Thatcher pledges fair deal for fishermen

If no agreement was reached on a Common Market fisheries policy “we believe we must act on our own without further delay,” Opposition leader Mrs. Margaret Thatcher declared at Yarmouth yesterday.

Speaking at a lunch after she had christened a new Lowestoft trawler, she said the Conservatives and the country as a whole were determined to ensure the British fishermen received a fair deal.

But, she emphasised, “any agreement must reflect the special position of our fishermen and the special contribution of British waters.” Also, it must take into account the fact that our traditional fishing grounds had been drastically reduced by other countries arbitrarily extending their own territorial waters limits, making British home waters “very much more important to us.”

Mrs. Thatcher continued: “Yet it is ironic that just as we rely more on home waters, new and more total methods operated with greed and careless of the needs of the morrow have threatened the very future of the stocks in those waters.”

Stocks

This coast had been an example to the fishing world over its conservation methods (Lowestoft has increased its white fish net size to 80 mm and the minimum size of plaice to 13 in., both voluntarily) and the Conservatives believed similar measures should be imposed without discrimination if fish stocks and the livelihood of our fishermen were to be secured.

“We have to press for the replacement of fine mesh by firm action,” she insisted.

Mrs. Thatcher's call for unilateral action by Britain was supported by Mr. Neil Parkes, deputy chairman of Boston Deep Sea Fisheries, for which she had launched the trawler at the Southtown yard of Richards (Shipbuilders).

“In the event that no progress is made on the agreement of a common fisheries policy before the summer recess, then Parliament must urge the Government to adopt further unilateral conservation measures without delay in order to preserve the creditability of the UK's fisheries stance within the Community,” he said.

In her address at the launch lunch at the Star Hotel, Mrs. Thatcher also claimed that under the Labour Government Britain had suffered from very high inflation and taxation and “far too much regulation.” All would need considerable attention from the next government.

Fair

Mrs. Thatcher said if she became Prime Minister, she would not be content to preside over Britain's relative decline. All income groups must have a fair chance and fair incentive and, given those, they would respond magnificently and reverse that decline.

“We must concentrate on creating wealth,” she said. It was no good a government distributing it if nobody was making it, and if taxes were pitched too high, nobody would make it. At present there was a job creation scheme, creating jobs but not prosperity.

She commented: “You don't create prosperity by stimulating economies but by stimulating people.”

Introducing her, Richards' chairman, Mr. James Fairrie, said the launch ceremony was made possible by two separate, basic management decisions some years ago. One was by Boston Deep Sea to begin re-equipping its fishing fleet although the EEC long-term scene was still undecided, the other by Richards to prepare for the likely future demand for fishing boats when its traditional markets—like tugs and rig supply ships—declined.

“These were two brave, fundamental management decisions. Brave, as if they were wrong they could certainly put at risk the long-term survival of either of the organisations. Ours was right,” he said.

Other speakers were Earl Jellicoe, chairman of Tate & Lyle, Richards' parent company, and Sir Basil Parkes, chairman of Boston Deep Sea.

Firsts

Mrs. Thatcher chalked up a double first at Yarmouth—it was her first visit to the borough and her mission was to launch her first ship.

At Richards' Southtown Yard Mrs. Thatcher not only cracked a bottle of champagne over the bow of the stern trawler Boston Sea Stallion and sent her smoothly into the water, she also did friendly battle with a group of shipyard workers displaying red “Vote Labour” stickers on their overalls, peeling off the socialist badges with good natured banter and mild protests from the men.

Mr. Fairrie gave the blonde politician instruction in how to let the cradle holding the champagne bottle swing down on to the metal bow, then invited her to christen and launch the 86 foot vessel. [end p1]

With the traditional words: “I name this ship Boston Sea Stallion—may God bless her and all who sail in her,” Mrs. Thatcher let the bottle crash down. Almost immediately the flag-bedecked trawler slid into the river amid the din of the heavy chains being dragged to arrest her progress.

Cheers

Cheers went up from the launching party on the platform, yard workers and members of the public allowed in to see the event. Afterwards Mrs. Thatcher told a worker's wife, “We pulled it back and we bashed it hard so the champagne went all over. She went down the slipway and turned beautifully.”

Among the several wives to whom she chatted on a walkabout, restricted by shipyard structures and paraphernalia, was Mrs. Vivien Mather, of Granville Road, there with her four-year-old son Shane. Mrs. Mather said her husband, Roy, was a welder working on the trawler and Mrs. Thatcher confided she had never before been a launching mistress.

She told one group of men: “Although the trawler is named the Boston Sea Stallion, she is still a she …”

Placard

Mr. John Chapman, 49, a welder from Oulton Broad, was one of the workers whose Labour sticker was removed by Mrs. Thatcher. At first his mates ribbed him—but then she peeled off their badges, too.

A supporter of her cause, 70-year-old Mr. Peter Julier, who was timekeeper and a first-aid man at the yard until his retirement, had “I love Maggie” crayoned in red on a card hung round his neck but concealed by his windcheater. But when she went over to chat to him, he unzipped the jacket to reveal the notice, much to her delight.

She also posed for numerous photographs with workers—and also stood with a group, handing their camera to the shipbuilders managing director, Mr. Joseph Bell, to snap them together.

When she arrived at the yard after a flight by helicopter from Battersea to Yarmouth heliport, Mrs. Thatcher—accompanied by her husband, Mr. Dennis Thatcher—was handed a bouquet of red roses by the youngest apprentice, 16-year-old Gareth Hunt, a trainee joiner.

Lunch

After the launch white-suited Mrs. Thatcher went to the quayside for a closer look at the trawler which was being edged alongside so work on her can continue. Then the guest of honour and the VIP party left for a lunch at the Star Hotel to celebrate the launch, after which Mrs. Thatcher was returning by helicopter to London to preside at a routine weekly meeting of the shadow cabinet.

The trawler is the last of four of this class being built at Southtown for Boston Deep Sea Fisheries. The design includes refrigerated seawater tanks for carrying whole fish pumped in from the nets. There is also a conventional fish room and the whole system is aimed at keeping the catch in the best condition until it is landed.