s not allowed, very sad
I have mixed feelings about Mrs T, my Grandad was a coal miner and union leader at the time of the strikes when she was involved, so I grew up hearing a lot of stuff about her, as you can imagine, but I also admired her as the first woman PM. That aside, I do think it is horrible that people are celebrating her death, and reacting like they did when Saddam Hussein or Bin Laden died, and organising riots and even a song hitting the charts… Just awful. She was someone’s Mum, someone’s Grandmother, and a person. I can’t believe how disgusting people are being! 🙁
Hi T. Yet another great post. Totally agree, regardless of politics, behaviour of some sections of the UK public has been appalling and it saddens me greatly.The media have added more fuel to the fire with their overly dramatic reports – they need to be held responsible about stirring the pot…god help us on Wednesday when the actual funeral takes place. The whole thing makes the UK look a laughing stock IMHO.
Amen to that Tracy. As the world looks on we implode. Did the US do that when Reagan died? Will then when any of the subsequent presidents do? I think not.
First and foremost, you need to respect yourself, regardless of what you think of other people. If you are going to piss on a grave, you are showing the world that you are an imbecile. It’s more of a bad reflection on you than the person you are attempting to insult!
*stands on a chair and applauds*
Amen.
What’s going on is disgusting and obnoxious – your message is spot on!
RIP
I have to day, I was appalled. It’s like people just need an excuse to be an angry mob.
Well said. Agree 150%
*say*
Hear Hear T.
I’m not from the UK, but people here seem to be so divided about her. She’s either a saint or a witch, which is a bit mad to me. I agree with your rant wholeheartedly…having said that, being Italian as I am, if Berlusconi died…I might not want to throw a party, but then again…
Here Here. I have been disgusted this week at the vitriol on social media and have seen many people in a different light. I refuse to join in any discussion about what she did/what she didn’t do because frankly, she did what she thought was right 30 years ago. Have the UK really not moved on? Obviously not. And that is what I find saddest of all about this; not to mention many of the people who wish to ‘dance on her grave’ didn’t even know Mrs Thatcher because they’re too bloody young to remember her. It is absolutely pathetic.
CJ x
Hi T
Great post, as always, I had vile abuse on the day she died, just for saying RIP. So it appears the trolls were looking for random people to abuse, they certainly weren’t any of my followers.
I too fear for Wednesday. Thankfully I’ve had good debate with some of my followers and we’ve moved on.
If only twitter were around during Thatchers time then people may have been *over* a lot of it.
Here’s hoping it passes off peacefully, I may take a break from twitter for the day!
Annie x
I disliked her policies and I disliked her public persona, but I hope that I can convey that without stooping to name calling etc. in terms of Ding Dong, I know people who have bought it, and their logic is that it is a way of having their number counted as someone who thinks she harmed the country, and that we shouldn’t be paying for her funeral etc. I haven’t bought it, even though I share those sentiments, as I feel the song is silly and puerile. If a proper song with relevant sentiments such as Shipbuilding or Ghost Town had been chosen I would have had less objection and no doubt purchased it, I think the silly choice of DIng Dong lessens the power of their protest, but each to their own and all that.
I have no objection to people sharing their views pro or anti, as a public figure she would have accepted that went with the job, and she in no way sought to please all of the people, and would expect nothing less than divided opinion, but I do not like vitriolic name calling. It achieves nothing, is backed up by nothing, and at the end of the day puts people off of engaging in debate about go to move things forward positively.
A great post.
A lot of people are using her death for their own increased publicity.
It is beyond ridiculous.
She definitely divided people. However, in my eyes, coming from Nigeria where politicians turn state funds into their own money, the woman was more than I icon and did a lot for this country.
This is a topic where, no matter how many times you say ‘this is not a political stance’, you will not be heard.
As I said in my post on the subject, I hated another person once who walked this earth and I stopped because it was killing my humanity. This is what I must put before my personal feelings about anyone.
As the saying goes, when we set out to destroy another, dig two graves.
I completely agree with everything you said. I feel a lot of people are jumping on the bandwagon and hiding behind social networking sites to say things they probably wouldn’t say face-to-face. It’s creating a gang culture that makes me very nervous. Well said, great post 🙂
Tanya, i agree with is 100%,
My attitude is that if I can’t say something nice about somebody, I would rather say nothing. I have said nothing on this matter.
You said it – it is ridiculous and rather vile. And a little medieval.
Agreed.
I’ve kept quiet this week regarding anything I may have felt about her as a politician and a person purposefully, as it is very mixed.
At the end of the day she was a mother and grandmother and a frail old woman.
Was shocked by some of the tweets I saw.
I completely agree – especially about those of us who might wish to speak less unfavourably but daren’t. Well said.
I agree – pathetic, and childish. Everything I’ve come to to be embarrassed about in the Britain of today. Given half a chance I will emigrate. I’m disgusted at how easily genuine folk are led astray by arseholes these days. I got called an ignorant shit by a complete stranger on Twitter this week for simply saying she was a great lady. She was – good or bad, she was definitely great. But hey, if you disagree and think she was weak and totally ineffectual, say so, but don’t call a complete stranger a shit. That says more about you than it does about her…
I’m still undecided about how I feel on this… some really bad people historically have done unspeakable and evil things and died whilst still having family and there’s not huge uproars every time they are spoken ill of…
It’s a toughie
I agree Annie. But are we putting Margaret Thatcher in the same league of “evil” as say Pol Pot, Hitler, Gaddafi and Sadam Hussein?
Was she truly evil?
Whilst many disagree with her policies I am not sure we could put her in the box marked evil.
I am not adverse to the speaking ill of somebody, per se, I do object to the idea of planned riots and effigy burning though.
Ah well yes, a similar evil. All the above caused misery and suffering in the name of politics.
Hang on maybe it is politics that is evil!
Goes against my catholic grain, but I don’t think anyone is evil, just evil policies. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely…then I tie myself in knots allowing for personal responsibility….
I agree. I think it’s horrendous that so many people can be so nasty about a human being whatever they thought about the politics. It just shows that people hold grudges and can’t move on, and maybe they need to or feelings are just going to get worse and more polarised. There’re already some nasty people around, and they’re riling up more people to join their cause. Ridiculous about someone who was still a human being with a family, as well as having been at her peak years ago before a lot of these people who’re celebrating were even born or old enough to know what was happening.
I agree with your post entirely. I’ve resisted commenting on her death until now, when I’ve just put together my thoughts for a blog.
I think there is something that diminishes us when we “celebrate” the death of another person.
It really is a sad reflection on what society has become, isn’t it. An old lady dies and people want to throw a party, truly awful