AB
Mrs. Thatcher when are you going to the United States?
PM
I haven't decided yet. We shall have a meeting tomorrow to make up our minds. Obviously I want to go because I think Williamsburg is important. But equally it does come at a rather critical time for us. So we'll just weigh up the pros and cons and then make a clear decision tomorrow.
AB
Are you actually frightened about leaving the country during an election?
PM
No I'm not frightened in any way of leaving the country. I think twice before leaving at that particular time because you just naturally want to be near what is going on.
AB
Will unemployment be up or down a year from now?
PM
I cannot tell. I hope that the underlying trend will start to be down and I'm sure if we pursue our policies they offer good prospects for a longer term. Because the only way to get more jobs is to win more customers. And the only way to win more customers is not only to produce efficiently but to produce goods that people will buy. And we are doing everything we can to help industry in that—we are helping them to cut their costs. We have cut tax on industry, I hope we will be able to contain the increases in rates, and we have a massive programme to help small businesses. And a very exciting programme to train young people in technology.
AB
Is that all that you can say to the three million unemployed, to the 400,000 young people … for work, to the companies that are going bust without it being their fault.
PM
Well I think that's quite a lot. How are you going to win customers. First we will have to produce goods that people will buy or services, that's for them, Governments can't do that. Secondly they have got to keep their costs down. No Government has done more to keep costs down than this one. We have taken off the National Insurance Surcharge that Labour put on. [end p1] That puts two billion pounds back into industry into the private sector. We have helped cut overheads—we have got the smallest civil service for 20 years. We have got the best programme for helping small businesses and that's where new jobs come from. We have got a massive programme for helping new technology and launching new products. Now that is the real constructive part. We shall not get more jobs until we have got more customers. And I hope that our policies are helping industry itself to do that.
AB
Are you disappointed that so much of the money from North Sea oil has had to go into paying the unemployed and not starting new industry?
PM
The revenue goes into the general exchequer and you really cannot say whether it goes into the health service, into education, into defence. Its part of our revenue. (AB interrupts) … . well maybe they do. They know full well they can't, its part of our revenue and it is being spent. Well of course 40 pence in the pound and its 40 pence in the pound of all Government expenditure goes on social security and health. You just can't earmark it like that.
AB
Are you the election issue yourself?
PM
Oh I don't think so. No I think it would be quite wrong to say that. I think there is a very stark choice between two totally different parties. I have just been looking at the Labour Party policy—it is the most extreme that has ever been before the elector. It will change the whole basis of our society. It looks to me as if they are saying well if you don't do what we want or industry doesn't do what we want, or the banks don't do what we want well we shall take them over, or take powers to regulate them. They don't want people to own their own homes, or council properties. That's not the way our society works—we are not that kind of people. We are a free and responsible people and we expect to operate within a framework of law. But not a framework of coercion. I think its the choice between a society that is coerced and a society that is free under a rule of law. That's much much more important than any of the people involved. [end p2]
AB
You are campaigning now in a sense though your official campaign doesn't start until later. Why are you keeping it as short as that?
PM
We have had a custom—I think its a good one—of confining the campaign really from the day when we are adopted. Normally candidates aren't adopted until three weeks before the actual campaign starts and I think that's plenty long enough. We also have a lot to do before the campaign starts and now we come at it in a well ordered way. For example today we have got out the campaign guide. That's a marvellous document—just look at it all the facts and figures and I'm told all parties use it. I think only the Conservative Party produces such a good one. I'm told commentators find it very useful too. So we are getting on very well indeed.