Maggie predicts a ‘massive’ immigrant vote for Tories

No-one has caused more controversy in Leicester than Conservative Party leader Mrs. Margaret Thatcher. Her policies have hit right at the heart of the local people.

The “tough but fair” immigration curbs unveiled at the recent Tory conference in the city caused the biggest talking point in factories and offices for many a year.

So to find out more about the woman who could be Britain's next Prime Minister and whose strategies have had such an impact on our city, I put a series of blunt questions to her in her House of Commons room.

And during this, one of the rare interviews with provincial pressmen, Mrs. Thatcher made it quite clear that she had more than a cursory knowledge of Leicester and county, its affairs and problems.

Leicester immigrants had absolutely nothing to fear from the new Tory immigration plan, she guaranteed. In fact, she expected a massive vote from them at the general election.

“Once an immigrant has settled here and made his home here he is like any other citizen and this will always be so. There is no question of compulsory repatriation,” she pledged

“They nave the same rights and the same responsibilities and the same citizenship as any one else.”

Tyranny

And she reacted strongly to my taunt that the Tory Party appeared to be back-pedalling their opposition to the National Front and their policies.

“I deplore all forms of tyranny whether it comes from the Socialist Workers' Party, the Communists, who have one of the worst records, [end p1] or the National Front,” she retorted.

“The Conservative Party needs no lessons from any other party on how to fight tyranny.”

On the other hand, people in remote areas stranded without adequate bus or train services will not be entirely happy, I suspect with her “solution” to the problems of rural transport.

Instead of more subsidies to help bus companies provide services Mrs. Thatcher favours lower income tax so that more people can afford cars.

It reminded me rather of the successful businessman who many years ago breezed into our office to ask reporters, most of whom had been struggling to work on cycle or bus: “Does any one use public transport ever?”

Burdens

But of course she did have a point when she stressed: “Subsidies do not come from the Government, they come from people's pockets.”

I would also guess that cities like Leicester with large immigrant populations cannot count on too large an injection of extra cash from a Tory administration.

Mrs. Thatcher certainly agreed that Leicester should get help with the provision of extra teachers and rate-payers should not have to bear all the burdens.

But in blaming the Labour Government for robbing county shires of their rightful share of the Whitehall rates support grant, I felt Mrs. Thatcher, though making a valid political point, was somewhat begging the question.

I could be doing her an injustice. But at least I'll be happy to be proved wrong!

And both Tories and Labour members of Leicester City Council who are campaigning for a return of major powers have little hope of action from a Thatcher government.

Her reply to my question whether she has sympathy for the campaign at present being mounted by big cities was short and to the point.

The 1974 local government reorganisation had caused tremendous upheaval and this was not the right time for another. “Let us get on with the job rather than think about more reorganisation,” she said.

Pattern

I know at least one Conservative who will be dismayed by this … Mr. Michael Cufflin, Tory leader of the City Council, who has been in the forefront of the return-the-powers move.

Not surprsingly, however, former Grantham girl Mrs. Thatcher made it clear that the people in the Vale of Belvoir had her fullest sympathy in their dilemma over the possibility of massive coal mining.

“I watch the position very carefully,” she assured me. “I know ever inch. The greatest treat I can recall in my early years was a day off to visit Belvoir Castle.

“One of my relatives ran the post office in Asfordby.”

And Mrs. Thatcher revealed a sound knowledge of Leicester's sixth-form college system, too, when I asked if there was any likelihood of a Conservative Government would side with the pro-grammar school brigade and “unscramble the egg” .

“This is a very difficult one indeed,” she told me. “I remember the scheme. But there is no final answer in education. You are learning the whole time.

“If the form of school you have got now does not give the children the best chance possible then you must change it to a pattern that does.

“The job of education is to get the best out of children. You have to judge by results.”

Leicester's Chief Constable, Mr. Alan Goodson, will be flattered to know Mrs. Thatcher read his speech the other day warning about police resignations.

Barometer

“What is really worrying is that we are losing highly experienced policemen. It is not only a question of numbers.”

Her remedy? Police pay commensurate with their job and risks. The police must be held high in public esteem and the public had a duty to support them.

It would be naive to forget that when top politicians pay tribute to a city and its people they may also be mentally counting votes. But even so Mrs. Thatcher did Leicester proud.

She told me: “Leicester people are practical people and practical people have a lot of experience and commonsense. We could do with more people like that in Parliament. We would have fewer extremists.”

At the same time she made it clear she would have her eye on Leicester on election night as a useful barometer to measure her hopes of success.

And in a reference to Tory defeats here in bygone years, she said: “We are looking for gains and expect them. You owe us them.”

Time will tell and it seems obvious that time cannot now be far off.