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Fine Gael students in Cork propose honor for Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher

UCC branch to debate life membership for former British PM

By
PATRICK COUNIHAN,
IrishCentral Staff Writer
Published Monday, January 16, 2012, 8:22 AM
Updated Monday, January 16, 2012, 11:43 AM

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Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Photo by Getty


First the Rebel County welcomed the Queen of England – now a group of Cork students want to honor the Iron Lady herself, Margaret Thatcher.

The Young Fine Gael branch at Cork’s university will this week debate a motion to bestow honorary life membership on the former British Prime Minister.

The students will decide on Wednesday on the proposal to make Conservative Party stalwart Thatcher, PM at the time of the hunger strikes, a permanent member of the society.

Young Fine Gael branch leaders have already admitted that the motion has caused controversy on and off campus in Cork.

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Branch chairman Tadhg O’Donovan told Irish website www.TheJournal.ie that the group ‘likes to debate divisive issues and Margaret Thatcher is certainly a divisive character’.

O’Donovan added: “Our primary focus is on debating. But every year we vote to make one person an honorary life member and we decided to roll the ballot into Wednesday’s debate.”

Prime Minister of Britain for 11 years, Thatcher could become the first person from outside Ireland to be given honorary membership of the Young Fine Gael branch at UCC but it is not a done deal yet.

“The motion might fail,” added O’Donovan. “From talking to other members, the vote will be close. Some people like her economic policies and are in agreement with her but others think she did not do well with Anglo-Irish relations.”

Now the subject of a major new movie starring Meryl Streep, Thatcher suffers from dementia, has survived a number of strokes and is rarely seen in public.

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See more: News from Ireland , Margaret Thatcher , Fine Gael
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31 Comments

15 - 31 | See all comments

KLennox | Jan 24, 2012, 12:58 AM EST
Pittsburghkid - have you considered getting an education before you start spouting your so-called ideas? And read a grammar book, will you?

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DanOLoingsigh | Jan 19, 2012, 05:24 AM EST
I was never a fan of this 'Lady'...but good to hear some alternative opinions on her legacy...still not convinced, but reassuring to see that some prefer debate to personal attacks...I wonder which line the students will take?

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barneyjo | Jan 18, 2012, 03:36 PM EST
@ Anybody - I have two points to add to the mix for consideration. 1) It was a British Conservative Government led by Margaret Thatcher who bought into and signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985, which gave the Irish Government an initial stake in the affairs of Northern Ireland; and this was over the heads of the Unionist population. 2)It was a policy of the same Conservative Government which gave Northern Catholics/ Nationalists the option of buying outright the local authority public housing in which they lived, thus allowing many catholic families in the gerrymandered cities of Belfast and Derry to get a foot on the property ladder (many for the first time) Had it not been for that policy, my family and I would most likely still be tenants of a public authority, with much less stake in our society, and for that, I can only be thankful :)

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IrelandNorth | Jan 18, 2012, 06:57 AM EST
One thing university societies do well is self-promotion by courting controversy. Either Young Fine Gael (Juniour Blueshirts!) are politically illiterate (quite possibly!). Or they are historically amnesiac (very probably!) But then, after state censorship and revisionist education for 30 years, what else could they be. Maybe EIIR could appoint Maggie Governor of the Malvinas, since I believe she couldn't atand her. Handbags at twelve paces ladies!

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DanOLoingsigh | Jan 17, 2012, 06:44 PM EST
gobdawpaddy - good points, thanks...

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mamaginnty | Jan 17, 2012, 04:55 PM EST
It is Fine Gael students, Enda Kenny's party in Government, not the people of Cork. The same party that has been seen more and more to give a nazi salute, what do you expect from a crowd like that, more the elite and not the 99%

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Pittsburghkid | Jan 17, 2012, 03:49 PM EST
Thank you for all your reviews of my blog. If I did not strike a nerve, then you'd have never commented. It is interesting to note, that most of my detracters did not comment on my point, but instead resorted to name calling. Rather then arguing about the past, I look to the Pro-Life future of Northern Ireland. I predict a Catholic majority in Northern Ireland, because the Catholic Woman of Northern Ireland are repopulating faster then the Protestant Woman. The Catholic Mother are winning. Thatcher and Bobby Sands are history. I prepose a momument to the Catholic Mother of Northern Ireland, who solved the "Troubles". When the English push the Celtic Irish into the rock hills of Ireland, it was the Irish Mothers with the help of potateos save the Irish Race.

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gobdawpaddy | Jan 17, 2012, 02:37 PM EST
The ignorance of certain posters here never ceases to amaze me.This is what debate teams do, they are given a controversial topic/motion and they debate it. This is not a serious motion and the topic was chosen because it would prove so controversial, providing an opportunity for heated 'debate', in a college, a school for god's sake. I wish I could watch. But nah, let's lynch dem dam west brit, blueshirts, hee,hah, giddy up.

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merefalow | Jan 17, 2012, 01:25 PM EST
they need kneecapping

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mcdolan | Jan 17, 2012, 07:10 AM EST
Would be a great debate as long as she doesn't get the award -- was anti-Irish from day 1 and did not favours for the north of the island of Britain.

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awoken32 | Jan 17, 2012, 03:23 AM EST
Pittsburghkid has to be backward poster on this site never mind the page,were to you get that horse cr p from lol,maggie thatcher was an anti irish witch,she has the blood of countless catholics on her hands,she is a murderer plain an simple,im not surprised that the youth fine gael are putting this motion forward as the senior fine gael show their contempt/political treason the commit on the irish people,YELLOW BELLY TRAITORS,MONEY IS THEIR ONLY GOD

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sirpeter | Jan 16, 2012, 10:50 PM EST
Why the little pups!!Scallywags the lot of them.In the good old days the Bishop would have been up to UCC swinging his crozier in wild demented circles breaking heads to keep those scallywags in their place.

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Curitiba | Jan 16, 2012, 06:46 PM EST
She did indeed save the UK, Pittsburghkid, but she had her flaws too. While the South of England became very rich due to her deregulating the banks, the construction boom and the property price increases, she closed down inefficient state industries in the North of England, Wales and Scotland. She believed that they would be replaced by entrepreneurs who would start new business. However, there was absolutely no money in these places and the whole economy collapsed up there, condemning generations of people to welfare dependency, if they didn't move away. Again, government departments have had to be relocated to these places to get people into work, and to create dependent industries, otherwise these places would simply empty out of people, who would head south looking for work in that instance.

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Mercenary | Jan 16, 2012, 06:42 PM EST
These little attention-seeking warts probably have a secret celebration every year on the anniversary of Pat Finucane's death. That's why they're really doing this.

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seanomelbourne | Jan 16, 2012, 04:51 PM EST
Pittsburghkid has no idea, he rambles on about nothing the poor boy.My Pittsburgh born aunt would turn in her grave at such snivelling drivvel. Typical of the west Brits in Fine Gael to foster such nonsense.

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