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The Daily PollIT’S A NEW year and many of you have probably resolved to make some kind of change in your lives or try something new in 2014.
After a festive season full of eating, drinking and being perhaps a little too merry sometimes, some of you may now be steering clear of the strong stuff this month to save a few cents or to see if the sober life suits the new 2014 you.
So, we want to know: Are you having a ‘dry January’?
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My heart sank when I heard the news I thought it was Maggie from the Simpsons!
Thoughts and prayers? ……. my entire arse!
Rest in peace Bobby Sands
I imagine she’ll get a very warm reception where she’s going!
She’ll not missed by the people of Ireland…..
At last!!!!
She was a towering historical figure of the late twentieth century. On a human level I am sorry for her family who have lost a mother and grandmother obviously. I hope her passing was peaceful. However, her legacy on Ireland was appalling. For as long as she remained prime minister there could never have been the full-blown peace process that began in earnest during the Major years. Yes, there is plenty of blame to go around but her intransigence, her unwillingness to cooperate with successive Irish governments and her obvious hostility to Ireland meant that she succeeded in placing many young British soldiers in harm’s way for far longer than was necessary, as well as the lives of ordinary Northern Irish and British citizens.
I don’t like speaking ill of the dead – she will be lauded and commemorated in her own country over the coming days but her shocking judgement on and attitude towards Ireland, North and South must never be forgotten.
It wasn’t just the Irish she hated. She protected General Pinochet of Chile for years, supported his regime even though he was viewed as a genocidal war criminal across the world. He was considered a personal friend up to his death. She was a passionate defender of Apartheid South Africa and countless other anti-democratic regimes across Africa. She backed the Khymer Rouge at one stage.
EVIL.
Well done Reddy. I see you read the Gerry Adams statement.
No Begrudgy. I read history and I remember her statements and actions from the 80′s.
Really her son Mark Thatcher should be in jail in Africa tried to organize the 2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d’état attempt, so no symphony for him!.
She has the blood of the Irish Hunger Strokers on her hands, the first being Bobby Sands. I hope God forgives her for their murders.
Breda, Mr Sands regrettably committed suicide by refusing food and medical aid, on the orders of his bosses. You can recognise his actions as a sacrifice if you wish. but He wasn’t murdered.
I fully agree
He was murdered
Burn in hell thatcher
That lady is not for burning.
Never a lady.
What lady would that be, Patrick?
May she rest in peace. Where is your Christianity?
See the communists on here deleted my reply !!! Again !
The same could be asked of hers Dermot.
She didn’t have any – the bitch!
I left it at home after the priest tried to ride me…
it’s been a long time since I had a smile on my face on a Monday
What a stroke of luck!
I’m glad that Nelson Mandela has outlasted her. It always stuck in her craw that he came to power. Apartheid South Africa never had a truer friend than Maggie and its opponents never had a more determined enemy.
As much as i disliked the woman she did have bigger balls then all of our current government put together.
Go to any jail in the country and you’ll find people like her with massive balls.
Hooray!
Pity she didn’t suffer a long and painful death.
Spoken like a true rat.
Meeeerrrrrr pat the rat u dirty hun pig
One of the big figures of the 20th century. RIP
If you mean murderous … then yes…
RIP??? Rot in hell more like.
I was thought never to speak ill of the dead so I’ll stop texting now……….
A major political figure but not a positive or constructive force. While her beloved Apartheid South Africa and Fascist Chile fell her economic dream survived. Her economic legacy has left Britain in long term decline.
The only good that came out of it was this deadly tune from the 90s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1opP7tNLzg
Ahh.
The good old days.
Just look at the snout on Garrett with Spring Gibbering in the background.
Politically thing’s haven’t really changed that much.
In fact they have got a lot worse.
Ahh Garrett.
We won’t forget the shady backroom deals that wrote off your bank debts back in the 90′s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garret_FitzGerald
Don’t worry Garret, your son Mark seems to be carrying on in your “Golden Circle” footsteps with his Sherry Fitzgerald company and their heavy handed receivers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mspzKgDoWGI
Going around the country seizing people’s homes and property, with insufficient “legal” documents, it seems.
No chance of Sherry Fitzgerald seizing your property Garret
Even if you don’t pay your debts Garret.
Ahh Garret.
I hear Maggie died of a stroke.
That’s strange Garret.
Yourself and (AIB director) Spring, pulled plenty of dirty strokes over the years and it didn’t kill yee.
She made millions of people suffer in some form – an easy death was too good for her.
Meeeerrrrrr Fukn gee bag hope u rot in hell Meeeerrrrrr
Oh. Ha. Rarely do I use that word but I definitely feel ur contempt.
