If there is one film to avoid this year, it is this one - The Iron Lady - coming to cinemas January 6th. Certificate 18 - contains scenes of a Conservative government that some people may find distressing
The numpty Tories among us will be wetting themselves in anticipation of a film about General Pinochet's best buddy but the rest of us with act with dignity and decorum and just satisfy ourselves with vandalising the movie posters.
Besides, she was such a figure of hate that even the distance of time has failed to soften her image but at least it gives us a chance to dig out all those old Maggie Thatcher jokes that have lain dormant since 1991.
The Pope and Margaret Thatcher are on the same stage in front of a huge crowd.
The Prime Minister and His Holiness, however, have seen it all before, so to make it a little more interesting, Maggie says to the Pope, 'did you know that, with just one little wave of my hand, I can make every Conservative in the crowd go wild?'
He doubts it, so she shows him. Sure enough, the wave elicits rapture and cheering from every Conservative in the crowd. Gradually, the cheering subsides.
The Pope, not wanting to be out done by such a level of arrogance, considers what he could do.
'That was impressive, but did you know that, with just one little wave of my hand, I can make every person in the crowd go crazy with joy? This joy will not be a momentary display, like that of your subjects, but will go deep into their hearts and they will forever speak of this day and rejoice.'
Thatcher seriously doubts this and says so. 'One little wave of your hand and all people will rejoice forever? Show me.'
So the Pope punched her.
4 comments:
That is a superb joke, I’m going to spread it around.
I might go and see the flick though. For one thing, I’m quite curious about old Meryl... Will it be a true ‘performance’ or just an impersonation? (Some of the other casting looks hilarious. Richard E Grant as Heseltine! Love it!)
For another, when was reading a lot about British politics, years ago, I was particularly interested Thatcher ‘revolution’/ Thatcherism... I read a book about her that has really stayed with me – ‘One of Us’ by Hugo Young. Although I had mixed feelings about many of the actual policies (tending towards the negative), I ended up rating some of her personal qualities very highly... (no really – she was immensely hard-working, had a great grasp of detail, crazily determined, didn’t take any sexist shit from anyone...)
However... athough the book is generally complimentary, the title is quite instructive. One of us... It indicates the ‘black & white’ thinking that was a major failing of Thatcher’s, as it is with so many politicians... (See Dubya’s ‘you’re either with us or you’re with the terrrrr-ists’).
In Thatcher’s paranoid world there was only ‘us’ or ‘them’ and no inbetweens, no subtlety. Too much ideology, too much dogma, to much ‘TINA’ (There Is No Alternative)... That was her Shakespearian ‘fatal flaw’ (and it’s a biggie).
The one recent movie I will NOT watch, on pain of death, is the one about Winnie Mandela. Anything that tries to humanise that murderous old hag is a big FAIL in my book.
very very old joke. I forget when i first heard it but i'm pretty sure it was in the 70's... of course, not with the "i have conservatives" spin.
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I just hope they have the bit about Maggie Thatcher the milk snatcher in there. If i was being charitable i would agree with you on her good points but wow, what a horrible, arrogant, heartless bitch.
I think its one of those jokes where the people are interchangable to suit the latest hate figure q.
got it. kinda like blonde, aggie, and polish jokes...
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