Mark Thatcher

[Ric.ror]

Not sure where this belongs but why is this toad a Sir - surely his fathers knighthood was a life time peerage and would have become void when Denis died. Also what is the African country he was recently connected too.

[Gromit]

Services to the Arms Industry of course.

[Loosehead]

You don't really need to ask the question, Mr Thatcher's Honour was a heriditary one, but you knew that. So I assume it is intended as a loaded question in order to start a spree of Thatcher bashing. There you go you can start now.......

[Ric.ror]

Well no it wasn't actually, I did want to know why some honours are passed down and others aren't as I thought New Labour had got rid of that farce. But hey thanks for telling me my own mind. So unlike a man

[sp1814]

I'm not sure of the ground I'm standing on here, so am willing to be corrected - but isn't Mark's title through his mother's side? I thought Dennis Thatcher only became a 'Sir' when Margaret Thatcher became Baroness Thatcher.

By the way, surely there is always time to give Mark Thatcher a bit of a bashing???

[sp1814]

Ric.ror - the country was Equatorial Guinea (see link below):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/southafrica/story/0, 13262,1290386,00.html

[Ric.ror]

To be honest I thought it had something to do with oil - what prompted it was a comment I heard that USA only imports 15% of its oil needs from Middle Eastern countries

[sp1814]

I was wrong (no change there)!

Here's what I got from Baroness Thatcher's Wikipedia entry:

In 1992, Margaret Thatcher was raised to the House of Lords by the conferment of a life peerage as Baroness Thatcher, of Kesteven in the County of Lincolnshire, upon her. She did not take a hereditary title, as she had recommended for Harold Macmillan, later Earl of Stockton, on his ninetieth birthday in 1984. She has explained that she thought she hadn't sufficient means to 'support' an hereditary title.

So I'm at a loss as to why Mark Thatcher is a 'Sir'.

[Ric.ror]

Well he would have had to wait for her to die to get the title wouldn't he. I also thought hers did not carry a heriditary aspect to it. See how confusing it is

[Gromit]

Ric.ror.

In 2005, US imports 5% Iraq, 12% Saudia Arabia, 2% Kuwait.

All combined, not as much as it imports from Canada at 18%.

The US imports 61% of the oil it consumes.

[Ric.ror]

It just makes me think the war with Iraq was not about oil then

[sp1814]

Ric-ror

Here's the answer:

Sir Mark inherited his baronetcy when his father passed away. The title, which was created in 1992, was the first new Baronetcy since 1965.

It was controversial from its creation by John Major, in favour of Mark's father Denis Thatcher, not least because Mark was first in line to inherit it.

[Gromit]

Well done sp1814, you deserve a Knighthood.

[zimzam]

Ric.cor - it would help if you sort of explained your way of thinking before posting a question like this and answering it in your own way. I have not seen mention of Mark That5cher recently but you must have to share your question here, then you go and confuse me with bringing in oil 15% USA, imports and Iraq......you come over as very angry but please stop attacking people and simply explain why you are posting about Mark Thatcher and keep to the Thatcher subject and please don't bring in all these other topics that have absolutely nothing to do with it.

[sp1814]

Knighthood?

I haven't funded a coup in an African country, nor got lost for two weeks in a desert...surely I'm undeserving**



(**I think I've proved there that sarcasm is truly the lowest form of wit)

[sp1814]

zimzam

You know what? I got confused too, but here's what I think happened...Ric.ror - did you accidentally post on this thread when you meant to post to the thread titled 'Explanation appreciated'?

That's how it reads...but I may be wrong.

[ummmm1]

sp....sarcasm is the best form of wit!!!!!

[Ric.ror]

I wish i'd never started this. I have not meant to annoy anyone. It started with a conversation about War/Oil/Iraq and then went on to how the US only got its a small amount of its oil from Middle East. I then wondered where it got the rest from and was told it got some from African countries - hence Thatchers intrest in these countries - which got me to thinking about him and thats what prompted the question. How clear is that?

[Gromit]

sp1814

Well if you will waste you time writing on irrelevant internet forums when could be selling Arms to the Saudis and pocketing a fortune.

[sp1814]

Gromit

I only have two arms and I need them for lifting things..also, my hands are attached to the end of my arms and I quite fond of those.

I'm here all week folks - tell your friends...

[Gromit]

Ric.ror

I think your question was reasonable and you had a genuine enquiry. A lot of people (hands up I'm guilty too) of asking a question they already know (or think they know) the answer to.

Re: Your oil question.

After the 1973 crisis and worldwide recession instigated by the OPEC countries, the US diversified where it get its oil from. It now gets 97% (of the 61% it imports) from 14 different countries.

Besides the Middle East, US imports 18% Canada, 15% Mexico, 12% Nigeria and 10% from Venezuela.

I don't think Mark Thatcher had any involvement in the planning of the Iraq war, though he and Dubya are a meeting of great minds.