Thatcher why hated

Mrs McDonald also spoke of a growing momentum for a united Ireland. In , 10 republican inmates, including Bobby Sands, died during an IRA hunger strike over a dispute about political prisoner status in the Maze Prison. Why has that happened? Bobby Sands was the first of the hunger strikers to die, on 5 May Of the then prime minister, Mrs McDonald said she was the "quintessential hate figure at that time".

She did, but the Bill passed anyway. As ever, things are more complicated. Thatcher, the new Secretary of State for Education at the time, was ordered to make cuts in four areas:. Concerned over the effect of the cuts to milk, she said :. She proposed a compromise, that would later be accepted , to remove milk provision for those aged 7 to 11 but retain it for primary school pupils for nutritional purposes.

In , the then Labour Education Secretary Edward Short removed free milk from secondary schools , 3 years before Thatcher continued the phased removal for primary school pupils over 7.

It is therefore prudent to ask at what point responsibility for the current situation switches to successive Governments who have failed to correct this imbalance. The Poll Tax is the stand-out, unequivocal disaster of the Thatcher Government.

Though, that's a somewhat contested claim. Many believed that changing the way the tax was calculated, from the estimated market value of a property to the number of people living in it, was a backwards step. It disproportionately hit large families living in relatively small accommodation and was universally hated for being unfair on ordinary working people.

The Community Charge caused intense distrust and deep wounds in the political psyche of millions of voters, many of whom never forgave Thatcher for her actions as we see from the anger released following her death. The changes generated seething public anger , mass protests , public disobedience, mass refusal to pay , legal challenges and some of the worst rioting ever seen in England. Yorkshire Police even made preparations to refuse to arrest anyone as thanks to the problems of implementing the tax , the force believed it lacked the resources to deal with such wide-scale civil disobedience.

John Major won the resultant leadership contest and immediately abolished the Community Charge. It was based on the essentially identical Rates system used prior to the Community Charge. Such is the strength of feeling still felt in Britain about the Community Charge, politicians have consistently steered clear of adjusting it for over 20 years, save for minor alterations aimed primarily at increasing discounts for certain households and individuals. As ever, things are more subtle.

The Labour Party initially campaigned against the internal market, claiming it had fragmented the NHS and distorted incentives. GP fundholding was abolished, and primary care groups later primary care trusts were established as the new commissioning bodies, but with a greater focus on needs assessment and accountability to the local community.

Although they initially helped primary care groups with needs assessment, they were to ultimately take on a more managerial role, determining local targets and standards. The sentiment is more rightly directed at the Conservative Party as a whole. Section 28 refers to Section 28 of the Local Government Act which stated:.

Nonetheless, such legislation reflects the generally held beliefs of the Conservative traditionalists that Homosexuality, though no longer illegal, should not be promoted. Modernists, including current Prime Minister David Cameron , no longer support such sentiment. Cameron even went so far as to issue a much needed and long overdue apology in July , despite he himself having voted for a retention of the Section in He stated:.

This highly complex topic developed over months and you should take the time to read the background , particularly the testimony of Jill Knight excerpt below , who introduced Section What it did do was serve to highlight and ostracise the Gay and Lesbian community, legislating for separate treatment and restriction of teaching that many LGBT supports legitimately felt discriminated against them. It perpetuated a feeling of resentment and distrust of the LGBT community, serving as a clear example of homophobia and prejudice within the institution of Government.

The feeling of vilification felt by many in the Gay Community can therefore, understandably, explain their dislike of Thatcher and her government. The Irish Hunger Strike in were an extraordinary development in the history of the Northern Ireland troubles and set the tone for decades to come.

Specifically their goals included:. A complex timeline of events ultimately led to the the deaths of 10 prisoners. But that was not before an incredible development — the leader of the Hunger Strike, and one of those who would later go on to die, Bobby Sands was elected, from his prison cell , to the British House of Commons following a By-Election in But hopes that the situation could be resolved diminished with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Humphrey Atkins stating:. Sands persisted in his wish to commit suicide, that was his choice.

By the time I became an adult, in , the year the Conservative Party finally left office, the country was awash in money and confidence. Thatcher's decade of power emboldened us, corporatized us, and divided us. She left as many poor and bitter as she did wealthy and self-satisfied, and neither group would forget it. Although she insisted there was " no such thing as society, " Thatcher's rule thoroughly dredged the tributaries of Britain's class system.

That's why the Iron Lady will be mourned and lauded in equal, competing measures — and why we'll be arguing about her real legacy for decades to come. Skip to header Skip to main content Skip to footer Feature.

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