Yes, that nice man, scion of Thatch, has been arrested by elite undercover cops in South Africa, investigating the attempted Coup D'Etat in Equatorial Guinea.

CNN- http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/africa/08/25/thatcher.arrest/

Background - http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/9482965.htm

And there was little old me talking about this the other day.... the true thatcher legacy...

And according to press reports, there was anoher 'senior tory' involved as well.

Jeffrey Archer has denied having anything to do with it.

Phan, great minds think alike.. I was thinking the exact same thing myself, when I heard the news....

What's that old saying... "what's bred in the blood, comes out in the bone", or something?

We could always nominate him for a Saharan safari, as his punishment, in the event of him being found guilty?

P "mummy's not in power, to rescue you now!" T

His family's reputation will still be sufficient to get him off, whatever he's done.

Of course, if a 'normal' person did anything like that they'd bloody hang him/her.

One more reason to hate Thatch. I've had a Thatch clog-popping party planned for about 10 years. Wish she'd hurry up before I get too old to party ;)

Originally posted by commie pig
And according to press reports, there was another 'senior tory' involved as well.

Jeffrey Archer has denied having anything to do with it.

:) Yes, well, to paraphrase Many Rice-Davies "He would say that, wouldn't he?"

Sir Mark Thatcher (the first person to inherit a Baronetcy since the reign of George IV I found out today) may be charged with "contravening the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act" (found here (http://projects.sipri.se/expcon/natexpcon/SAfrica/formilass.htm) on the SIPRI site (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute)

If found guilty he faces fines and imprisonment and the forfeiture of goods and materiel to the state.

Something tells me that his mum will try intervene. Which mother wouldn't?

The mans been a failure since day one. And any of his success has been shrowded in suspicion. My bet he's guilty as sin. He should get away with it though he has enough money too.

I bet Maggie's absolutely devastated by this. It could even finish her off.

Oh dear, how sad, never mind.

Originally posted by Speedy_Jim
His family's reputation will still be sufficient to get him off, whatever he's done.

Of course, if a 'normal' person did anything like that they'd bloody hang him/her.

One more reason to hate Thatch. I've had a Thatch clog-popping party planned for about 10 years. Wish she'd hurry up before I get too old to party ;)

I have never liked Margaret Thatcher or most of her policies, but I do think she is a far nicer person than all these sick and twisted people who are planning to celebrate the day she dies. Whatever you thought of her policies, the public voted her in power to do what she believed to be right (although I strongly disagreed with her).

It's funny how we were only discussing the Thatchers last week in the 'maggies dead T-Shirts' thread.

It answers someone's question about what Mark Thatcher is doing now - porridge!

haha, and now the utterly vile David Hart gets nicked too! marvellous news, evil little man. Tim Bell implicated too, my word, it appears most of Thatchers government were a far right cabal! Shocking.

OK, maybe it was in poor taste, but I grew up in a mining town and saw and experienced first hand some of the effects of the decisions made back then. Not just the economic fall out and hardship, but some of the violence. It's a hell of a thing to see your mate's dad on the receiving end of a bashing from policemen for not doing anything. Especially for a kid.

So I appolgise for the comment, as it was in poor taste. But not for how I feel about her. Sorry. I'm not sick and twisted, but I'll always be a bit bitter

Im with you dude...don't wait for her to die...lynch the old witch I say...."maggies dead"...now that does sound good.

I was against Thatcher closing the mines down, but I still don't think you can lay the blame for all the violence on her. And I am not trying to deny that the police did assault non-violent people.

Fair enough. Suppose folks (myself included) will always pick someone to blame.

And I don't think for a moment that all the violence was her fault - there were nutters out for a scrap on both sides, and I don't *really* think she personally gave the order to get stuck in.

But a lot of the nasty stuff wouldn't have happened if it weren't for her, so I'm afraid she'll always be a bit of a hate figure for me.


Anyway, getting off topic aren't we? This whole coup thing is very strange....

not that strange really. bunch of far-right people without any respect for democracy attempt to control the government of a small oil very very rich country. sounds quite typical.

dogs of war......virtually the entire works of frederick forsyth? i'm just surprised he wasn't involved in it as well (or was he????)

