Thatcher's State Funeral

[Zabo]

I heard Oborne talking about this today on Radio 4's WATO.

If they really are making plans then it is to be hoped that massive counter disruptions can be mounted.

"...preparations for her death are inevitably afoot. No official announcement has been made, but it is already widely understood that she may be granted the very rare honour (outside the Royal family) of a state funeral, which would probably take place at St Paul’s Cathedral.

The discussions have been held in secret, without public debate, through a series of meetings in the inner recesses of what used to be known as the British Establishment. The most recent of these, reportedly chaired by Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude and attended by Sir Malcolm Ross, a senior member of the Royal household who oversaw the sensitive funeral arrangements for Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, took place last week. I understand this meeting agreed that, while not on the scale of royalty, Baroness Thatcher will get a fine public send-off."

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/p...-deserves-every-honour-–-apart-from-this-one/

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I bet we don't get 11 days off for celebrating like the North Koreans do

 

[story]

Why does she merit a state funeral?
What are the criteria, and how do they apply here?

 

[purves grundy]

how does she feel about all this speculation, discussion and so on? I know 'who cares, etc' but I'm really curious.

 

[story]

Being pretty much a cabbage at this point, I doubt she has any thoughts or feelings on the matter.

:alt answer: being heartless and heedless by nature, I doubt she has any thoughts or feelings on the matter.

 

[starfish2000]

They ll have to bury her in secret, half of Yorkshire and Merseyside will be queueing up to piss on her grave

 

[SaskiaJayne]

The best logical(ie unemotional & detached)argument against it in the article is

because they(state funerals)have been designed for a category of great men and women who have come to represent the nation as a whole, rather than a particular sect or faction.

Ie, only Tory voters might agree that she was a great enough prime minister to warrant a state funeral & many would in fact believe her premiership was disastrous so therefore not deserving of one. So not fitting the category of those deserving a state funeral.

 

[marty21]

There is an e-petition to get the funeral privatised , about 12000 have already

 

[story]

I can't recall where I heard this, but apparently there is much discussion about where to bury her so that she is available to sightseers but safe from those who will want to dance and piss on her grave.

Also, of course, the very real issue of having to police the day of her funeral/ the first Saturday after her death: all the parties and celebrations that are aniticipated.

 

[story]

The best logical(ie unemotional & detached)argument against it in the article is
Ie, only Tory voters might agree that she was a great enough prime minister to warrant a state funeral & many would in fact believe her premiership was disastrous so therefore not deserving of one. So not fitting the category of those deserving a state funeral.

Well that's what I assumed. She remains so divisive that I cannot imagine how they can justify a sate funeral for her.

 

[danny la rouge]

Why does she merit a state funeral?
What are the criteria, and how do they apply here?

Edward Carson, the Ulster Unionist leader and founder of the the Ulster Volunteers (later UVF), the first loyalist paramilitary group, was afforded a British state funeral in 1935. So I'm guessing the criterion is "must be a massive cunt", with "will piss off a lot of people" coming a close second.

 

[susie12]

Several of my friends have champagne stored for the day.

 

[story]

Edward Carson, the Ulster Unionist leader and founder of the the Ulster Volunteers (later UVF), the first loyalist paramilitary group, was afforded a British state funeral in 1935. So I'm guessing the criterion is "must be a massive cunt", with "will piss off a lot of people" coming a close second.

Oh, okay: so those who uphold the wishes of those who hold power.

She's a shoe-in then.

 

[Streathamite]

The best logical(ie unemotional & detached)argument against it in the article is
Ie, only Tory voters might agree that she was a great enough prime minister to warrant a state funeral & many would in fact believe her premiership was disastrous so therefore not deserving of one. So not fitting the category of those deserving a state funeral.

mind, the same could be said of Churchill (2nd premiership, that is)

 

[cemertyone]

I heard Oborne talking about this today on Radio 4's WATO.

If they really are making plans then it is to be hoped that massive counter disruptions can be mounted.

