Hi Be-Seen-Here,
Your replies are incorrect. My answers are in caps. to make it easy to see.
"Sold off the utilities to private companies in the first place?"
No, they turned them into private (actually public) companies by selling them to the public and financial institutions.
YOUR REPLY AGREES WITH ME MORE OR LESS. THEY SOLD THEM TO FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND TURNED THEM INTO PRIVATE COMPANIES. UNITED UTILITIES ARE ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMPANIES IN THE FTSE 100. THE BASIC POINT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT A NUMBER OF THESE UTILITY COMPANIES HAVE BEEN SOLD ON FOR VAST PROFITS BECAUSE THE BUYERS REALISE THAT IN MANY WAYS THEY ARE A LICENCE TO PRINT MONEY. AND THE PEOPLE WHO SUFFER FROM THE HUGE INCREASES IN GAS PRICES, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE YOU AND ME. A FORMER TORY PRIME MINISTER HAROLD MACMILLAN LIKENED THATCHER'S SALE OF THE UTILITIES TO "SELLING OFF THE FAMILY SILVER"
"Oversaw the destruction of the coal mining industry and manufacturing industry ("You can't buck the markets" was one of Thatcher's favourite phrases) resulting in the laying waste of swathes of the UK?"
No Scargill managed that all by himself and it's a fact..."you can't buck the markets" Manufacturing has contracted faster over the last 10 years than during Thatchers time.
NO. SCARGILL MERELY PREDICTED THE DEMISE OF THE COAL INDUSTRY BECAUSE IT WAS STRONG AND UNIONISED AND PLAYED A PART IN THE DEMISE OF THE HEATH GOVERNMENT. THE TORY PARTY CRUSHED THE COAL MINING INDUSTRY IN RETALIATION. GOOGLE THE HEATH GOVERNMENT FOR MORE INFO ABOUT THE CAUSES OF THE 3 DAY WEEK SINCE YOU APPEAR TO BE QUITE KEEN ON GOOGLE. SCARGILL HANDLED THE STRIKE BADLY BUT IN TERMS OF HIS ESTIMATE OF WHAT WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN TO THE COAL INDUSTRY HIS MAIN GUILT WAS IN TOTALLY UNDERESTIMATING THE DEVASTATION THAT WOULD BE CAUSED.
"Denied that society existed and that it was all about doing whatever was necessary for your own family?"
Society does exist but I'd put my family first before paying your benefits every single time
YOU DISAGREE WITH THATCHER AND AGREE WITH ME. IN A WOMEN'S OWN INTERVIEW IN 1987 SHE STATED THAT SOCIETY DID NOT EXIST.
"Had Cameron as an advisor when Lamont got into deep, financial doodah?"
Interesting take on history, Lamont never wanted to go into the ERM neither did Thatcher, John Major and the Labour party did !! Thatcher couldn't fall out with Major after having just had Lawson resign so in we went.
THE IMPORTANT POINT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY DECIDED TO GO INTO THE ERM IN OCTOBER 1990. THE FINANCIAL DISASTERS THAT OCCURRED IN SEPTEMBER LED TO INTEREST RATES GOING TO 15% - SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN THOSE UNDER THE RECENT LABOUR GOV!!! CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG BUT WASN'T JOHN MAJOR, THE PRIME MINISTER AT THE TIME AND NORMAN LAMONT, THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER, CONSERVATIVES? YOU MISS THE WHOLE POINT I AM MAKING - CONSERVATIVE FINANCIAL INCOMPETENCE. I NOTE YOU MAKE NO REFERENCE TO MY POINT ABOUT OSBORNE HAVING VERY LIMITED EXPERIENCE.
And if you want to battle over sleaze and corruption then this Labour governent make the Tories look like angels.
Mandelson and the Hindujas
Ron Browning on Clapham common

John Prescott knobbing his secretary
Mandelson and his dodgy mortgage
Tony Blair being questioned under caution by the police
Bernie Eccleston
Cash for peerages
AGREED THAT SLEAZE IS NOT JUST A TORY TRAIT. HOWEVER GIVEN THAT ARCHER GOT FOUR YEARS FOR PERJURY, AND AITKEN 18 MONTHS - ARCHER AN EX-DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF THE TORIES AND AITKEN AN EX-CABINET MINISTER, ANY SENSIBLE PERSON WOULD OBVIOUSLY DISPUTE YOUR STATEMENT THAT THIS GOV. MAKES THE TORIES LOOK LIKE ANGELS.
THIS IS MY LAST EMAIL ON THIS THREAD, I DON'T WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN ONE OF THOSE TEDIOUS ENDLESS BLOG THREADS. YOU HAVE YOUR VIEWS. I HAVE MINE.
HAVE A NICE DAY.