Mark Ferguson tweeted within seconds of Thatcher’s death:
Sadly, many on the left seem to have missed this:
By 4:36pm #dingdongthewitchisdead was trending across the globe. Others contributed:
https://twitter.com/ChiTownPhilly/status/321285725205184512
https://twitter.com/BritJohnny/status/321234593887956993
I will continue to add to this list throughout the day….
* For clarity, I don’t think this is a left right thing, but a decency thing. This is why I put together this article.
Filed under Politics, Social comment
Captain Beefheart
Normally, I do not write obituaries or even acknowledge those who have passed away, but for this man I will make an exception – Captain Beefheart.
Captain Beefheart (or Donald Glen Vlietif if you like) was (is) a musical legend who produced album after album of the most extraordinary music. His music pushed me in my teenage years to appreciate music for more than its immediate raw impact. For it was through Beefheart’s music that I learnt you had to spend time to appreciate true musical genius. He did not lend himself to one hit wonders. He did not lend himself to the radio, the TV or the press in general. Instead he forced you to sit and contemplate what on earth he had just done. He created his own style (a bizarre merge of blues and jazz with other “sounds”).
He hit a line in music that is finely trod between genius and insanity, and even to this day I cannot tell you which way he finally fell. All I can really tell you is that he increased my musical “intelligence” – the desire to search for something deeper in music.
Without Beefheart, I am convinced we would not have had Watt, Talking Heads or Radiohead as we know them. Beefheart set a boundary (and then regularly broke it) about what was, and wasn’t acceptable in terms of song structure, merging of genre’s or even the use of vocals. I am saddened by his death, but I also remain confused and intrigued by his music. I still don’t get, I don’t always like it, but I feel inexplicably indebted to him.
For a real write up of a great man’s life see the Guardian article here
Filed under Music
Hynd's Blog 
Thatcher is dead, but Thatcherism is alive: If only it could be the other way round
So thousands of views later and literally hundreds of messages (most of which assume I am some sort of die hard Thatcherite) about my original post I feel like it is time to respond.
I believe in freedom of speech – passionately so. If you want to tweet about Thatcher within hours of her death, then knock yourself out – it’s your right. This, in line with my freedom of thought, does not stop me thinking that you are tasteless to show such little remorse or humility in the light of a person’s death.
There is little politically that Thatcher did that I agreed with. But I am not about to spend my time jumping up and down on her grave (or tweeting not very good jokes) about her. People are in mourning for fucks sake.
Her life and now her death were political and many think that justifies a public argument within seconds of her death. Personally I take her death as a reminder that behind every politician is just an ordinary person that has friends, family and yes….even emotions.
Imagine if you will that your mother had just died, would you appreciate this sort of public reaction?
Ah, but as Mark Steel tweeted “It’s fair to complain about my lack of compassion, if you have no compassion for victims of apartheid, Pinochet, sinking of Belgrano…” Grow the fuck up. ‘She showed no remorse to others so I can’t show her any remorse’ …really? What playschool of ethics did you attend Mark?
Using her death as a political football moves us no closer to dismantling the toxic legacy that she left.
This though can wait until another day.
For now, my thoughts go out to all those who knew her and are mourning their loss.
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Filed under Politics, Social comment
Tagged as death, left reaction, RIP, Thatcher