What a wonderful day or even decade for that matter we were along time waiting some good news .
I can’t see Charlie Haughey standing at the pearly gates, with arms outstretched to welcome her, if she is lucky enough to get that far…
I think Argentina will be awash with parties for a long time..
I can’t see Charlie Haughey standing at the pearly gates.
There are no pearly gates in hell. I was told this by a reliable source.
.
I doubt Mr. Haughey will ever stand at the pearly gates to be honest.
38 red thumbs for a full stop – this demonstrates what I already knew i.e. these pages are populated by absolute morons.
You just wish u were Irish .
No. It was for a red x. Did you get your jelly and ice cream yet?
She started the peace process. She faced down the IRA when they presented a very real threat to this state as well. Her position was that NI should remain British while the people there willed that. This became the core doctrine of the GFA 1998.
According to an article presented before on the Journal, she had asked her cabinet would it be a good idea to force all Catholics south of the border, she was a lunatic!!!! and thank god the people around her had more common sense otherwise she would have been responsible for much worse situations. She also thought it would be a good idea to increase the amount of security along the border similar to a NK-SK border, thank god again the people around her talked her out of the idea.
I think your’e a bit mixed up there, she did everthing to prevent the republican movement from having polictical status, she perferred that Bobby sands died than give him political status and thus gave the IRA no option but to continue their armed capaign. She could have helped the people in the six counties but instead used to situation for her own gains. As for the free state? The cowadrly sell out merchants left their own people to die at the hands of the British and tut tutted at the IRA but failed to recognise the atrocities comitted by the British.
The caption under photo number one reads “Charles Haughey, Prime Minister of the Irish Republic,…”.
Idiots. Change it.
There’s many an Irish man & woman benefitted from Thatcher’s Britain when they went there looking for work in the 80′s. I know, I was one of them and for that I am grateful to her!
Totally agree. I was also one of them.
meeerrr
Me too. The Irish government did nothing to help unemployment in the 80s. Maggies England was all we had for employment.
Party Time !
Whens the funeral? I hope Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams goes!
Ding dong the witch is dead!
Ireland could do with a leader like her. She would not roll over for Germans or anybody else.
Meeeerrrrrr
She rolled over for the big banks and put their needs over the domestic economy of Britain, in return they bankrolled her and her party.
Alot of people saying stuff like ‘Rot in hell’ and ‘lets celebrate’? Some people need to grow up! Least Thatcher had some balls and was a leader……same cant be said for many Irish politicians!
She did what our polticians do, what the banks, bondholders and big business say should be done. Thatcher just happened to be in a country thats a major player helping her have more impact, if she was Irish she’d just have been a typical Centre right poltician.
Her personal friend, up to the day he died, General Pinochet used to personal tie political prisoners by their boll0x and hoist them up on piano wire. They dropped back to the ground quick enough. That quietened their calls for one man, one vote.
She had big balls alright, she always supported him, even though he was a sadistic and brutal a dictator as seen in the last 50 years.
A truly great leader. An iconic figure who will be sadly missed by all those who believe in freedom and abhor terrorism. RIP.
She was the leader of a Terrorist regime …. Her forces directly murdered more Irish civilians than the IRA… But we know where your heart is Patrick…
She sponsored Terrorism in regimes like Chile (do you remember her good friend General Pinochet… the Spanish wanted him extradited to Spain for the murder of 1000′s of Spanish/Chilean civilians, who also happened to be protesting for civil rights… Thatcher refused to support law and order.
Do you remember Thatchers support of the South African Apartheid regime? Have you forgotten how here son is in prison for trying to stage a coup detat in another African state, so he and his family could get their grubby hands on the diamond mines there?
And her policy in the North, ensured that the peace process was delayed by over a decade. The only thing that drove Thatcher to the table, was when her own life was put in jeopardy at the Brighton Bombing…
She was a sick evil twisted self-serving murderous cow who deserved nothing good in her life (and normally i am a pacifist).
You can be certain that Nelson Mandela will be having a smile tonight with his Complan. One of his most resolute opponents and enemies is dead.
Well said Cathal. And that’s without looking at what she did to so many people in her own country.
Lol. .. so I take it you didn’t care much for her
Cathal, regardless of your political convictions or opinions on Baroness Thatcher, the British Army operating within the United Kingdom did not ‘murder’ more of it’s own citizens UK/Irish (or whatever tag you wish to use) than the IRA…FACT.
