R.I.P. Maggie From Liverpool

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R.I.P. Maggie From Liverpool

So today is the funeral of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and she will not be missed by many people from the city of Liverpool. Like so many towns and cities in the North of the country Liverpool’s industry was badly affected by her term in office.

Liverpool in the 1980’s was a city of industrial unrest with rioting in the streets of Toxteth. Mrs Thatcher believed that declining industries should not be propped up, but her policies may have exacerbated it.

Cabinet papers released under the 30 year rule in 2011, showed that Mrs Thatcher’s Chancellor Sir Geoffrey Howe (now Lord Howe) argued that Liverpool should be left to “manage decline”.

While ministers such as the then Secretary for the environment Michael (now Lord) Heseltine were arguing for regeneration funding to rebuild the riot-hit communities. Lord Howe thought it would be a waste of money.

He warned Mrs Thatcher “not to commit scarce resources to Liverpool”.

Strangely enough, Lord Howe has since said that his letter was misunderstood.

Lord Heseltine stated that Thatcher did care about Liverpool after being sent by her to the city in the aftermath of the Toxteth riots.

Thatcher also had an impact on football and in particular in the city of Liverpool. Following the Heysel disaster in 1985 Mrs Thatcher pressured the FA to ban all English clubs indefinitely from European competition.

Her wish was granted when UEFA banned all English clubs for what they stated was “an indeterminate period of time”. Liverpool received an additional ban of “indeterminate plus three years”, or more precisely, three further years in which Liverpool qualified for European competition. If they didn’t, the ban would roll on until they did.

With her arguable dislike for the city and for football and football supporters in general, it was just the excuse she needed to put the boot into football just the way she had with the miners.

The infamous ID card scheme was brought about by Thatcher and her advisors in the aftermath of Heysel for football supporters to gain entry into football stadiums and to “do something” about football hooliganism in the country. The scheme was only scrapped after the Hillsborough disaster.

Thatcher’s role in the immediate aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster remains unclear. It was believed that the publication of the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report could shed some light on her behaviour and comments in the days and weeks and months following the tragedy.

But Mrs Thatcher did voice concern that a 1989 report into Hillsborough constituted a “devastating criticism” of police.

Mrs Thatcher had already been warned the interim report was “very damning” of police but attached “little or no blame” to Liverpool fans.

She was told in a memo from a civil servant the interim report found the chief superintendent in charge at Hillsborough “behaved in an indecisive fashion” and senior officers infuriated the judge seeking to “duck all responsibility when giving evidence” to his inquiry.

But Mrs Thatcher made clear in her handwritten note that she did not want to give the government’s full backing to Lord Taylor’s criticisms, only to the way in which he had conducted his inquiry and made recommendations for action.

She wrote: “What do we mean by welcoming the broad thrust of report ? The broad thrust is devastating criticism of the police. Is that for us to welcome ? Surely we welcome the thoroughness of the report and its recommendations –M.T.”

We do know that she only wanted to protect her valued police force from the whole disaster and this leaves Liverpool supporters disliking her as Liverpool supporters and their families had their reputations tarnished for all those years while lies were spread of the events of the disaster where Thatcher wanted those guilty of negligence protected.

Although it has been a long time since Thatcher ruled this country, feelings are still raw in Liverpool and not many tears will be shed today in Liverpool.

R.I.P. Maggie

9 Comments

  1. When you see the fuss the Tories have made there is no way they will let the truth get in the way of her memory,her part in Hilsborough won’t come out while they are in offce and might alreadybe destroyed.

  2. This weekend’s violence reminds us of the state of English football in the 70s and 80s. Is it any wonder the authorities wanted to take action? Thatcher did not understand football, nor its violence – but then again neither did I! She pumped millions into Liverpool, appointed Michael Heseltine and was almost certainly lied to by the police like the rest of us. We had 13 years of a Labour government, yet it was the Tories who finally uncovered the truth – no matter how galling. She was PM of this country, voted in 3 times and the longest serving PM for over a century. As such, she deserves respect and not the vilification to which she has been subjected! Btw, I am a proud Scouser and LFC supporter!

