tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post8024359433301886296..comments2023-10-21T11:44:45.588+01:00Comments on ResidentAlien: Margaret Thatcher's Most Amazing TriumphMary Witzlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-76237694897547167882007-08-04T12:42:00.000+01:002007-08-04T12:42:00.000+01:00Hello, Phil, and thank you for commenting on my bl...Hello, Phil, and thank you for commenting on my blog! <BR/><BR/>As for unbiased opinions of MT, there was not one single teacher at our school who didn't practically froth at the mouth upon learning that she was going to show up at our school. The reaction was generally "What? Well, I'm not showing up on that day, then, and you can't make me!"<BR/><BR/>I've noticed that you know a lot of the expressions I grew up with. There are plenty of people who've never heard of that one, believe it or not. Must be our religious backgrounds.Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-87543337692243583022007-08-04T12:03:00.000+01:002007-08-04T12:03:00.000+01:00Enjoyed the read. An almost unbiased opinion of MT...Enjoyed the read. An almost unbiased opinion of MT must be pretty rare. They say the devil has the best tunes - probably the most charm too.<BR/><BR/>PhilPhilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13630483757720755232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-30290965531050610772007-07-08T02:04:00.000+01:002007-07-08T02:04:00.000+01:00I would most defiantly be in admiration of her as ...I would most defiantly be in admiration of her as well. Such a successful women, What Power!!Jewellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00836495803973972768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-91969958763517242522007-07-07T20:12:00.000+01:002007-07-07T20:12:00.000+01:00Thank you for commenting on my blog, Paul. Your bl...Thank you for commenting on my blog, Paul. Your blog looks interesting and I look forward to reading more of it.<BR/><BR/>In fact, the friend who taught this class said exactly the same thing: she knew Mrs Thatcher was simply turning on the charm. Nevertheless, she was completely taken aback by how convincing her charm was. I think she imagined a rather obnoxious, abrasive, insensitive woman.Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-36356146485887013512007-07-07T07:38:00.000+01:002007-07-07T07:38:00.000+01:00In my previous life I worked in Whitehall during t...In my previous life I worked in Whitehall during the 1980s and I met Thatcher among many other politicians. I think the important thing to remember about any of them is that's what they are - politicians. It's their job to be charming and make you want to vote for them, and even if they are speaking to non-voters (e.g. foreign children abroad) they still have an eye for the photo opportunity or soundbite. Every politician I met (bar one, who I won't name as he's no longer with us) was perfectly charming. But underneath it all, they were still politicians!<BR/><BR/><BR/>(P.S. thank you for your comment on my blog, Mary! Much appreciated.)Snapperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14264727614993748146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-66627034576640193372007-07-06T00:14:00.000+01:002007-07-06T00:14:00.000+01:00Kanani -- I think it is safe to say that most of m...Kanani -- I think it is safe to say that most of my Japanese students were greatly attracted to beauty. I suppose most of us are, in one way or another. <BR/><BR/>I had a colleague who was a great fan of Meryl Streep. He thought that she was beautiful, but he confessed that it was her acting skill and her ability to do accents well that he really admired. Given that, I really admired HIM.Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-74514788858642853432007-07-05T23:39:00.000+01:002007-07-05T23:39:00.000+01:00Well, Audrey was iconic.The look, the voice, her b...Well, Audrey was iconic.<BR/>The look, the voice, her beauty. I mean, who doesn't love Audrey? But she also had some depth to her, and perhaps this is something they needed to explore more deeply.<BR/>What Meryl does is shift from character to character gracefully, fully slipping into the being of the person she's playing. You don't even realize it's acting, it's done so well!Kananihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08317494343177263398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-39879122383868338012007-07-05T21:52:00.000+01:002007-07-05T21:52:00.000+01:00Kanani -- I think you are right; when you meet som...Kanani -- I think you are right; when you meet someone in the flesh, they are infinitely more interesting than a plain old photograph or even a movie. Still, it was hard to know that these girls had a higher opinion of Mrs Thatcher than Meryl Streep. If memory serves correctly, they were all big fans of Audrey Hepburn. But then a lot of people in Japan are.Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-32618878453727262762007-07-05T17:13:00.000+01:002007-07-05T17:13:00.000+01:00I always thought of her as a very confident woman....I always thought of her as a very confident woman. Maybe it was that.<BR/><BR/>I think they would have been won over by the others as well, if they'd met them in person. As it was, their experiences outside of their own realm was very limited to a superficial world --one perpetuated by their own parents perhaps, and so when you showed them the photos or spoke to them, they really had no idea of the depth you were introducing!Kananihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08317494343177263398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-56667994450503109112007-07-05T11:22:00.000+01:002007-07-05T11:22:00.000+01:00Kim -- My husband has enjoyed your comments -- and...Kim -- My husband has enjoyed your comments -- and Brian's. He is not a great Margaret Thatcher fan. I was not in Britain during her realm, so tend to be more neutral, but she did make one statement I thought was overwhelmingly stupid and insensitive. Commenting on the complaints made by a 25-year-old man about the buses he used daily to commute to work, she said 'Any man aged 25 who has to take a bus to work can count himself a failure.' It is bad enough that she believed that (and it says a lot about how she must have dealt with public transportation when she was prime minister), but to come out and say it!