PARCEL #102 LONDON TUBING EDITION

[heydaralon]

Didn't Margaret Thatcher and neoliberal policies pretty much hollow out Union power in the UK? I've read that the gravedigger's union wasn't burying bodies during the winter of discontent, and basically the whole country shut down from strikes, but then Thatcher basically cut off their balls during the 80's. How did they manage to regain power?

Well, first of all, union power is really propped up by the public sector unions now, but in terms of the private unions, even though they only represent 15% of workers, they are still a very powerful entrenched interest, because they control key ridings, so they have disproportionate power far beyond their weight class.

Maggie Thatcher went after certain unions, the coal miners most famously, but she didn't go after the warship builders, she built a lot of warships after all.

What do you think of her actions during the Falkland Islands War?

[Smitty-48]

What do you think of her actions during the Falkland Islands War?

I backed her 100% then, I back her 100% now, her leadership during the war, literally; Churchillian.

Churchill being no angel of course, and neither was Maggie Thatcher, but as far as war chiefs go, couldn't ask for more, because she did everything right.

[heydaralon]

What do you think of her actions during the Falkland Islands War?

I backed her 100% then, I back her 100% now, her leadership during the war, literally; Churchillian.

I read an article by a cynical historian years ago that said that both Thatcher and the Junta were basically using the war to move attention away from their less than ideal domestic situations. Do you think that is true or was there a real strategic aim to those islands? From my perspective, the whole thing seems a bit silly.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is about that war:
"two bald men fighting over a comb." (borges)

[Smitty-48]

What do you think of her actions during the Falkland Islands War?

I backed her 100% then, I back her 100% now, her leadership during the war, literally; Churchillian.

I read an article by a cynical historian years ago that said that both Thatcher and the Junta were basically using the war to move attention away from their less than ideal domestic situations. Do you think that is true or was there a real strategic aim to those islands? From my perspective, the whole thing seems a bit silly.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is about that war:
"two bald men fighting over a comb." (borges)

I think Maggie Thatcher was a politician, although she actually had to be talked into fighting the war by Admiral Henry Leach, so while there may have been a poltical boon to fighting and winning the war, 1) she didn't go in looking for that, because her initial reaction was not to go in, and 2) was actually an extremely high risk political gambit, a near run thing, where she could not in any way be sure that Britain would win, and moreover, it was only due to her decisons at key junctures, that they did in fact win.

As to "silly", really can't think of any more just nor rational a cause for war, then the defense of your citizens, their lives, property, and territory, under unprovoked attack, invasion, and occupation, by a fascist Latin American junta.

[heydaralon]

I backed her 100% then, I back her 100% now, her leadership during the war, literally; Churchillian.

I read an article by a cynical historian years ago that said that both Thatcher and the Junta were basically using the war to move attention away from their less than ideal domestic situations. Do you think that is true or was there a real strategic aim to those islands? From my perspective, the whole thing seems a bit silly.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is about that war:
"two bald men fighting over a comb." (borges)

I think Maggie Thatcher was a politician, although she actually had to be talked into fighting the war by Admiral Henry Leach, so while there may have been a poltical boon to fighting and winning the war, 1) she didn't go in looking for that, because her initial reaction was not to go in, and 2) was actually extremely high risk poltical gambit, a near run thing, where she could not in any way be sure that the Britain would win, and in fact, it was only due to her decisons at key junctures that they did in fact win.

As to "silly", really can't think of any more just nor rational a cause for war, then the defense of your citizens, their lives, property, and territory, under unprovoked attack, invasion, and occupation, by a fascist Latin American junta.

Did Argentina actually think they could win? That's what I don't get about this whole thing.

[heydaralon]

I guess this was after Britain had given up most of its colonial holdings. Even so, they still punch above their weight militarily. Must have been a strange strategic meeting.

[Smitty-48]

I guess this was after Britain had given up most of its colonial holdings. Even so, they still punch above their weight militarily. Must have been a strange strategic meeting.

The meeting went something like this;

"It's Britain, they're British, it's not Argentina, and it never was, and if we sell these folk and farms down the river to a fascist Junta, what exactly wouldn't we sell down that river, maam?"

"Point taken, Admiral, do you have a plan?"

"Yes, maam, I do"

"Then show me..."

[heydaralon]

I guess this was after Britain had given up most of its colonial holdings. Even so, they still punch above their weight militarily. Must have been a strange strategic meeting.

The meeting went something like this;

"It's Britain, they're British, it's not Argentina, and it never was, and if we sell these folk and farms down the river to a fascist Junta, what exactly wouldn't we sell down that river, maam?"

"Point taken, Admiral, do you have a plan?"

"Yes, maam, I do"

"Then show me..."

I'm reading about the "Black Buck Raids" right now. I did not realize there was an air component to the war. I really like the paint job on the Vulcan.

[heydaralon]

[Smitty-48]

Operation Black Buck, more of a British morale boosting Argentine moral busting operation in the end, not so effective operationally, but it did send the message to both foe and friend; don't get too comfortable down there, Argies, don't give up hope, Brits, we're fucking coming, and this is for real.

I mean, didn't achieve the rather optimistic goal of disabling the airfield, but if you talk the the Islanders who watched it go down, they all looked at their Argentine captors and cheered, "ha-ha, how you like us now?!", and the Argentine captors were all "uh-oh, this wasn't supposed to go like this, they were supposed to just let us have it".