MT
[voice hoarse] I've enjoyed meeting people, I do wherever I go, and somehow it has been a very lively campaign. The number of people whom I've seen who've been on the way waiting to greet one, and we've had to do a lot of unscheduled stops because there have been people who are there, and I have sometimes wished that we'd built more what I call safety valve time in, so that we could have stopped as we'd been through towns and villages, stopped at more places to meet them. And the meetings we had in the market places have been terrific. Yes, it's been … very, a very two-way campaign, you know one's put a fantastic amount in and got a tremendous amount of feeling and response back, indeed the response has been marvellous.
IRN Journalist
Do you feel it's been quite as hectic though as the 1979 campaign? You don't appear to have made quite so many major speeches in the evening?
MT
Actually it's been more hectic and we've done more on the media. I think we've had about the same number of major rally speeches, we've done more speeches on whistle stops and open air meetings than we did in 1979. I can't remember we didn't have the open air meetings in 1979. No, we've actually been out and about more than the '79 campaign. 'cause you forget, I mean here we are indoors, doing the media. Uh, one has to spend quite a lot of time doing that as well as getting out and about.
IRN Journalist
You feel you've achieved everything you set out to do in this campaign and met all the people you wanted to?
MT
Oh well you never do that. I have just indicated that I wish in some ways we'd built in more safety valve time. When we were in the north of Scotland, for example, we only had a half day there and … and, and we had built in time to do two things that day, quite far apart, but as we went through some of the small towns there were a lot of people out and I was so upset that we hadn't got ten minutes here, ten minutes there to stop and get out and greet them and we must remember that next time.
IRN Journalist
At this stage in the 1979 campaign I spoke to you, you were confident of victory then. Are you even more confident this time round?
MT
I'm a seasoned campaigner, um, I'm cautiously optimistic that we shall win, but I know that we only win if we have to get, if we get every single Conservative voter and [end p1] supporter out to the polls. Polling hasn't opened yet and everything depends upon them going to the polls that day.
IRN Journalist
Do you think it's been a fairly dirty campaign this time round?
MT
I think there's a lot which has been best not said, and there've been many, many personal things and as you know I much … I believe passionately in fighting on policy issues.
IRN Journalist
Do you feel that the opposition parties have perhaps given you an easy ride?
MT
Oh no, I don't think they've given me an easy ride at all. Uh …
IRN Journalist
[speaking over MT] You started way out in the lead and you've carried on?
MT
It is never, yes, but that's not because of the opposition, that's because of our policies, it may be also because of the extreme nature of their policies, and it may be in part the way in which they've conducted their campaign. But basically why I believe we still have a considerable lead is because people believe in what we're doing, believe in the way we're doing it, believe that's the way to get higher prosperity to this country, the way to get the unemployed into genuine jobs, and the way to stand up for Britain.
IRN Journalist
You've travelled quite a way in this campaign, up and down and backwards and forwards across the country. Are you going to get a chance to get a rest on Friday when the results come in?
MT
Oh there's, I don't think there's any chance of a rest in the few days immediately following the election campaign. No chance of a rest at all, there's just a tremendous lot that has to be done. Em, assuming you're in power then you have to consider changes there's a whole lot of things, decisions that have not been able to be made in the last three weeks because it wouldn't be right for a government which was submitting itself to election to make them. So there's a fantastic amount to do. If you're in power and if by any chance the worst were to happen and you're out, there's also a fantastic amount to do.
IRN Journalist
So no rest at all?
MT
There's no rest in the few days following the campaign for those who lead parties.
IRN Journalist
Thank you very much.
MT
Thank you.