I know why they called her the Iron Lady. May she rust in peace. I know why she's the patron saint of Stephen Harper's Con regime.
I know why she waged war on the miners of Britain
So she could smash the unions and Thatcherize her country, like the Cons would Harperize this one.
But who knew that ghastly right-wing monster was prepared to use the army?
Margaret Thatcher was secretly preparing to use troops and declare a state of emergency at the height of the miners' strike – out of fear Britain was going to run out of food and grind to a halt, government papers released today reveal.
The 1984 cabinet papers, released to the National Archives, show that Thatcher asked for contingency plans to be drawn up to use troops to move coal stocks, despite official government policy ruling out the use of service personnel.
A separate contingency plan, codenamed Operation Halberd, to use troops in the event of a dock strike, had also been drawn up.
Like her good friend Pinochet did...
And like her faithful follower Stephen Harper would, if push came to shove, in his campaign to bust the unions in this country, and turn Canada into a low wage economy.
And don't you just LOVE the story about the Blue Pimpernel?
The Downing Street papers also provide further confirmation of the role of David Hart, a shadowy old-Etonian, charged with organising and funding the working miners' anti-strike movement, and nicknamed the "Blue Pimpernel" in Tory circles. Thatcher's personal diary lists at least three face-to-face meetings with him at Downing Street, and in October 1984 a note on the file shows that he had phoned her in alarm that the press had found out that he had direct access to her. He told her he was "infinitely deniable".
Her Pierre Poutine. Her secret weapon in the war on democracy.
And doesn't "infinitely deniable" sound familiar?
As does the latest move of the David Cameron's Con government. Which in addition to slashing social services, and gutting the country's National Health Service, has just announced plans to impose 100-year prison sentences.
David Cameron has said "life should mean life" as the government considers US-style 100-year prison sentences for murderers and serious offenders.
As Stephen Harper would do here in his demagogic and insane Great War on Crime.
Because like Cameron he is a lifelong member of the Thatcherite Cult. And he will do anything to kill government, destroy our social service net, conceal or muzzle the truth, privatize everything, force us to live like slaves with no benefits or pensions.
And turn our country into a prison state and a JUNGLE.
And the good news? In this country we still support unions.
A majority of Canadians — 56 per cent — hold favourable views of unions, and an even larger majority opposes “right to work” laws backed by some Conservatives, a new survey finds. The Harris/Decima survey, carried out for the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), found 70 per cent of Canadians say unions are “still needed,” compared to fewer than 30 per cent who say they are obsolete.
Yup. Suck it up Great Leader. Rust in peace Iron Lady.
And just like I did on the day she finally died, I leave you with a song about the miners' strike from the great Billy Bragg...
And this message.:
Fight them, fight them, fight them.
Don't let them win....
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ReplyDeleteit is important to leaders which as thatcher and harper to get rid of unions. they have money, they have organization, they have contacts. Once that is gone, it is much more difficult to organize people against anything. Harper started with the Women's groups in Canada by defunding them. They were a threat because they put things into context that women voters would understand. Now they are side lined. It is much more difficult to get your message out if you have to work full time and organize.
ReplyDeletelet us hope the Brits take note of the documents and send Cameron on his way.