John Cole, BBC
[Question inaudibile, but he must have asked how she was.]
MT
Very well, thank you very much. Our worry is whether there’s anyone under that rubble because I don’t know whether you’ve seen it, but it’s pretty awful.
John Cole, BBC
Have you seen your other cabinet colleagues?
MT
Yes indeed. Geoffrey Howe is here with us and LeonLeon Brittan is here with us, the Home Secretary. Uh, we were all very, very fortunate, very fortunate indeed.
John Cole, BBC
Were you asleep at the time, Prime Minister? [end p1]
MT
Uh, the, I’m not quite sure the Chancellor of the Exchequer … No, I was up working. The bomb went off somewhere between quarter to three and three, I know that because I looked up when I’d finished something at quarter to three, and I just turned to do one final paper and then, em, it went off. My husband was in bed and all the windows went and the bathroom’s extremely badly damaged.
John Cole, BBC
In your own room?
Protection Officer
I think that’s enough, Prime Minister.
Denis Thatcher
Yes. Yes.
MT
Yes. We were very lucky.
Unidentified journalist:
Will you be giving your speech this afternoon, Prime Minister?
MT
Of course. Of course.
John Cole, BBC
Have you any message for people at breakfast time about the atrocity?
MT
I can only say, as usual, the police are there very quickly, or immediately, they’re on the scene there. We’ve very worried about the policemen who were on duty outside. The firemen came extremely quickly and were marvellous. We were very, very fortunate. We’re anxiously awaiting news of other people. Em, you hear about these atrocities, these bombs, you don’t expect them to happen to you. But life must go on, as usual.
John Cole, BBC
And your conference will go on?
MT
The Conference will go on. The Conference … [MT pauses as if unsure whether the camera was running. Camera lights brighten.] All right, all right John. The conference will go on, as usual.
John Cole, BBC
Thank you Prime Minister.