"...
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/p...-deserves-every-honour-–-apart-from-this-one/

Absolutely a counter demonstration should be mounted...with miners and all else from across the country coming to London
to fuck with there day of mourning..No doubt that twat from the BBC`s royal correspondant Nicolis wank me off..will be on hand to eulogise about the whore...
But im sure they will employ anti-terrorist legislation to counter any large gatherings..
So the way to fuck them is that every body who comes to protest against the Thatcherite fest in london..
Just leaves large bags of laundy etc (with wires attached) in every tube station,,bus stop..public building etc etc that you can think off..
That way we bring the whole transportation system to a halt..fuck the bomb disposal peopple..we strech the police to breaking point...and in areas where the whore
wrecked start hi-jacking buses et all and burning them....
Simple really

 

[story]

mind, the same could be said of Churchill (2nd premiership, that is)

He earned his state funeral mostly for being a victorious battle chieftain and warlord.

 

[SaskiaJayne]

mind, the same could be said of Churchill (2nd premiership, that is)

Yes but his claim to a state funeral would be that he led the country through WW2 & the country won the war so his leadership through the war was of benefit to all the population not just a section of the population that might have benefited from Thatcher's premiership.

 

[Zabo]

If they do and if they use a horse drawn hearse that would be a grave error given how skittish and how slow the parade would be.

 

[cemertyone]

He earned his state funeral mostly for being a victorious battle chieftain and warlord.

Yeah and an anti semite...and drunkard..and a man who `s word could not be trusted...(i.e. his so-called escape
from the Africans)...

 

[story]

If they do and if they use a horse drawn hearse that would be a grave error given how skittish and how slow the parade would be.

I'm sure they are ahead of us there. They won't take any chances, it'll be sewn up and hemmed and seamed tight.

 

[danny la rouge]

Peter Oborne in the Telegraph thinks she shouldn't have one.

There are too many people – for example, shipyard workers from Glasgow, miners from Yorkshire and the Welsh valleys – whose livelihoods were destroyed during her premiership. They struggled against her government passionately at the time, and many still abhor her memory.

 

[story]

Yeah and an anti semite...and drunkard..and a man who `s word could not be trusted...(i.e. his so-called escape
from the Africans)...

There are many many reasons why he did not deserve a state funeral.

 

[story]

Peter Oborne in the Telegraph thinks she shouldn't have one.

Of course she shouldn't bloody have a state funeral. Not sure why this is even a point of contention.

But the hagiography is well underway. There will be a state funeral (or something very like it), and an official day of mourning, and a fucking book for people to queue up and sign, and endless telly tributes and mournful downward glances from newsreaders.

 

[London_Calling]

Maybe worth remembering that Diana, POW' funeral wasn't a State funeral but it was a fucking big enough occasion - for those who wanted it to be. You could also opt out.

 

[cemertyone]

There are many many reasons why he did not deserve a state funeral.

Lets not cause the police any trouble...can the urbanites not just have a "burng the bitch" get together in brockweel park..
lol,,,,bring some food/beer..and "our laughter will be our revenge"..

 

[marty21]

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/one-privatisation-we-can-all-get-behind.286099/

thread about e-petition (with link to petition) to privatise the state funeral of Thatcher - 12200 signatures already

 

[story]

Maybe worth remembering that Diana, POW' funeral wasn't a State funeral but it was a fucking big enough occasion - for those who wanted it to be. You could also opt out.

This is true. But it was a state funeral to all intents and purposes, and it suited the requirements of the time.

I suspect that the economic and political situation that prevails at the time of her death will dictate the decision, I reckon they're making several plans and will opt for one or another at the time.

Talking heads are openly discussing the people's anger, and how it is growing; they won't risk barricades and riots if they can avoid it. The Royal Wedding was a calculated risk (weighing the "good cheer" against the cost), but this is more one-sided: the people she shafted are hurting the most, and have least to lose, and the summer riots scared those in power, not because of what happened but because it came apparently out of the blue and was spontaneous. A small thing in effect, they were, but a clear shot across the bows in terms of attitude and contempt held.

 

[Streathamite]

He earned his state funeral mostly for being a victorious battle chieftain and warlord.

he certainly wasn't a 'battle chieftain' - only generals are those

 

[SaskiaJayne]

There are plenty of reasons why Haig or Churchill did not deserve state funerals but other reasons why they did. There is no reason to give Thatcher one, she just served as a prime minister.

 

[story]

Privitising her funeral? Is that an Alanis thing?