Speeches, etc.

Margaret Thatcher

Speech in Melrose (Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles)

Document type: Speeches, interviews, etc.
Venue: Waverley Castle Hotel, Melrose, The Borders
Source: Thatcher Archive: speaking text
Editorial comments: The press release (1121/78) was embargoed until 1245. MT made a few additions and stylistic changes to the text released to the press. Her speaking text is marked as "extracts" and it is likely that she delivered a good deal of her speech off the cuff. A section of the speech has been checked against BBC Radio News Report 1800 1 September 1978.
Importance ranking: Major
Word count: 444
Themes: Parliament, General Elections, Labour Party & socialism, Liberal & Social Democratic Parties

David SteelThe Liberal Leader has once again been rehearsing his arguments for pact politics. In effect, he is suggesting, that weak government is good government, that a Labour Government propped up by a handful of Liberal MPs is better than a government with a good majority in Parliament.

His suggestion is nonsense. A minority government can only struggle on from day to day with a series of short-term measures rather than tackle the longer-term questions that affect the future of our nation.

Further, what are called “hung” Parliaments must mean a perpetual election fever, as no-one is certain what is going to happen next. That is bad for industry, bad for commerce, and bad for Britain.

How would you campaign for a “hung” Parliament? A serious party cannot. [end p1] Beginning of section checked against BBC Radio News Report 1800 1 September 1978:

No-one should be in politics unless he has strong beliefs and he wants to see them translated into action. And to promote pact politics is to preach those beliefs at election time, only to compromise them immediately afterwards so that you can share power with a party that believes something very different. That sort of cynicism wouldn't suit us.

And I think that it would reduce Parliament to a sort of political bazaar where votes have to be bought by doing deals, regardless of the true needs of our people. End of section checked against BBC Radio News Report 1800 1 September 1978.

The country wants an end to political uncertainty, and the only way is a general election—an election to provide a new government with a clear mandate to do what has to be done if we are to make any real progress.

The present David Steelleader of the Liberal Party claims that the Lib-Lab pact has stopped Socialism. Well, what does his most illustrious parliamentary colleague Mr. Grimond say? [end p2]

“The Labour Party” , says Mr Grimond, “remains without principle, clinging to office, paid by the trade unions and with an anti-democratic Marxist wing. The pact, I fear, is having no effect on the nature of that party” . (November 1977)

That's Mr. Grimond's judgment. He knows that David slew Goliath by outright opposition, not by wheeling and dealing with him. Rough notes by MT:

Tax—too high. Rhodesia.

Small business—raw deal [end p3]

(1) Less income tax.

(1) [sic] More prosperity—tax cuts.

(2) More security.

(3) More opportunity.—Choice in Education.

(4) Unity of Kingdom.

(5) by SNP

by Labour party.