Pigeon Shit, the Poll Tax and Margaret Thatcher

During a Q & A, following the screening of ‘East End Lives’ at a festival in France recently, I answered a question which suggested the people in the films were damaged by the policies of Margaret Thatcher. I enthusiastically agreed that Thatcher had a negative impact on the country and the lives of millions but pointed out there was still solidarity and a resolve to defend living standards in the UK which Thatcherism had not broken.

Man wearing a Thatcher mask with a skull. Lambeth Town Hall, London 1990's

Recent events in terms of protests in the UK demonstrated the anger against Thatcher and her current heirs: the ‘coalition partners’. As I stumbled through my answer I tried to restrain my personal anger against the politics of Thatcherism and appear coherent, reasonable and resolutely socialist. Then I remembered an image which best summed up my feelings; the photograph (above) was taken outside Lambeth Town Hall. The Thatcher mask and laughing skull framed by a smattering of pigeon shit summarise my feelings for that damaging era. I only wish I had it to hand when I was asked about Thatcherism. It would have made a splendid visual aid.