Thanks. He was one of millions let down by Thatcher, but idiots like him/her probably didn't live through the hell that she created for those who were at the bottom of the pile.

So it's not ok to be crass about Rover49 (which i have no intention of doing btw) grandad but an 87 year old pensioner that ran a country is fair game.

If people are going to be tasteless about one person they can't claim the moral high ground about another.

Unfortunately, there was not much that could be done by ordinary people, but she had the choice and made a conscious political decision to make the rich a priority over the poor, she could have chose to improve the NHS and schools, the money was available but she chose not to, for that she gets what is coming to her obituary wise.

Where did I say it was fair game? No moral high ground either. Thatcher affected us in different ways, her policies certainly affect me, I can't say likewise about Rover49's Grandad.

Augusto Pinochet was 91 when he died. Would it have been unacceptable to remember with sympathy those whose lives he had blighted while at the same time condemning 'a 91-year-old pensioner'?

Ok so when someone who the public love dies i'll be here publicly dancing on said persons grave, see how long my mod status lasts and my time on the forum.

Chilean dictator v Elected respected(maybe not in this country) UK Prime Minister, fair comparison.

Evil is evil, no matter what age they die at, Pinochet was in that category and I think anyone remembering him with fondness is probably in the same mould. Oh, wait a minute Thatcher was a massive admirer of him wasn't she.

I wasn't comparing on that level.

Although you might wish to recall that they were friends.

I was using a slightly more extreme case to challenge what seemed to be an all-encompassing statement that, simply by virtue of longevity, one should not condemn someone/if one does condemn them, then everyone else of the same longevity is fair game, even their victims.

The point is that your rationale is, IMO, flawed. Nobody becomes immune to criticism for the actions of their life just because they've died at an old age. That is nothing other than sentimentality.

Yes, she gave him sanctuary and was a big admirer of him, which goes a long way to show what she really thought of the common man and human rights. She also helped prop up apartheid for a long time with her opposition to sanctions.