Tuesday, April 9, 2013

"The Enemy Within"

Maggie's dead, not everyone is sad. She called her fellow country men, striking miners, "the enemy within"  First thing I thought about was what would Billy Bragg have to say? 
"This is not a time for celebration. The death of Margaret Thatcher is nothing more than a salient reminder of how Britain got into the mess that we are in today. Of why ordinary working people are no longer able to earn enough from one job to support a family; of why there is a shortage of decent affordable housing; of why domestic growth is driven by credit, not by real incomes; of why tax-payers are forced to top up wages; of why a spiteful government seeks to penalise the poor for having an extra bedroom; of why Rupert Murdoch became so powerful; of why cynicism and greed became the hallmarks of our society. "Raising a glass to the death of an infirm old lady changes none of this. The only real antidote to cynicism is activism. Don't celebrate -- organise!"*
I am not sure what is wrong with some  peoples memories, nothings wrong with Billy Bragg's , here's what I remember:
I remember these two and the misery they've caused.
Margaret Thatcher is remembered for politicizing the police.Then they went after ordinary working people. Ever hear of the Battle For Orgreave?
This was about privatization. We hear that word a lot now. This is her legacy and it is Reagan's legacy. A lot of people like to blame unions or socialists for the mess our countries are in now. Except that there aren't any in power. The weak and the poor were and are perfect scapegoats. Nothing has changed except things are worse.
The glorious days of the Falklands War and Thatchers collusion with Pinochet, a human rights violator, but then again she was one too. You would think that The Iron Lady would have been a feminist, but she wasn't. This woman was not about equality, especially if you were poor or marginalized. When I think of both Thatcher and Reagan, I think about the decline of the UK and the US. We may have won the Cold War, but it seems like a hollow victory.  Does anyone ever think about the devastation brought onto millions because of her policies? She's not alone because Reagan did many of the same things.
The future is so much brighter now, thanks to them. Well paying jobs, next to no homelessness and an even better future for our kids. When? When is this supposed to happen?
I think Billy Bragg sang it best with "Thatcherites" I think it's really relevant now. I wonder if either Thatcher or Reagan are resting in peace? Thatcher may have sat in the House Of Lords, but you have to wonder if she was welcomed into the house of the Lord.


*Morrissey, Billy Bragg React to Margaret Thatcher's Death - Spinner


3 comments:

  1. First thing I thought about was what would Billy Bragg have to say?

    Good instinct! I've been obsessively blasting Spirit of the Falklands for the past two days.

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  2. Hi Patricia. I'm thankful for Ms Thatcher. She's proof that you do not need a d##k in order to f##k the middle class.

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  3. Reagan and Thatcher--the beginning of the end of the middle-class.

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