<BR/><BR/>EG -- I feel ambivalent about MT. On one hand, yes, I admire the fact that not only as a woman but as a grocer's daughter, she managed what she did, but I am also stunned by her insensitivity to the more unfortunate of her country's citizens and the fact that she befriended people like Pinochet -- and Ronald Reagan. <BR/><BR/>Thank you for your kind words -- and isn't it great that Alan Johnston is now free? And his stories are bound to be a lot more interesting than mine!<BR/><BR/>Brian -- I'm still chuckling over the last line of your first comment. Though I have to say that those girls weren't really bitches, they had it in them to be catty when they wanted to -- as so many of us do!<BR/><BR/>Politics seem to bring out the worst in most people, women and men alike. I wonder how Hilary Clinton will fare in the coming months...?Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-81318950427377468822007-07-04T23:20:00.000+01:002007-07-04T23:20:00.000+01:00I don't want to debate Thatcher's policies ...I don't want to debate Thatcher's policies either, as this blog is neither the time nor place.<BR/><BR/>As for a woman becoming PM , I heartily approve of the thought that women can achieve that . The only problem I can see there is that to do so , they have to be more ruthless than the men , and a ruthless woman is far more dangerous in my opinion than her male opponents.<BR/><BR/>As a drama teacher however , I confess that I shudder at the sound of her speaking voice.<BR/><BR/>patterjackbrianf@ozonline.com.auhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17365273528988879923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-3771564153855307132007-07-04T20:48:00.000+01:002007-07-04T20:48:00.000+01:00I have a view that MT has been hated and ridiculed...I have a view that MT has been hated and ridiculed simply because she was a woman. I am not saying that I agreed with her policies but the time she was PM would have been difficult for any PM. Time and history will judge how bad or how good she actually was.<BR/><BR/>However, what I really want to say here is what amazing stories from your life Mary that you share with us - it's incredible. Thank you for sharing.<BR/><BR/>And thanks for popping over and leaving a comment on my site earlier today - much appreciated.<BR/><BR/>EGeg(scotland)https://www.blogger.com/profile/05109554827502946942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-38357764427805043522007-07-04T16:09:00.000+01:002007-07-04T16:09:00.000+01:00I'm inclined to believe it was the supreme confide...I'm inclined to believe it was the supreme confidence that could blind the shallow into thinking she was fantastic. <BR/><BR/>I think she's still alive. I'm sure I saw her on the TV recently celebrating the Falklands war 25th anniversary. Mind you she looked like she'd died a couple of years ago, but just hadn't realised it yet.Kim Ayreshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-66697188206996076372007-07-04T16:05:00.000+01:002007-07-04T16:05:00.000+01:00Brian -- My husband would agree with you 100%. He...Brian -- My husband would agree with you 100%. He was a little wary of these girls, though he did like the most spirited one -- a very independent, funny girl who wanted to be a policewoman. Someone told me that she ended up getting married instead, and I will admit that I was disappointed. Part of me pictured her becoming a very feisty, tough cookie of a policewoman...<BR/><BR/>Carole -- My friend commented that she too found herself in awe of Margaret Thatcher, that she was prepared to loathe her but found herself marveling at the woman's charm. I never met her, so I never got to see this for myself. I would like to think that she saw the best in these girls and wanted to serve as a good and positive role model, but then I also pray for World Peace. <BR/><BR/>Eryl -- It is very possible that what you say is true! Wish I could give Margaret Thatcher (I believe she is still with us) a little of my superfluous humility and ciphon off a little of her overflowing confidence.Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-20547492944416736012007-07-04T14:20:00.000+01:002007-07-04T14:20:00.000+01:00I expect the girls were blinded by Thatcher's supr...I expect the girls were blinded by Thatcher's supreme confidence. Confidence of the magnitude she possessed can make the ugliest of people look beautiful. I speake of her in the past tense but actually have no idea if she is dead or alive.Eryl Shieldshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01818102006775827503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-40399753505087215042007-07-04T13:46:00.000+01:002007-07-04T13:46:00.000+01:00I love argument, I love debate. I don't expect any...I love argument, I love debate. I don't expect anyone just to sit there and agree with me, that's not their job. --Margaret Thatcher.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps she loved these girls for who they were, rather than who they should have been. And they sensed it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03828426520214270655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-8910821814971182452007-07-04T13:26:00.000+01:002007-07-04T13:26:00.000+01:00I have met classes like that .Many of the...I have met classes like that .<BR/><BR/>Many of them little bitches .<BR/><BR/>And it seems that this lot recognised one of their own kind . <BR/><BR/>patterjackbrianf@ozonline.com.auhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17365273528988879923noreply@blogger.com