Poorly chicken

[Chortle Chook]

Just watched it and thought the funeral was beautifully done. I do hope that there is no desecration later on. Whatever I thought of individual decisions, I think she was a great leader, so different from the jobbing politicians of today.

[kissinuk]

Regardless of who she was and what people thought of her, £10 million+ of tax payers money is wrong when so many worthwhile causes are having money taken away from them. She didn't want a state funeral anyway, and yet they're pretty much giving her one.

 

She deserves to RIP as much as anyone else but it should have been either a private affair (as she wanted), or the full bill paid for by her family.

[redbug]

I agree Kissinuk money could have been put to better use.

I just glad it went without problems (thinking about Boston).

[patsylabrador]

That was quite an event. The police and armed forces were brilliant as usual. The pallbearers especially earned their beer tonight. I think the funeral works out at something like 16p each (although my maths is atrocious.)

 

I think it was right to honour her, her achievement in picking this country up was worth a good send off. Britain was a joke before her.

I remember the strikes of the seventies too, it was grim. Somebody had to be brave enough to make the decision to deal with everything that was wrong and it was a huge task.

I don't understand the strength of feeling against her, the milk and the mines were already Labour policies but "Ooops, word censored!"ody gets angry about that.

She did make mistakes but show me a PM that hasn't.

[newcountrygirl]

I thought the coverage of the service was good and respectful. No matter what peoples politics are they should give respect and remember that primarily she was a wife and mother. With regards to spending money on her funeral - it was a mark of her achievement - she was a grocers daughter who made her way to the top of British politics, no mean feat in a male dominated workplace and our first woman Prime Minister.

 

I dont hold strong views on any politics but I will say this and I am sorry for offending anyone - why should we regret spending money on this to give recognition of service to the country when every year we send millions of pounds in aid to other countries. It really annoys me when we could do so much with that money in our own country. I am not heartless but charity begins at home. It's the same with Red Nose Day - it really cheeses me off when they are raising all the millions and most of it gets sent to Africa. I know there is poverty but there is here too in some areas, and also those millions could be used in our own schools and hospitals and helping to look after the elderly - most of whom fought for our freedom. Sorry for the rant!

 

R.I.P. Margaret Thatcher

[Chickendoodle]

I thought the funeral was beautiful,particularly the anthem sung by the choir as the coffin left the cathedral. The (adult) male lead had the most wonderful voice which reduced me to tears. I think it is called the recessional anthem. If you can find it do have a listen

[Chortle Chook]

That was quite an event. The police and armed forces were brilliant as usual. The pallbearers especially earned their beer tonight. I think the funeral works out at something like 16p each (although my maths is atrocious.)

 

I think it was right to honour her, her achievement in picking this country up was worth a good send off. Britain was a joke before her.

I remember the strikes of the seventies too, it was grim. Somebody had to be brave enough to make the decision to deal with everything that was wrong and it was a huge task.

I don't understand the strength of feeling against her, the milk and the mines were already Labour policies but "Ooops, word censored!"ody gets angry about that.

She did make mistakes but show me a PM that hasn't.

That's pretty much how I feel patsylabrador Well said I think that we do these 'pomp and circumstance' events so well. I work with a lot of Americans and Indians and was very aware that this was being seen across many different countries and it made me proud. As for the money, as newcountrygirl has said, some of us (I for one) would be happy to give 16p or more to honour an amazingly strong person (I well remember the situation she took over e.g. tree branches sticking out of piles of black bags in London squares, candles in loos and all being asked to bring torches to school). I too am a lot less happy to spend money on other things (though my bonnet bee is not money sent to other countries - I sure do have quite a hive but that can wait for other posts ).

[Chickendoodle]

This £10 million figure which has been talked about at the cost of the funeral confuses me. It seems to have no substance in fact and has just been plucked out of the air.

 

Ok the funeral has used servicemen and serving police officers for security These are salaried people. Who gets paid all this money ?

 

Genuinely perplexed by this. Do the police forces charge the government extra for doing their job?

[chickencam]

What has to realised is that a big part of the cost was the security, therefore if everybody could be trusted to act with respect and decorum, the cost would have been less.

[kissinuk]

This £10 million figure which has been talked about at the cost of the funeral confuses me. It seems to have no substance in fact and has just been plucked out of the air.

 

Ok the funeral has used servicemen and serving police officers for security These are salaried people. Who gets paid all this money ?

 

Genuinely perplexed by this. Do the police forces charge the government extra for doing their job?

