Outrage over using taxpayers` money to fund Thatcher

London: Late Margaret Thatcher will go to her grave to the sound of bitter protests and anger at the fact the 10 million pounds funeral will be paid for by hard-pressed taxpayers already being battered by savage cuts.

Critics lined up to slam next Wednesday`s event and the five million pounds security operation that will prevent the chaos amid increasing fears of violence along the route from where the Iron Lady would be taken. According to the Daily Mirror, Labour MP John Mann led the calls for her funeral, with full military honours, to be paid for privately. He said that `no politician now or in the future should have their funeral paid for by the taxpayer`. His colleague Graham Stringer called on a privatised industry such as BT to pay for the ceremony. Around 27,000 people have signed an e-petition on the government`s website expressing their anger at being forced to pay for the funeral of a woman who made 400 pounds a minute from her speeches and was worth 9.5 million pounds. A similar protest on change.org had attracted 1,500 signatures. Hundreds of people have also demanded that Thatcher`s entire send-off should be paid for her by her family rather than just a part of it which has been agreed. There was similar anger on Twitter . JJ Briden tweeted that "if UK cannot afford to support the poor, weak, sick and vulnerable, why are we paying for a millionaire tyrant`s funeral?" Cat Hartland-Welch added that "why are we paying for the funeral of someone who privatised Britain? Pay millions for that but treat poor and disabled people like beggars." (ANI)