Baz Bamigboye (a terrific writer) raves about it in the Mail today.

I think Meryl Streep is far and away our greatest living actress. I admired Maggie enormously whilst disagreeing with most of her policies.

I met her and liked her too.

This film looks terrific. It opens in January. I shall be there.

I'll be watching, but we all know the story and how thatchers greed brought hundreds of thousands of britions to debt many of whom are still paying off. probably the worst pm in living memory!

But without a doubt the most famous leader after Churchill. I bet Meryl Streep has been studying every last footage of film and video tape of her. Thatcher had the most incredible voice range.Soft and gentle, to forceful and commanding within an instant. And ate alive her opponents and her inquisitors within the the media. Policies to one side, a quite magnificent character and one hell of a challenge for Streep.

I wonder if the film will cover the deep depression she suffered after leaving office, and then the period spent in rehab to overcome it? Or maybe that's one of their best kept secrets...

JK2006 wrote:
Baz Bamigboye (a terrific writer)

Oh my god!

Grocer's Daughter wrote:
I wonder if the film will cover the deep depression she suffered after leaving office, and then the period spent in rehab to overcome it? Or maybe that's one of their best kept secrets...

did u snatch the milk to give it to ur dad?

MilkSnatcher wrote:
I'll be watching, but we all know the story and how thatchers greed brought hundreds of thousands of britions to debt many of whom are still paying off. probably the worst pm in living memory!

And don't forget Maggie started selling off the farm to give the illusion of wealth, promoted the wide boys of the city in their BMWs who created vast paper profits out of thin air and started for the first time in British politics the "cult of personality" where image meant everything and substance nothing.

And even worse laid the path for the hideous Nu Labour who unable to beat them, joined them (with the aid of Mafia Media) to sell off the leftover goods and chattels that weren't bolted down.

She has a lot to answer for and yes, we are all still paying for her Reagonomics.

ps: yes I'm a bit startled by the claim about Baz ..the D.Wigg of his day. Ha she ever said a harsh word about anyone?

Funnily enough, both Baz and Wiggy were together at Michael Summerton's funeral; I chatted at length to both of them.

veritas wrote:
... started for the first time in British politics the "cult of personality" where image meant everything and substance nothing...
I disagree - you may not have liked her "substance", but it was there, and compared to our current (and likely to go on forever) breed of "say anything to get elected" politicos, she was a model of integrity and fortitude. You're entitled to hate what she believed in, but she believed in it 100%, and took a significant portion of the population with her.

Interesting to read in Matthew Parris' "Chance Witness" how much she regretted the "there is no such thing as society" soundbite, the only time she panicked herself into making a quick quote, and the only time he heard her castigate herself for a mistake...

And whilst, as I said, I disagreed with most of her policies, I tended to support her financial route and suspect that her government put the UK in a pretty strong position, since damaged by Gordon Brown who, at the time, I thought was a good Chancellor but who now looks dreadful in hindsight.

JK2006 wrote:
And whilst, as I said, I disagreed with most of her policies, I tended to support her financial route and suspect that her government put the UK in a pretty strong position, since damaged by Gordon Brown who, at the time, I thought was a good Chancellor but who now looks dreadful in hindsight.

I'm actually quite surprised at your comments here, JK.

For me, the real damage Thatcher did, was financial. What was it about her 'financial route' that you approved of?

Surely, she was right at the root of the 'live now, pay later' culture, and the 'loadsa money' culture in the 80s which led to the glorification of short term gains and massive risk-taking in the city. and where has that got us? Ah yes....

JK2006 wrote:
And whilst, as I said, I disagreed with most of her policies, I tended to support her financial route and suspect that her government put the UK in a pretty strong position, since damaged by Gordon Brown who, at the time, I thought was a good Chancellor but who now looks dreadful in hindsight.

Be fair JK,Brown was certainly better and more consistent than people like Lamont or Lawson,boom and bust merchants.

I too thought "thank God Brown has stopped Boom and Bust"... then the long, huge boom turned into a massive, monumental bust. The previous mini booms and busts looked better and the saving of the economy looked like going deeper and deeper into debt.

JK2006 wrote:
Funnily enough, both Baz and Wiggy were together at Michael Summerton's funeral; I chatted at length to both of them.

sad about Michael..he was such a funny guy. never met Baz..Wiggy is a lovely chap.

david wrote:
JK2006 wrote:
And whilst, as I said, I disagreed with most of her policies, I tended to support her financial route and suspect that her government put the UK in a pretty strong position, since damaged by Gordon Brown who, at the time, I thought was a good Chancellor but who now looks dreadful in hindsight.

I'm actually quite surprised at your comments here, JK.

For me, the real damage Thatcher did, was financial. What was it about her 'financial route' that you approved of?

Surely, she was right at the root of the 'live now, pay later' culture, and the 'loadsa money' culture in the 80s which led to the glorification of short term gains and massive risk-taking in the city. and where has that got us? Ah yes....

that's probably a good take on it. Her worship of that old fraud Freidman. Possibly she didn't even know herself what the outcome would be.

I hated most of her policies but I hate Blair & Nu Labour worse. far more destructive.

JK2006 wrote:
I too thought "thank God Brown has stopped Boom and Bust"... then the long, huge boom turned into a massive, monumental bust. The previous mini booms and busts looked better and the saving of the economy looked like going deeper and deeper into debt.

The worldwide recession would have happened regardless of who was our Chancellor,it was on a far too great a scale for any country except the USA to alter its outcome.
Brown rode the wave well for 10 years,yes mistakes were made,but overall a much better stewardship than the inconsistency of previous administrations.
I dislike Brown because of his policies regarding false allegations and the treatment of us falsely accused,nothing to do with his economic stewardship.

Don't forget there were 3.5 million unemployed under maggie, is that an economic policy you with to continue.

veritas wrote:
JK2006 wrote:
Funnily enough, both Baz and Wiggy were together at Michael Summerton's funeral; I chatted at length to both of them.

sad about Michael..he was such a funny guy. never met Baz..Wiggy is a lovely chap.

I must be one of about ten of those who bought Wiggy's The Beatles Tapes. He always was a very nice little chap.