highlandsflyer":cowpqtt5 said:
Neil":cowpqtt5 said:
Comparing her to Hussein, Gaddafi, Pinochet, and Mugabe is a fallacy of the occluded middle.
I think it is a good analogy. There is a really good comparison of the way Thatcher disregarded the well being of her people in favour of making large on the international stage.
Perhaps not to the same degree as the despots mentioned, but on some levels very similarly.
Well opinions vary - but a democratically elected PM who was, maybe, not the most compassionate to some groups in society is a world apart from some despotic leaders who didn't even truly allow democracy, to put it mildly - and that's far from the worse thing they could be indicted with.
Some of what she did, was really Hobson's choice - harsh things had to be done - now admittedly, in several examples, it wasn't so much what Thatcher did, but how she went about it, that many - including yourself, probably - found objectionable - and I have no real argument about that. I get that many then, and now, will hate her.
But all the same, she was elected - three times as PM, and was ousted by her own cabinet / party (somewhat of her own doing, really). The country had two general elections after first voting her in, to get rid of her / her party. Compare and contrast that, to the others you're trying to claim as similar. Uncaring to some, is not the same as those you'd group her with.
In fairness, I'm far from her biggest supporter, I don't think I was quite old enough to vote for the 87 election - and in fairness, I doubt I would have voted for her anyway - but then idealism does tend to be a youthful notion. My argument isn't in support of her policies or politics, merely the job she did as PM and political leader of the country - perfect: hell no; strong and, well, apparently uncaring to some - hell yes.
Now, similar (but perhaps not quite to your degree) her apparent lack of compassion to some groups in society doesn't sit well with me. And I do truly dislike the mindset her era, politics, and governments seemed to encourage to some groups in society (ironic, or otherwise, that choice of word may be) - which I think was a creeping insidiousness that's never really dwindled.
All the same, Blair is hated by many, now, too - I guess history will show whether he's viewed with the same kind of lasting hatred as Thatcher has.