 

The figure is estimated and will include a lot on security (probably external companies), the actual figure won't be released until later. The thing that also annoys me about this waste of tax payers money (which could pay for 322 nurses for a whole year btw), is MP's can claim expenses including up to £3750 if they were out of the country! What a joke, I don't get expenses from work for funerals, neither should they.

 

Mrs Thatcher didn't want a big funeral so she shouldn't have had one, at least not one this big. As for that ridiculous Comic Relief comment mentioned earlier in the thread, at least that money is going to good causes! What do we have to show for the £10million??

[sadietoo]

It's the same with Red Nose Day - it really --------'s me off when they are raising all the millions and most of it gets sent to Africa. I know there is poverty but there is here too in some areas, and also those millions could be used in our own schools and hospitals and helping to look after the elderly - most of whom fought for our freedom. Sorry for the rant!

 

 

 

Not wanting to hi-jack the thread but just to say, Red Nose Day uses money paid by charitable donations and I guess that those that give (we do) are happy to know where our money is going to be spent.(we are) In the UK we have a welfare state (well what's left of it) and that's what I pay my taxes and NI for .....if there isn't sufficient funding for schools and hospitals it's because of the money wasted by the government. Let's start by making Vodafone and others pay the tax that is due so that there's more in the pot. (Actually if everyone paid their tax there would be enough money for lots more things....)

[Charlottechicken]

I'm relieved for her family that everything went without a hitch. It must have been stressful enough having to hold the funeral of a family member with the eyes of the world upon you, without the thought that some catastrophic breach of security could take place. A funeral is no place to stage a political protest.

 

RIP.

[newcountrygirl]

The point that I was making about Red Nose Day - is that there are a lot of charitable organisations which do a lot of good in our own country and who are desperate for funds and that although when it originally started it raised money for the people in Africa or wherever because there was a particular plight at the time , 25 years later nothing much has changed and the money could be used nearer to home. This is not a "ridiculous" comment thank you! I know that the people who donate know what their money is being used for - but what's wrong with wanting to help our own country. What about "Macmillan Nurses" or Marie Curie nurses who do such wonderful work and many more are needed? Get real - yes we pay taxes and National Insurance but if they were raised to realistic levels to pay for the NHS etc then "Ooops, word censored!"ody could afford to live. Everyone in this country just seems to believe that they are "owed" the right to free medical care whether they work or not.

 

Anyway - back to the thread - Margaret Thatcher - whether you believe in her politics or not earned her place in history as our First woman Prime Minister - something which all the feminists out there should be pleased about! I was born and brought up in a Yorkshire mining town - but that doesnt mean I can't recognise achievement. As such - todays funeral was right and just and the people who have been holding parties and brandishing placards celebrating her death are nothing short of morons.

[Chortle Chook]

As for that ridiculous Comic Relief comment mentioned earlier in the thread, at least that money is going to good causes!

That does not sound too nice Disagreement does not have to be disrespectuful or unkind.

[Cinnamon]

I know that the people who donate know what their money is being used for - but what's wrong with wanting to help our own country.

 

Quoted from the Comic Relief site:

 

Sixty percent of Red Nose Day money is spent in Africa and forty percent here in the UK.

A group of 20 experts carefully work out which projects should receive money.

 

Since Comic Relief started 20 years ago they have raised over £337 million and made over 7,000 grants. Over £169 million has gone to projects working with poor and disadvantaged people in Africa. In the UK, over £99 million has been given to projects working vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and communities.

 

Examples of projects:

 

UK :Bullying is a big problem for young people and can lead to huge amounts of distress and anxiety. The Merseyside Anti-Bullying Steering Group provides a telephone helpline and support for young people affected by bullying.

[Egluntyne]

Please take care when nesting posts as a quote was wrongly attributed to a particular forum member. This has now been corrected.

[newcountrygirl]

Cinnamon - thanks for that info. I am glad to stand corrected.

[kissinuk]

As for that ridiculous Comic Relief comment mentioned earlier in the thread, at least that money is going to good causes!

That does not sound too nice Disagreement does not have to be disrespectuful or unkind.

 

Of which my comment was neither thank you very much. I worked hard at Comic Relief to raise almost £1000 with my team, the comments regarding where the money goes were, in my opinion, ridiculous. We all know how and where the money is used before donating, you aren't obliged to give anything.

 

I find your comments calling me unkind to be somewhat, well, unkind.