Mark Thatcher

[John Self]

Poor old mini-Thatch. What a way to be remembered by posterity:

Born.
Got lost in the Sahara (http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/12/newsid_2523000/2523841.stm).
Charged with trying to fund a military coup.
Died.

What the hell is this story all about anyway? Though I suppose, which of us hasn't sat at home of an idle afternoon thinking, "I'm bored. I know, I'll go out and get pissed and laid / go down the garden centre / attempt to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea."

My favourite line from the news reports was this. “The alleged plot leader, former British SAS captain Simon Mann, an old Etonian turned leading African mercenary…” Now how does that transformation occur? One minute you’re merrily punting down the Isis in a boater with a pretty girl dousing your ‘old chap’ in Pimms, the next – as if by magic – in the twinkling of an eye – you’re a leading African mercenary (and not just any old African mercenary but a leading one!), crouching through the bush (not doused in Pimms) with a knife in your teeth and murder on your mind. In two words: Un. Believable.

Or am I missing something?

[amner]

I've been giggling about this all day, every news bulletin in fact. What a twat, huh? Appalling behaviour.

I blame the parents.

[NottyImp]

I was more horrified to find that the man had had "Sir" appended to his name.

[Colyngbourne]

That was my reaction. How did the Thatchers end up with a hereditary peerage? :shock:

[John Self]

It was Denis's hereditary baronetcy (http://www.fact-index.com/b/ba/baronet.html) (not actually a peerage), which he got in 1990, shortly after Maggie left No. 10 - remarkably, the title was restored after long disuse specifically for him, hereditary nature and all. This was entirely independent of Thatcher's accession to Baroness in 1992. What a remarkable coincidence though! It's not what you know, you see...

[amner]

a snippet from Jasper Wotsit in the Sunday Times:

Bruce Anderson, when introduced as a mate (of Mark Thatchers') on television, replied: "Can’t stand the little c*** to tell you the truth."

hehehehe ... still having a jolly good laugh over the whole sorry business.

[bradyguido]

to return to the subject, apparently it has (as usual) to do with oil. The old Etonians get together to help the oppressed populace overthrow the dictator of a country that has recently been discovered to be practically floating on oil.