Thatcher's died according to BBC

A minutes silence for one person is utterly ridiculous. ANY one person.

It devalues its use on remembrance day.

NSFW.

hora – Member
A minutes silence for one person is utterly ridiculous. ANY one person.

It devalues its use on remembrance day.

Well said.
A natural old age single death… Vs the millions who died defending our freedoms.
Statistically she should have approx 0.000000001 minutes silence.

Ron Harris and Norman Hunter together this morning – what nostalgia!

Given that the relationship between the Queen and Mrs T was by all accounts frosty or formal (depending on the extent of diplomacy intended) I think respect is still the most likely driver of her choice. Attendance or non-attendance would be seized upon by those wishing mischief, when the most likely reason is staring them in the face.

Maybe she’d be best advised to have another stomach bug.

A minutes silence for Mrs T, who next? Is it even conventional to have such a thing on the death of a monarch? I’m guessing not, given it’s presumably a modern part of recreational grieving.

I blame Blair, after Diana, for this commercialised, look-at-me grieving. I must be seen to be visibly upset. Preferably on camera. From my best side.

The tributes in parliament to Winston Churchill, upon his death, took 45 minutes. Contrast that with those unholy collection of smug, but media and PR savvy Etonians droning on for hour after hour, seeing how far they could wriggle up the collective Tory ringpiece. I wonder if I’ll get a quote in the Sun? Get a grip and STFU!!!

We should leave this kind of emotional incontinence to the Americans, or in the case of glorious leaders; North Korea 🙄

What did Brian Moore say?

I’ll promise you this, should Sale hold a minutes silence tomorrow night I’ll burn all my shirts and post it on youtube!

Sale

Who? 😆

Attendance or non-attendance would be seized upon by those wishing mischief, when the most likely reason is staring them in the face.

Oborne has a very well argued piece in the DT on why the Queen should not attend, which persuaded me that the rationale for attendance should at least be stated.

Brian Moore pointed out that it was being pretty bloody presumptuous to expect that everyone shared the same opinion of the ‘Iron Lady’ as the people proposing the minutes silence.

They may have loved her, but she was certainly no unifying national figure. He said that he most certainly didn’t share this rose-tinted view, and that if required to stay silent, he would walk out of the ground instead. I doubt very much he’d be alone

Gloucester at Stale too.

32 pages so far -god knows what it will be like on here when Tony “no regrets” Blair shuffles off.

Scamper – are they holding a minutes silence tomorrow night?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/margaret-thatcher/9984619/Margaret-Thatcher-This-is-a-state-funeral-and-thats-a-mistake.html

I presume in the context it’s OK to post a link from a paper which is barely better than the DM?

As he said in that article…

If something looks, smells and tastes like a state funeral, then it is reasonable to conclude that it is one.

Indeed. They must think we’re all ****ing idiots. Actually…. thats hardly news, is it? We know they think we’re all ****ing idiots!

Perhaps something involving thousands of people chanting and running through the streets, burning cars, chucking petrol bombs, smashing things up and assaulting the police should be organised? But we must stress that it IS NOT a riot! 🙄

-god knows what it will be like on here when Tony “no regrets” Blair shuffles off.

no idea, but I’d take the opportunity to ask him he wouldn’t mind helping us find out. I have several lengths of rope he’s welcome to use

I’d be interested to see if anyone will seek to disrupt the funeral. A silent protest is fine- and has potentially more impact as it will be picked up on cameras/media/reported. A disruptive attempt would be counter-productive.

Perhaps something involving thousands of people chanting and running through the streets, burning cars, chucking petrol bombs, smashing things up and assaulting the police should be organised? But we must stress that it IS NOT a riot!

No, of course it isn’t , it’s people paying tribute to the dear ex-leader by reliving some of her finest days.

Why don’t they get G4S to run the funeral? Tories’ fave, and that.

A silent protest is fine- and has potentially more impact as it will be picked up on cameras/media/reported.

People remaining quiet at a funeral will have an impact ?

I think any protesters can do what they like, as long as they’re dressed like Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz.

A silent protest is fine

at a funeral? really? what are the funerals you go to like?

They should bus down all the ex miners to line the streets, then as the coffin goes past they can turn, face away and drop their trousers. That would be a fitting gesture….