Originally posted by Patchy
I was against Thatcher closing the mines down, but I still don't think you can lay the blame for all the violence on her. And I am not trying to deny that the police did assault non-violent people.

And of course it wasn't miners that threw concrete blocks off motorway bridges to kill people was it?

Ooo hang on a minute, yes it was.

He is a very nasty peice of work young Mark. He is wanted all over the world for his skullduggery. He managed to get out of America by the skin of his teeth.

Who is he working for? :rolleyes:

I see the country where he was trying to over throw the government is rich in OIL.
The US and Spain were also implicated.
Mmmm it seems like western countries trying to corner the market on oil

i think this whole episode is fantastic. Since Maggie Cow stepped down as prime minister, she has done her best to make the Tories look like what they are - a bunch of pompous imbeciles - inbred and irritating, with more money than braincells - what with her ranting and rallying all the time.

I say LONG LIVE MAGGIE!!!! As long as she and her poisonous family and associates continues, the tories will never get back into power. HURRAH!!:D

She actually did that just before she went. She greased the wheels for that prat Major to get back at those who stabbed her.

More anti Thatcher bigotry on a South Yorkshire forum

yawn yawn, aren't you all grateful yet?

anti thatcher bigotry?

rofl

Originally posted by Lickszz
She actually did that just before she went. She greased the wheels for that prat Major to get back at those who stabbed her.

When John Major left power he was incharge of an economy that was increasing by 3% per annum, an unpresidentidly high grow rate for an out going PM. Tony and Gordon have yet to emulate such economic growth.

It seems that not only were mark thatcher and simon mann also friends but business partners.

Is it possible he is in some way not involved in a plot to stage a coup d'etat in Guinea and steal all their oil?

I think we should be told.

Haa, the Thatchers.

I remember the time I bumped into Denis coming out of the off license clutching a bottle of gin.

"Hi Denis," says I

"Hic," replied he.

"How's the irritable bowel problem?" I enquired.

"She'sh fine thanksh, hic."

"And how's HER little problem?"

"Oh, he'sh - hic- studying politics in Guinea at the moment."

Originally posted by Phanerothyme
It seems that not only were mark thatcher and simon mann also friends but business partners.

Is it possible he is in some way not involved in a plot to stage a coup d'etat in Guinea and steal all their oil?

I think we should be told.

But have we established who Thatcher was working for? Haliburton? Shell? BP?

Who?

Well the rumour mill seems to think that the coup d'etat was planned and financed effectively by selling interests in the country's oil revenues that would be under the control of the new puppet government.

These 'shares' will have been touted as something quite different to 'support a coup in Guniea to steal their oil' and the rumour mill, once again, suggest that plenty of the financing for this operation came from wealthy and well connected individuals in London.

I would imagine that the western oil co's ,would stay in situ without their profits being touched, this is about stealing the government slice, not the Exxon slice.

But this is all unqualified rumour. Much as I suspect Thatcher to be guilty through my personal feelings, I would grudgingly accept the decision of the SA court if he was found to be innocent.

One of Thatchers buddies has been sentenced to seven years.....with a bit of luck he should be following soon

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3643250.stm

I have to admit blatant double standards here.
I quite like the thought of Mark being extradited to Guinea for questioning.;)

Just to put this in some sort of historical context: in the 19th century British men who went to africa in search of adventure and civilising the native countries were regarded with some reverence. Whatever Mark Thatcher's motives it has to be admitted that he is not a million miles away from those men who helped build the British Empire.

Originally posted by slimsid2000
Just to put this in some sort of historical context: in the 19th century British men who went to africa in search of adventure and civilising the native countries were regarded with some reverence. Whatever Mark Thatcher's motives it has to be admitted that he is not a million miles away from those men who helped build the British Empire.

Slim actually has a very valid point here.
But should we be proud of our Empire history? Much of this country's wealth is built on slavery. It helped build us into what we are today, but is it appropriate now?

Mr Thatcher’s dubious business dealings are far from transparent and I hate to think what harm he has possibly indirectly been involved with.

I read in the papers that the President of Equatorial Guinea is something of a cannibal and one of his favourite delicacies are the testicles of his political opponents. So if Young Thatch were to be extradited ............well...........ooooooooooohh !