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Comment by zandorg | Hacker News Reader

As a Brit, I think bringing back Thatcher would equal that.

As a Brit who was actually an adult when she was in office (your answer suggests incredibly strongly that you weren't), and one whose legitimate non-violent political activities (and snail mail and telephone) were subject to monitoring by an agency of the UK government, I think bringing back Thatcher would be roughly equivalent to electing Dick Cheney to the premiership of the UK.

Power, of an absolute nature, unchecked by any constitutional counterbalances, and driven entirely by political fundamentalism, is what she introduced to Britain. It got us a Poll Tax, two wars, and all the excesses of Blair - including this one.

I wasn't an adult, and my family weren't involved politically.

I don't want to veer off topic, but the RIP legislation has 'human intelligence sources' who gather information on terror suspects, and I feel this secret police squad is a huge threat on free speech.

I'm pretty sure that the cybercrime screenplay (a thriller) I sent to Hollywood in 2006 got me unwanted attention from the secret services, and even a veiled threat from a guy in a car (which then raced off) one night when I went to post a letter. RIP (2000) is terribly intrusive legislation, and possibly worse than Thatcher's.

Since you're a brit I certainly sympathize if you don't want Washington back.

No, I meant Thatcher would be good, certainly better than this government.

It was a joke (If Washington hadn't broken away from the mighty empire and become the first president of the US maybe the brits would have a bit more to say in the world)

:-)

And why he broke out from Britain dependence is probably because he believed that:

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.

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