Speeches, etc.

Margaret Thatcher

Speech to Barnet Pharmaceutical Society

Document type: Speeches, interviews, etc.
Venue: The Thatched Barn, Boreham Wood, North London
Source: Finchley Times, 25 March 1976
Journalist: Alison Hulls, Finchley Times, reporting
Editorial comments: 1900 for 1930. The Barnet Press, 23 March 1976, reported an additional remark: "We should stop leaving things to other people and do things for ourselves. We should add a little for the future generations who ought to be able to live in freedom".
Importance ranking: Minor
Word count: 589
Themes: Civil liberties, Conservatism, Private education, Industry, Foreign policy (USSR & successor states), Health policy, Private health care, Labour Party & socialism

The way to tyranny by Mrs T.

Freedom can be lost by legislation and regulation as easily as it can be removed by revolution.

This was a view put forward by Mrs Margaret Thatcher. Leader of the Opposition, when she spoke at Saturday's inaugural dinner and dance of Barnet branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

Mrs Thatcher, MP for Finchley and Friern Barnet and her husband, were guests of honour at the dinner, at the Thatched Barn, Borehamwood.

Solzhenitsyn

Mrs Thatcher told guests that one of the most important things we had seen recently was Solzhenitsyn 's television interview.

We should heed his warning that our freedoms were in danger. What he said was true, and his interview would be seen in future as a signpost and turning point.

Mrs Thatcher said that Solzhenitsyn knew well that freedom was not a passive quality but an active one which required vigilance.

Earlier in her speech, Mrs Thatcher said it seemed to her that a society where money can be spent on gambling and personal pleasure but not on education or health was well on the way to a tyrannical dictatorship.

She made a topical reference to the Boat Race and pointed out that five out of the six people running for Prime Minister came from Oxford University. She thought the one who did not—Foreign Secretary James Callaghan—would win.

She told the members and guests that she had been brought up in a small town, and understood the importance of a pharmacy in a small community, even though she fortunately had very little call on their professional services.

In welcoming her, Mr David Sharpe, a member of the society's council, made a plea for Conservatives to consider pharmacies when legislation was being planned affecting small businesses.

He said a more realistic definition of a small business was needed than the current figure of 200 employees. In the average independent pharmacy there were less than five staff, including the pharmacist.

Mr. Sharpe also drew attention to the concern over the continuing closure of community pharmacies up and down the country, but pointed out that the profession was proposing a planned pharmaceutical service similar to that operated for NHS doctors.

“If our scheme were to be adopted, it would have the effect of doing away with a collection of pharmacies at one point—with nothing to offer people elsewhere,” he said.

The chairman of Barnet branch Mr. John C. Bolton, said that 15 years ago there were 15,000 pharmacies but today only 11,000. They were closing at the rate of one every working day.

Mr Bolton, a member of the society for 40 years, said they had always placed the needs of the nation before those of their own members.

Founder

The most amusing speech of the evening was made by Dr. T. J. Carver founder chairman of Barnet Family Practitioner Committee. He too spoke of freedom of choice, not only for doctors, but for patients.

He welcomed Mrs Thatcher as the only politician he knew who did not look or sound like Mike Yarwood and he wondered if the Iron Lady references had anything to do with the amount of food in her pantry.

A cabaret was provided by members of the Little Heath and Potters Bar Operatic and Dramatic Society.

A competition's prize included a crystal-glass decanter and a 5lb. bag of King Edward potatoes.