If you don’t believe me then look at the “CAIN Web Service – Conflict and Politics in Northern Ireland” Deaths responsible: British Security 363 (civilian 186), Loyalist Paramilitary 1026, Republican Paramilitary 2057 of which 724 were civilians.
Thatchers love child
Troll!
In reply to Lyons
@Cathal : the ira killed more civilians than all the other paramilitaries and British put together. The ira also killed more Catholics than everyone else put together.
Dermot, go do some research….
The Loyalist paramilitaries/British Army combined murdered more civilians… In fact, between them, over 75% of the people murdered by the British Army/Loyalists were civilian. 35% of the IRA victims were civilians.
Organisation_Responsible Count
British Army (BA) 297
British Police (BP) 1
Catholic Reaction Force (CRF) 3
Direct Action Against Drugs (DAAD) 5
Garda Siochana (GS) 4
Irish Army (IA) 1
Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) 113
Irish People’s Liberation Organisation (IPLO) 22
Irish People’s Liberation Organisation Belfast Brigade (IPLOBB) 2
Irish Republican Army (IRA) 1706
Loyalist Retaliation and Defence Group (LRDG) 2
Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) 18
non-specific Loyalist group (LOY) 253
non-specific Republican group (REP) 90
not known (nk) 79
Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) 53
People’s Liberation Army (PLA) 3
People’s Republican Army (PRA) 4
Protestant Action Force (PAF) 37
Protestant Action Group (PAG) 5
real Irish Republican Army (rIRA) 29
Red Hand Commando (RHC) 13
Red Hand Defenders (RHD) 8
Republican Action Force (RepAF) 24
Royal Air Force (RAF) 1
Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) 55
Saor Eire (SE) 3
Ulster Defence Association (UDA) 113
Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) 8
Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) 147
Ulster Special Constabulary (USC) 1
Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) 430
TOTAL 3530
Now, read this… Of the 1,800 people killed by the I.R.A. since the late 1960′s, about 650 were civilians rather than members of security forces or paramilitary organizations.
The other 1200 were members of the security forces.
The Loyalists and British Army combined murdered approx 1500, of which over 75% were unarmed civilians…
Where you got your information from, is not official record. I just quoted stats from the CAIN web-site. Do you want to challenge the data?
I am not excusing the civilian murder count by the IRA, but i will not sit idly by, while you spread totally inaccurate British Propaganda, and make the IRA out to be worse than the British forces, who deliberately tareggted civilians throughout the campaign. Their campaign to murder the Irish in the North started 2 years before the IRA started their campaign… Go read about it.
Cathal, you’re talking through your hat. So IRA kills are “valid” because they were “legitimate targets” is what you were saying. Your readings of the CAIN website are incorrect. Deaths responsible: British Security 363 (of which regrettably 186 were civilian), Loyalist Paramilitary 1026, Republican Paramilitary 2057 of which 724 were civilians.
The IRA was responsible for more violence against civilians (many from their own communities). Fullstop. It’s not British propaganda. The IRA were far away worse than British Forces who did NOT deliberately target civilians of any creed. But bombing a pub or post office to change the political landscape is a “valid target” in your book?
Thank Christ most of that is behind us. Look forward Cathal, there’s nothing to be gained by looking backwards…
There were atrocities carried out by all sides, i’m not disputing that, but the people who most frequently targetted and killed civilians were the IRA.Those civilians were not “collateral damage” killed by accident or because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, they were often deliberatly targetted, why else would you put bombs in city centre pubs on a busy friday night?Why else would you plant bombs beside a cenotaph and detonate it as people gatherered for a memorial service?
Here here totally agree
Jelly and ice cream…
Her and bobby sands head to head up there.. Would love to see that one go down.. If she didn’t meet her match on earth she will up there for sure…
No matter what people think of her she always did as she said she would. It’s a shame more of today’s politicians don’t R.I.P. Maggie
It seems that the fuel contract for Hell is going to be handed over to a hedge fund in the City of London.
The Devil has been laid off and described as part of a moribund old style economy. Mrs Thatcher is now in charge. Charles Haughey has been made Secretary for Moral education, Lenihan the bean counter and Pol Pot head of security.
The white collar criminal wing of hell is going to have air conditioning installed and everyone is going to be subjected to stories about cutting waste and a better way forward.
brilliant!
She was a puppet for the oil, arms, banking and media barons who are destroying your lives today.
Yes, Derek, and an enthusiastic (slavish?) follower of Reaganomics. Of course he was in thrall to big business as well. Between them they sowed the seeds of out-of-control capitalism and ordinary people globally are reaping the whirlwind.
