Wow, Lister Hospital, i'm wondering if it means the Lister Hospital here. Is there one actually in London or is it referring to the one just outside in Stevenage?

Aww Bless poor Maggie. I know I'm going to rub alot of people up the wrong way here, but I just want to say let's not forget she is a woman who has just lost the love of her life! Behind every iron-lady is a man made of steel, who has just run out of lead (I just made that up)

I find it very hard to feel much in the way of compassion for a woman (or her fascist husband) who herself showed nothing but contempt for people during her years in office.

A little harsh, maybe. I never agreed with her politics either, but this isn't about that. The man is dead, and apparently he and Maggie were like a pair of kids still, so she must be devastated. She's an old lady who's lost her life partner, and is to be pitied for that - whatever we may feel about her professional life.

Agreed.

But then some people can never separate the political from the personal it would seem....

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by Whistler
But then some people can never separate the political from the personal it would seem....

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To make the same point again and again...

PEOPLE DIE EVERY DAY!!!

I didn't say I wished Dennis or Margaret Thatcher any ill, merely that I didn't feel any compassion towards her.

I won't lose any sleep over the death of an old man with extreme right wing views nor spend any time worrying about the well being of Lady Thatcher.

Should America ever catch up with Osama Bin Laden, I look forward to the thread expressing shock and condolences over his demise, after all, we should keep the personal and the political separate...

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by Whistler
Agreed.

But then some people can never separate the political from the personal it would seem....

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I've always found that saying rather baffling: what could more personal than an individual's politics?

Just as a point of interest, did anyone actually know what Denis Thatcher's politics were? The words "extreme right wing" were used in a post above, but as far as I know, he never really expressed his personal beliefs.

And comparing him to Osama Bin Laden is a little strong. As far as I am aware, Mr Thatcher had never personally organised or participated in cold-blooded mass murder.

Yes I am fully aware that people die every day. This thread didn't appear as a RIP or an expression of grief - just information - a comment on something considered newsworthy.

If you want to make the passing of an elderly man into a political or moral debate, feel free - personally I just think it's inappropriate

(Edited by Kate 30/06/2003 00:58)

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by Byron
I've always found that saying rather baffling: what could more personal than an individual's politics?

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The way they treat people. Their sense of humour. The things they do. The things they like...

None of these necesarily have anything to do with their politics.

I really, really don't want to get dragged into this. My views on the man's wife are well known, and while I had little time for the man when alive, he was too small fry to be worth getting dragged into a 'don't say ill of the dead' type debate. However...

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by Kate
but as far as I know, he never really expressed his personal beliefs.

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Aside from his behaviour as a business man, and various other comments he is known to have made, here's one of my favourites. Apparently upon meeting the then President of Switzerland, the late Mr Thatcher commented that he would do well to keep Switzerland 'white'. A true example of the man's love for his fellow human.

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by PictureOfFlowers
(quotes)

The way they treat people. Their sense of humour. The things they do. The things they like...

None of these necesarily have anything to do with their politics.

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Though I'd say lots of those things are heavily influenced by a person's politics, I was saying that every individual's political beliefs are extremely personal. (And of course, no two people's politics are exactly alike.)