Santonix

I could be wrong but I thought it took place in 1975. In those days what became the E.U. was known as the Common Market, and it was, at that time sold to us as being just that, the desire to allow European Countries to trade with each other in an easier way than had previously been possible. It was on that question that the referendum was held . If I and others had known that we were slowly being sucked into a much grander plan with a hidden agenda, then maybe we would have said no. It was in my humble opinion a con. Edward Heath admitted in recently released documents "that by the time the public realise what is happening it will be too late". I see little benefit for the enormous cost of membership, it is slowly stripping us of our identity and sovereignty. I do not believe that membership alone has stopped further European wars. The biggest benefactors in all of this have been the politicians themselves. That is why despite the genuine concerns of the people of Europe which have been voiced for years and which became even clearer with the rejection of the European Constituation (which our democratic politicians put a stop to when they saw they were losing) we and other countries will continue to remain members. Edward Heath in my opinion was a disasterous Prime Minister.

Marky B

The referendum was 1975 - we joined in 1973.
Ta Ta
Marky B

I am special. The heavens always open for me.

Santonix

Yes I thought was the case. Thanks Mark.

merryowen

How about Gordon Brown ?

Dozy Dave is wandering about promising a land fit for organic compost bins, but Glum Gordon appears to have finally twigged that if you are going to buy an election the best way is with tax cuts.

A chip off the old handbag

Marky B

I think there should be a leadership election - I am sure a lot of Labour members would like to have say in who is going to lead them in the next General Election.
Ta Ta
Marky B

I am special. The heavens always open for me.

samkydd

If you want literary and the Ford Cortina then look no further than the lyrics of Ian Dury, the winking man's Betjeman:

"I had a love affair wiv Nina in the back of my Cortina,
A seasoned up hyena could not 'ave more obscene-ah,
She took me to the cleaners and uvver misdemeanours,
But I got right up between 'er rum and 'er Ribena! "

But back on topic, Maggie could be played in a fillum by the bloke that used to impersonate her on Spitting Image and that famous stage show "Anyone For Dennis?" A little too feminine perhaps for Lady T but he can work on that!

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

Wolfgang

I think Gordon will be okay. Great Britain has had it sweet these last ten years under Blair - stable economic growth (thanks to Brown), steady investment in health and education (thanks to Brown). He cocked up pensions but no-one is perfect. What you get with Gordon is that sense he knows what he is doing (regardless of whether you approve or not) which should see him easily defeat Cameron.

penfold

My mistake...quite right.

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

penfold

I don't see how the national identity has been altered whatsoever by the EU....perhaps you could explain how.



And there I do agree entirely. Who alive then can forget the slide into genuinely Third World conditions during the three day week. His ineffectuality made Maggie seem like a good idea...briefly, before she actually got into power.

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

samkydd

I find it strange that we are told to embrace the EU and yet we are devolving our own nation! It doesn't add up really!

I'm quite happy about the EU as far as uniting Europeans but it would appear that we seem to be the one of the few countries to conform to the letter of every EU edict, no matter how bizarre, whereas many other countries sign up to an agreement and then carry on as they did before!

Take restaurants for example. You can't run the humblest of B&B's in the UK unless you spend a king's ransom on a state of the art kitchen complete with everything in stainless steel and perfect tiling, flooring and expensive equiment. Pick a restaurant at random in France or Spain and often the kitchens look like something from pre-war days; crumbling and insanitary, overflowing ashtrays, a toilet that you wouldn't want your worst enemy to use, and not a Now Wash Your Hands notice in sight! Next time you go on holiday to a European destination just take a look in the kitchens at the hotel or local restaurants and you'll see what I mean!

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

Steve Crook

Yes, the referendum was to decide if we should stay in.
I voted NO. I thought it was a good idea in theory but was very dubious about how it'd turn out in practise, even back then.

But the biggest con was that back then people were only told that it was a trading partnership, not political union.

Steve

David Brent

Maybe a silly question I know but away from politics, did anyone ever find Margaret Thatcher sexy?
I remember reading how one political observer found Maggie very sexy in her prime. Maybe it was a Tory thing.
Hey, different strokes for different blokes.

It's an important question to ask if you are going to decide who would best play her in a film.
If the film was American made then it would come with the priviso "Based on a true story".
That would give the film artistic license to capture Maggie off-duty at No.10, having rampant sex with a subservant Dennis.
I personally think she'd look great in corset and suspenders, black stockings and leather boots while equipped with a whip in one hand and her handbag in the other.
It would do wonders for her image.

Dave.

Moor Larkin

She was quite pretty in her prime I think, from pictures I've seen, but I think that predated her days of Power. I cannot imagine her being 'sexy' however, unless you were seriously into being told off.

It's odd that history seems to want to remember her for the Falklands when really her main achievement was to kick Scargill's arse. The human sympathy for the devastation caused by the closure of so much taxation-funded heavy industry seems to have blinded people to the mad anarchy that the Unions were creating in the country back in the Seventies. The only thing I feared more than Maggie's archness at the time was Arthur's stalinism.

The Falklands were just so much argy-bargy, and at least it was a winnable 'war'.

Maggie Maggie Maggie!! Oi Oi Oi!!

[code]http://www.flickr.com/photos/29487363@N02/sets/72157606700675506/code]

Santonix

I guess you don't hold a passport then? Or have noticed the European flag on your driving licence, or seen European Community written across your V5 car registration document I could go on at length, but hey let's get back to discussing films.

Wolfgang

Given how this thread is going it is going to end up getting more hits than Jenny's thread!