TIME FOR A CHANGE
Mrs. Thatcher stressed that the fundamental difference between the Labour Party and the Conservatives was over the role of the State:
“Under Labour the role of the State would be totally dominant … . Under Conservatives the function of the State is to allow people to live their own lives and develop in their own way, subject to a strong rule of law. I would say that we have the moral case; because the moral case is that an individual should develop his own character, and responsibility by making choices. Choice is what a Labour Government progressively denies people each and every time it gets into power. It takes the choice away from the citizen and adds to the State.”
LABOUR'S RECORD ON EEC FOOD PRICE RISES
Mrs. Thatcher said:
“Look at the record of John Silkin and Fred Peart on prices in Europe. Every single time the European Commission has recommended food price increases to the Council of Ministers, the Council of Ministers have agreed to higher price increases than those recommended to them. They could only have agreed to higher food increases if each and every minister from each and every country had agreed it. Silkin agreed it. Isn't it astonishing that he has only just now come to take this view [that prices should be frozen?]”[end p1] (2) BBC Television Archive: OUP transcript
David Holmes, BBC
And the argument always goes on at General Election time. Is it a contest between policies or between leaders? Are we called on to choose a Prime Minister or a programme?
Of course the two can't be altogether separated, but once chosen, a Prime Minister you may have for five years or more. The policies can, and often do, change. Thus it is the main personalities in conflict who are bound to receive most attention. Mr Callaghan we've seen just then. Mrs Thatcher as quite often made no speech tonight. But she asserted herself very strongly this morning. During exchanges in which I got myself involved, some of her colleagues wondered if the strains of tireless campaigning weren't beginning to show? The topic was jobs and the threat of the microchip or microprocessor—that tiny mass produced computer which promises to revolutionise industry. The first questioner on this was the industrial editor of the Daily Mirror.
Geoffrey Goodman, Daily Mirror
Are you saying that the market economy, unaided by government intervention, will be able to cope with the massive social changes …
MT
[interrupts] Tell me …
Geoffrey Goodman, Daily Mirror
as well as industrial changes?
MT
Tell me, why are you getting so frightened?
Geoffrey Goodman, Daily Mirror
I'm not getting frightened, I'm just asking a question.
MT
Well. The implication is that people have a fear of this. Look at the fantastic changes that have taken place in industry in the last 50 or 60 years. Fantastic. Look at the whole revolution in communications of all sorts, whether it be road communications, air communications, sea communications, or it be radio, television. Look at the massive changes in automation. People are far more adaptable than you think and it amazes me that you think people cannot adapt to this when they've adapted to the biggest technological changes over the last 50 years before we even had a Department of Industry. [MT almost shouting at the end of this sentence] Next question. [end p2]
David Holmes, BBC
Mrs. Thatcher can't the … [words inaudible] have an impact on jobs in this respect. The fear lying behind a lot of people minds is these wonderful little things will enable factories to be operated with many fewer employees, and that will inevitably lose jobs. Isn't that the fear which is behind it?
MT
[speaking very loudly and vehemently] Yes, but of course, but the same things happened to computers, the same thing happened to automation. Where have you been this last 50 years? But of course it enlarged the opportunities. It enlarges the opportunities for making the machinery. If you want a microchip industry, get some of our people who are back in the States now, who are absolutely foremost in it, operating over there because the tax system, the whole atmosphere of enterprise there enables them actually to benefit themselves and their families by their own efforts. It's the whole climate you've got to change.
David Holmes, BBC
Well after an experience like that, there's no doubting the passionate involvement of the Tory leader, and there was later an incident which left no doubt how vigorously she's conducting her campaign. She told West London Tories that not only for herself, but for the country, this was the most important election she'd ever fought. But she'd also cancelled a walkabout as the journalists with her had apparently got it into their heads that the reason was perhaps that Mrs Thatcher was losing her voice:
MT
[Shouting] … give you a demonstration. [crowd laughter] Do you want me to … . Full power. speaking normally again] There's no problem with my voice. All right, OK.