Sunday, November 28, 2004

History Friday on A Sunday II



It was up early this morning to take a bunch of kids from work (I work for a non-profit that helps teenagers volunteer in the community) to man the coffee station at Rockland's annual "Breakfast with Santa" shindig. As I get older and fatter I seem to have a harder time doing the late Saturday night/early Sunday morning thing and in the vernacular, I'm reet knackered. Still, a promise is a promise and so here is this week's History Friday:

November, 28th 1990: Tearful farewell from Iron Lady

In memory of this blessed event, I can only quote Margaret Thatcher herself, and say "Rejoice! Rejoice!" Coincidentally, her unceremonious expulsion from the premiership by her own supporters came around the time the dictators of the Eastern Bloc also fell from grace, although alas unlike many of them she has yet to do prison time for the damage she inflicted on British society.

Better, more patient people than me (like my friend Doctor Noddy) would take this opportunity to thoughtfully address the full implications of Thatcherism, both good and bad. But as mentioned above, I'm too tired to deal with all that tonight. Instead, I'm going to content myself with a warm inner glow of memory of those heady days in 1990, when Walter Mondale host Alex and myself hugged and high-fived in a very un-English display of delight before double history with Mr. Lockwood. Tonight I'll sit and nurse a Dark & Stormy, listen to the lashing rain outside, ruminate on the disappointing victory of John Major and the betrayed promise of Tony Blair, and ultimately giggle out loud at the image of a crestfallen and beaten Thatcher.

Still, if knowing that insufferable woman seems only to cling to life in order to destroy her own reputation (defending Chilean dictator General Pinochet in the House of Lords) or watch her family do it for her (son 'Sir' Mark accused of plotting coups in Equitorial Guinea with as much aplomb as he showed in the Paris-Dakar rally) is not enough, then you can always give her scabies here.

Before I get too smug however, I can't shake the feeling that she is still exerting a malevolent influence on Britain, Europe, and the world:

4 comments:

jamie said...

that doll is one of the creepiest things i've ever seen.

Wisdom Weasel said...

Doll? That's her official statue in the House of Commons lobby.

Mondale said...

A couple of things, How well I remember that glorious November day when Helen Stayte burst into classes shouting that Thatcher had gone. Brings a warm glow to me even now.
Also, I name dropped Mrs Weasel in a history class today. We were talking about the role of Jefferson Davis in the "late unpleasantness between the states".

Wisdom Weasel said...

Jefferson Davis? Welsh.

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