THE plethora of praise in the London media for Margaret Thatcher does not seem to reflect the reality of many people’s lives.

While her role in the destruction to industry is widely acknowledged, there seems to be a myth surrounding the UK’s economic performance.

Perhaps I am kidding myself when I recall that the interest rate on the first house we bought in York was 15.4 per cent. And that was at the end of her third term in 1988.

While four million people were in poverty in 1979 (about eight per cent of the population), the number had increased to 11 million by 1990 (about 23 per cent).

The poor got poorer while the rich undoubtedly got a lot richer. Unemployment rates more than doubled, topping three million.

I recall the mid-1980s. When living in Brixton, I recall the riots at the end of the street due to the resentment of stop and search. Let no one say crime in the UK dropped – it in fact increased by 79 per cent under Thatcher.

Sadly, history is repeating itself in so many ways, except even more unjustly. And the strangest thing – the Lib Dems are spinelessly standing aside and letting the Tories do it.

RKM Bridge, Holgate Road, York.
 

• IN 1980, I was appointed as a negotiations officer for the main Civil Service trade union [CPSA].

My first area of responsibility was the pay and grading review of the staff employed at the House of Commons and also at GCHQ Cheltenham – two interesting and diverse areas of employment.

I had a permanent pass to both areas, so was able to witness at first hand our first female prime minister in action. I have many personal and professional memories of this period, many of them fascinating, some extremely distressing.

However, in retrospect, to me the results of the attack by the policies of the Iron Lady on this country and its people can be summed up on three principles:

1 She removed the “Great” from Great Britain, in the removal of so many humanitarian principles which made us what we were

2 She removed the “United” from the United Kingdom, as the Celtic races sought to break away from a society so alien to their principles

3 She brought in an 11th commandment which put greed as an essential requirement for future success in all areas of our society.

Liz Edge, Parkside Close, York.


• I KEEP on being reminded by the current Government of the parlous situation of this country’s finances.

It is so bad that a 20 per cent reduction is demanded by the Home Office on the police budget and 20,000 soldiers are to be made redundant.

Yet suddenly both of these departments can find their share of the estimated £8 million cost to oversee the wheeling of a dead politician, disliked by a significant proportion of the population, around the streets of London.

My message to the organiser is “err... not with my taxes”.

Neil Raw, Oriel Grove, Clifton Without, York.


• I HAD the pleasure of taking Mrs Thatcher to a meeting and luncheon near York when she came up to speak.

She was the most interesting person. Interested in everything about her, she asked questions and talked of her hopes.

Her life was the Conservative Party. It is sad that we have recently lost two staunch Conservatives, first Charles Longbottom (former MP for York) and now Mrs Thatcher. I think the party will be poorer without them.

Hopefully, history books will record her service for the party kindly and accord her the place she deserves. She was very genuine and passionate about her country and her party.

Audrey Richardson, Purcellville, USA.