There Is Such A Thing As Society

[sp1814]

Margaret Thatcher once said:

"There is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families. And no governments can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first."

Johnson has contradicted this:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/mar/29/20000-nhs-staff-return-to-service-johnson-says-from-coronavirus-isolation

Who's right?

Full Thatcher quote:

https://www.ft.com/content/d1387b70-a5d5-11e2-9b77-00144feabdc0

[rockyracoon]

I think at the moment there is a society, but if push comes to shove, that'll break down quite quickly.

[Gromit]

We are talking about 2 different Tory ideologies, so the obvious answer is that BOTH are wrong,p.

[Peter Pedant]

she s dead innit
so it is kinda a one sided argument

but if she was right then you can burn large sections of uni libraries (coz they contain sociology books see)

wondering if thatcher were right in a situation she never conceived of, is a bit - enda-the-worldy yeah ?

erm if the facts change - I change my mind, what do you do (JMKeynes)

[Peter Pedant]

ft needs a sub

[Gromit]

A week ago I witnessed two grown men having a punch-up in ASDA over toilet roll.
The way millions of people went out and panic buyed greedily for themselves, and Gave not a second thought to their neighbours was an utter disgrace.
Still the Supermarkets are full EVERYDAY with people buying essential candle-sticks, and toothpaste, while the rest of society weakens.

[ToraToraTora]

They are both correct. TGL meant that in normal day to day lives we all must provide for ourselves. Boris is reacting to the crisis in which we find ourselves. If TGL was PM today she'd be largely do the same things as Boris and outside of this crisis he would agree with TGL on most things. Nice try though.

[gulliver1]

Bloody hell S/p there is enough doom and gloom about without mentioning Thatcher.

[sp1814]

This situation has also brought out the best in people too. It doesn't sell papers, but all over the country there are people volunteering to help out elderly neighbours, and there are people who have signed up (hundreds of thousands) to help the NHS.

Perhaps the answer is that one see themselves as part of a society, and others (very probably a minority) see only themselves and their families?

[sp1814]

"If TGL was PM today she'd be largely do the same things as Boris"

LOL.

[ToraToraTora]

ok SP what would she do?

[douglas9401]

She'd militarise the police, kit them out with the best protective gear available and launch them at her subjects, ban fun in any form (to be determined by neighbourhood robocops), shoot all dogs to remove the chance of fresh air and exercise for plebs, shut down borderline industries and make critical errors in hotel bookings.

That's what.

[gulliver1]

20.07 ,And shoot all the miners caught going to Tescos, or walking their dogs. All working class sent to the Work House.

[Peter Pedant]

yeah shooting people she didnt like
that would go down well with Trump

[andy-hughes]

Mrs Thatcher's quote was - ""They are casting their problems at society. And, you know, there's no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look after themselves first. It is our duty to look after ourselves and then, also, to look after our neighbours." – in an interview in Women's Own in 1987.

Since she was married to a millionaire, what sort of experience has she ever had of 'looking after herself, and then her neighbours' do you think?

[Old_Geezer]

I'm sure everyone was well aware it was gibberish when she spouted it.

Right wing wishful thinking.

[ynnafymmi]

There was only three truly great prime ministers last century-Churchill,Attlee and Thatcher.All the rest of them were useless self-serving numpties.

[ToraToraTora]

BA right there ^^^

[ynnafymmi]

I doubt it,Tora.Thatcher was virulently against the IRA,Corbyn was an apologist and cheerleader for them.SP is probably greeting(crying) his heart out of the downfall of Old Steptoe.

[ynnafymmi]

Interesting my word"downfall",one was a film about a right-wing fascist.My use was about a left-wing fascist.

[sp1814]

Absolutely andy-hughes.

Some people believe in society only when it suits them.