I do wonder whether a lot of the people complaining about the “state” funeral are actually looking forwards to it and would actually have been disappointed if it had been a quiet private ceremony with no opportunity for them to protest.

There won’t be any opportunity to protest – it’ll be policed into the ground, and I’d bet any coaches from north of Watford will be stopped on the motorway.

Actually if I’m ****ing paying for it, I want the day off so I can watch it*.
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*go out on the bike

Protests will be allowed, just nowhere near the funeral procession. A car park in Stevenage or somewhere.

@BigButSlimmerBloke – had the same reaction when I heard it last night on the radio, almost caused a divorce as I exploded. Sir! Sir! Which **** put him on an honours list – MrsCat told me he inherited his knighthood.
Not possible, says I. Surely it’s an individual honour given to someone of merit and valour. Heated discussion arises, spooning off the agenda!
But she was right, craven apology and coffee in bed this morning.
Seems it’s an hereditary knighthood which he can carry about as well as use the term “Right Honourable”!
To date I have had a ambivalent/positive attitude towards gongs – but that has just made them completely valueless IMHO.

I do wonder whether a lot of the people complaining about the “state” funeral are actually looking forwards to it and would actually have been disappointed if it had been a quiet private ceremony with no opportunity for them to protest.

Have you read that Telegraph article? Clearly not.

This isn’t a matter for peoples opinions, one way or another. Its a constitutional issue. She isn’t entitled to a state funeral. She shouldn’t be getting one. Its as simple as that.

You can’t just go changing the rules because it suits you to do so, and expect people to just accept it! Typical ****ing Tory attitude though 🙄

To quote Oborne (hardly a bolshy Marxist, lefty, former miner or potential rioter) again…

I am afraid that the decision to turn Lady Thatcher’s funeral into a state occasion was a constitutional innovation and, like almost all such innovations, both foolish and wrong. Since it is too late to change minds, all one can do now is hope that next week’s funeral is not allowed to turn into a triumphalist Tory occasion that inflicts permanent damage on the monarchy and also our system of government.

He is not a Rt Hon as he is not a privy councillor. Dennis Thatcher was given a hereditary baronetcy shortly after Thatcher resigned. This was a compromise because the hereditary peerage traditionary offered to ex PMs wouldn’t work with a female ex-PM.

all one can do now is hope that next week’s funeral is not allowed to turn into a triumphalist Tory occasion that inflicts permanent damage on the monarchy and also our system of government.

Au contraire: Probably the best thing that could possibly come from the whole debacle IMHO

This isn’t a matter for peoples opinions, one way or another. Its a constitutional issue. She isn’t entitled to a state funeral. She shouldn’t be getting one. Its as simple as that.

What’s that got to do with my point? I’m not actually suggesting she should get a state funeral, just pointing out that those who don’t approve are in a way looking forwards to it. You appear to be reading hidden meaning into my comments which aren’t there – why don’t you try reading some of my previous comments to get a better idea of my thinking on this?

Though I am enjoying the referencing of a DT article.

My wife found out this morning that a friend who’d been suffering from cancer died yesterday. He’d suffred in a lot of pain because the drugs which could have made his life that bit more bearable aren’t available on the NHS, because they are ‘too expensive’, and as he was ‘terminal’ not considered worthy of such expense. His family could not afford the drugs themselves.

I wonder how his family will feel when they watch £8 million being wasted on Thatcher’s funeral.

Indeed Paul, I suspect a lot of people will be feeling the same.

Well, quite. Thatcher was paid well enough that her estate could pay for her funeral. A government handout instead of her having provided for herself would seem quite an insult to someone of her views…

EDIT **** me, I need a lie down and a cup of tea.

Herbal tea, I hope. You know why.

Proper tea is theft?

Aracer I don’t think anyone who who does’t approve is in any way secretly looking forwards to it. Or maybe a small minority.

I think Paul probably sums up most peoples objections. Plus a lot of people suspect, quite rightly, that it’ll be turned into some kind of Tory victory parade, and thus typically insensitive, and incredibly offensive to large sections of society

The two main issues I have are:

1. People partying at someones funeral.
2. Getting a state funeral.

both could have been solved by a private funeral.

So, say you’re at a rugby tournament this weekend and the organisers decide they’re gonna have a minutes silence, what’s the best way to not observe a minutes silence? Chat? Sing? Whistle? Fart loudly?

Sing Billy Bragg songs?