Geraldine McNamara national PRO of Republican Sinn Fein said today that the decision by the student Fine Gael members in UCC to consider Margaret Thatcher as an honorary life member is an insult to those who suffered and lost their lives during Maggie’s reign of terror.

Any self respecting Irish person who knows anything about Irish history or the Hunger strikes during 1981 would feel nothing but contempt for the Iron Lady as she became known because of her inhumanity towards others.

Those who suffered included the Welsh miners and the people from the north of England where she found little support because of the austerity measures towards the working classes which included the Poll tax.  

Little funding was given to towns like Liverpool and Manchester during her reign and at that time there were riots in many areas such as Moss side and Toxteth because of the poverty endured by the inhabitants there.

In the mining towns and villages people were starved into submission because they went on strike for a just wage and decent working conditions.

Many lost their lives during this time; many were imprisoned because they stood by the unions.

During the Malvinos war she again showed contempt for human life and many sailors lost their lives when the ship the General Belgrano was torpedoed in international waters.

Margaret Thatcher should be seen as a war criminal and nothing else. Her age and time distance does not exonerate her.

No honour should be bestowed upon her.