First Class City—Maggie
The Prime Minister today gave Nottingham its most glowing reference.
She praised its energy, optimism and initiative in steering its future into new prosperity. “You are an example,” she declared.
And she had special praise for Nottingham The City, the Evening Post publication drawing widespread attention to the glories of Nottingham and its surrounds.
“It is first class,” she said. “It shows Nottingham in its true light and its true optimism.”
Mrs Thatcher was speaking exclusively to the Post after a private visit to the Council House and Nottingham's ruling Conservative group.
She said she had read Nottingham The City on the aircraft heading north from London for her day-long visit. But she took a second copy.
And she added: “I think this present council is tackling things magnificently. You're going ahead and you're going to stay ahead”
Tight security greeted the Prime Minister as she arrived for her unpublicised stop at the Council House in a black Daimler Sovereign, headed by a police convoy of motorcycles and cars.
She stepped out and headed straight for the crowd.
Earlier while touring the successful Pressac electronics component factory at Bilborough, she said: “The great thing about Nottingham is that it is a get-ahead city and a stay-ahead city. “Nottingham is a city of enterprise.”
Mrs Thatcher spent an hour-and-a-half at the former textile factory which opened two months ago making parts for sale to British Telecom and the Ford Motor Company—and created 250 new jobs.
She spent several minutes chatting with individual workers in the toolroom and in the offices before unveiling a plaque to officially open the plant.
She arrived at Pressac in a convoy of six motorcycles and five cars and was welcomed at the entrance by directors of the firm.
Once inside she tried her hand at polishing up parts used to make moulds for telephone connections and discovered how television sets work.
Mrs Thatcher praised the efforts to get the factory started after the old textile works closed. She said: “There must have been many heavy hearts when it closed down. But the people here saw that there were new possibilities.
“When I come here I can see jobs being created and this factory is also a very nice place to work.
“When I go around the country I see people who are creating the prosperity which gives us a higher standard of living.”
Gifts
Mrs Thatcher highlighted the awards won by the company for its in-house training and also the quality award presented by the Ford Motor Company.
Commenting on the nurses' pay award, Mrs Thatcher said: “It is factories like this which create the kind of prosperity which allowed us to give that kind of pay award.” She also said that the nurses had received the pay rise because the Royal College of Nursing had never gone on strike.
Before leaving Pressac, Mrs Thatcher was presented with a Crown Derby china cat and also a DIY telephone conversion set before heading off for the Council House.
Mrs Thatcher lunched at Trent Bridge in the Pavillion Suite before opening the Conservative Party's new city centre offices. Later she travelled to Central Television.
A fresh row has broken out between the two main parties on the city council after Labour leader Coun Mrs Betty Higgins accused Conservatives of preventing her meeting the Prime Minister.
She claimed Tory leader Coun Bill Bradbury's refusal was “an abuse of his position” .
Mrs Higgins said Labour were not told of the visit to the Council House. She wanted to present a copy of Labour's demand for an extraordinary council meeting to discuss social security and housing benefit changes to Mrs Thatcher.
(2) ITN Archive: OUP transcriptMark Webster
Touring a factory in the East Midlands, Mrs Thatcher said only a thriving private sector could fund pay increases like that for the nurses. She insisted the Government wasn't pressured into making a pay award because of the nurses' industrial action.
MT
Not pressured into it in any way. Indeed, let me make it absolutely clear, the reason we gave the nurses the pay review body, which we did in 1984, was because the Royal College of Nursing has never gone on strike, never.
Mark Webster
This afternoon the Prime Minister took the camera at Central's Nottingham studios, with some trepidation. She commented on how easy it was to use the new equipment but expressed surprise that the view-finder in it was in black and white. At Central's drama workshop for children, Mrs Thatcher saw some of the young actors from the TV programme Your Mother Wouldn't Like It, much to her delight.
MT
You're having to think quickly on your feet.
Young Actor
Yes.
MT
Just as you do in politics or if your parents … [laughter] making it up.
Mark Webster
Techniques the Prime Minister will no doubt apply next question time. Mark Webster ITN, Nottingham.