To you—from Mrs. Margaret Thatcher, M.P

It is my privilege to pass on to my readers, and to all her constituents in Finchley and Friern Barnet, Mrs. Margaret Thatcher's New Year Message:

“The past twelve months has seen tragedies and surprises that none of us could have foretold. At this time, many of us wonder what the coming year holds in store, although I feel it is as well we are not clairvoyant. We can cope with things as they happen, day by day, whereas we would probably falter if we knew about everything at once.

“I am reminded very much of what, to me, is the most memorable of all Christmas broadcasts through the years—that given by the late King George the Sixth, when in his deep, deliberate voice, he used a quotation which has since become famous:

“And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied: ‘Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.’ So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills, and the breaking of day in the lone East.”

“I am sure that it is this approach which enables us to derive the greatest enjoyment from happy occasions and to overcome personal sorrows.

“I wish you all a good New Year in 1964.”