I honestly don't know about the economics of it. But threatening to leave a whole city (Liverpool) to rot was typical - and the fact that she is still sung about at football matches over 20 years after she was forced out (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=x...) shows how deep the scars run.

Some people think she was involved in a class war - I don't, I think she honestly believed in social mobility (unlike the current government which is rule by the rich for the rich). But she did devastate huge parts of the country and just regarded it as a fact, not even something to be regretted.