Sebastian Payne

An alternative reaction to Margaret Thatcher’s death

On my way home last night, I dropped by Windrush Square in Brixton to observe an alternative reaction to Baroness Thatcher’s death. It was easy to find the party simply by following the cacophony. Around 200 people turned out to engage in a cold evening of drinking, dancing and heckling. Three competing sound systems blasted music against occasional shouts of ‘Maggie Maggie Maggie, dead dead dead’. Was the crowd attempting to make a serious point or was it just an excuse for a drunken party? These pictures should give you an impression of the impromptu event:

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Ironically from what I could see, many in the crowd appeared rather too young to remember Thatcher: some looked too young to have even been alive when she was in power. The only reference to politics were chalk scrawlings referencing Hillsborough, the Battle of Orgreave, David Cameron and the cost to the state of her funeral. The rest simply appeared to be pure jubilation.

Like many of the passing drivers honking their horns and shouting, I found the whole thing utterly distasteful. Lambeth’s Unison branch, present at the event, should be ashamed to be associated with it. Even if you have a severe problem with Thatcher’s legacy, a drunken rave is not the way to air your views.

UPDATE: Ed Miliband and Ken Livingstone feel the same way:

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