    1. Are you for real ?
      You’re entitled to your view but please don’t present such guff as reasoned argument.
      It was two Labour figures who forced open the can of worms – not the Tories. Andy Burnham and Steve Rotherham led the cross-party initiative. Can you name ONE Tory name? Thought not.
      Then you say “it was the Tories who finally uncovered the truth” – are you serious? It was the Tories who scaffolded the biggest lie in history since “arbeit macht frei” was installed over the gates of Auschwitz. They were not only the architects of the Lie, they nurtured it for more than two decades.
      Your selective memory extends from your (supposedly) cities greatest peacetime tragedy to the civil malfeasance of the Thatcher regime. As a scouser (but seemingly a political Blue), how can you reconcile Thatcher’s vindictive approach to Liverpool illustrated by the disgraceful policy of deliberate managed decline with your supposed ‘love’ of the city?
      You’re no scouser.

  3. The sickening whitewash of her vindictive rule is just what I expected. She has her apologists among the sychophantic media, the self serving politicians and the easily foled public, but those who suffered will never forget her attack on the working people of this country and her cover up of the deaths of the 96. Good riddance to a nasty, flawed woman.

  4. 30 years to late I hope she rots the Hurt the pain the suffering for what for her to line the pockets of the south and obliterate the north sound very much like today’s government I just hope this beautiful country never has to deal with another tragedy and conseal another cover up. Oh we’ll atleast the devil has a new play mate so defo doesn’t need any coal were she’s going hot enough

  5. What a horrible hag! i have never before rejoiced in perons death like i did when i heard the news of her death,our british media is trying to re-write history but
    the people are not sleeping anymore..we all know that the
    people who we call politicians are just puppets for their
    zionist masters..they answer to the so called elite banking families (Rothchilds,rockefella’s etc.]did you not see them all together today in the church for the witch? it proved one thing,their is no god,because if he/she existed the roof would have come crashing down on
    the whole gang of crooks and murderers! the queen and her
    nazi hubby included,and did you see the croc tears from george osbourne?i nearly pissed myself laughing!so to those who are still to busy watching eastenders or watching dancing on dogshite,WAKE UP!!!! these people want
    you peasants dead be it wars or poisoning the masses with chemtrails,GM food, fluoride,aspartame,treating people for
    cancer with radiation which attacks healthy blood cells(remember the case of the mother with her little boy? open your eyes! now back to the old hag thatcher,did you know that for ten years on the bounce she had jimmy saville stay on new year! what the F..k? this man was also
    best mates with the royal leeches,who was saville’s paymasters? the same people who decided jfk had to die the
    same people who bank rolled adolf hitler the same people who killed john lennon,brought the twin towers down,bombed
    the tube and buses in london,madrid,attacked iraq and afganistan,and north africa,these tyrants dont have national borders because they dont need them,david icke speaks the truth like many others people need to wake up and smell the coffee!thatchers funeral will cost us workers in britain £20 MILLION nobody asked me if i wanted
    to put in the kitty,i would rather my share be spent on saving kids lives,how many mouths would that amount feed!
    if you are happy with these scum running your life then great,but if not its time to stand up and be counted,do some research for yourself,if you like to be informed but
    like a laugh watch george carlin on youtube,or bill hicks
    but open your mind and eyes because the many can not be controlled by the few,time to take our lives back and think about the things that really matter.ynwa

  6. I hope people in the north don’t think that everyone in the south and london loved her. Trust me, she was hated in parts just as much here. There has been a whitewashing and airbrushing of her record by the grateful establishment that loved her.

  7. Not much to say as most of what I think has been covered above… but it is a disgrace that we wasted £10m+ to bury an old hag rather than invest it into people who are still living and need help.

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