The damage she did to the British economy, manufacturing industry and personal pride of British workers is incalculable. With her daft policies of destroying the steel and coal industries she was the origin of any mass “welfare culture” in Britain. She destroyed at least two generations of the working class and Britain is still feeling the effects. And as for her attitude to Northern Ireland…
No I wiil not mourn her passing. About the only right thing she did was to defend the Falklands and that was because it was an election year and she was losing in the polls.
82 wasn’t an election year. After the Falklands she called a snap election. As for the British manufacturing industry. The unions had decimated that before Thatcher came to power. The steel and coal industries were receiving 87% of their income through government subsidies, the government after the Callaghan labour government was broke, Thatcher proposed a closing of 40% of unprofitable mines, the unions voted against it and the mining strikes began. To further alleviate government spending she embarked on a programme of privatisation, starting with British steel then British Rail, the transport services, British gas, electricity, etc. Regardless of your view of her personally what is undeniable is that when she left office the economy was in a much better state then when she arrived. How many politicians would love to say that?
I’m afraid I have to disagree with you there, Patrick. Se boosted the business and financial economy in the south east of England at the expense od manufacturing jobs in the north of the country. I watched those wonderful maps John Snow (I think) put up on election night where the north of Engkand and most of Scotland were mostly red for Labourbut the south of the country where most of the knowledge based and financial services were situated were pro Tory.
My memory of the 82 election was that the Liberals were the biggest gainers of the election. In fact they were poised to take power, until Galterie invaded and the Falklands conflict started. The people had lost faith in the Tories and didn’t want to go with Kinnocks backwards policies.
Jft96
Say what you want about her, personally i’m objective and as a History grad, her death definitely signals the physical end of an era.
The day the world has changed! R.I.P.
She was a horrible individual that disrespected her roots and those people and showed contempt to them as well as the Irish. I’m glad the Poll Tax was the noise to end her egotistical tyrannical reign. Dementia isn’t a nice way to go and afforded her very little dignity in the end. I’m happy for her family that their suffering is now over.
*noose* stupid intellectual iPad :p
Thatcher went after the unions and not the workers as she had watched one union after another slowly decimate British industry with strike after strike and with no regard for the workers they claimed to represent in the 70′s. Unfortunately for her, she took on a monster. She stood by her convictions and wouldn’t back down for anyone. She was a great leader for her Country. May she rest in Peace
She may have gone after the Unions but in doing so, she destroyed the working prospects of at least two generations. I suppose she considered it to be mere collateral damage.
It was the Unions that wouldn’t let the workers return to work and not Thatcher. Companies were forced to shut up shop as a result. The Unions then collected their pennies from the unemployed
She died of a miner illness and had to left fasting!
Ding dong the biotch is gone
I hear the devil is gone into hiding now that she is on the way
Evil Axis !!! Slán
Jelly and ice cream..
As a Scotsman I couldn’t agree more
http://youtu.be/y0VHeo4rLuc
One good thing she did…she voted with Labour MPs twice to support bills to ban hare coursing, a sport in which dogs are set after hares for sport to savage or terrorise them. I was never a Tory fan and hopefully never will be, but she was right on that one issue.
I always like her blue really suited her . She done a lot for the Falklands ie awareness and tourism.
Look at Haughey and the corrupt head on him.
A horrible person who wrecked havoc on her own country A bigot and utter control freak to an insane degree Her own children hated her.
What frankie boyle thinks about it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmmomV-ax-s
There were atrocities carried out by all sides, i’m not disputing that, but the people who most frequently targetted and killed civilians were the IRA.Those civilians were not “collateral damage” killed by accident or because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, they were often deliberatly targetted, why else would you put bombs in city centre pubs on a busy friday night?Why else would you plant bombs beside a cenotaph and detonate it as people gatherered for a memorial service?
Why would the British Security services plant Bombs in busy pedestrian streets like Dublin/Monaghan/Belturbet and set the bombs off without warning??? Seriously, less revisionism and more truth. The British Army and the Loyalists combined (they colluded on all attacks) murdered twice as many civilians as the IRA. I can produce many many reports to back up my claims. Also, Bloody Sunday was not a walk in the park for the civil rights marchers either. Lets not forget about Ballymurphy, families told to stay in their homes for days, and as mothers left the shelter of their homes after days without food, they were picked off by British Army snipers.
Now, once more, the British Army and their Loyalist paramilitary lackies, murdered twice as many civilians as the IRA. CAIN is my source… Please provide a data source to back up your claims that the British didnt collude with the Loyalists. The British Army only killed 5 Loyalist during the whole troubles, all of which were mistaken identity (they thought they were shooting Irish).
Where did I say that the British didn’t collude with the loyalists?
have your say