Michael Brunson
Prime Minister, may I turn to the Middle East first—there were some views expressed in the House of Commons I understand yesterday which suggested that because the United States is moving, in some M.Ps' view, into areas of retaliation and revenge, that yo u should not continue to support them.
Mrs. Thatcher
Well as you know my view … I think the words retaliation, revenge, reprisals, are not really suitable words for a politician at all, nor suitable thoughts. Self defence yes, you never put your troops in the field without having the right of self defence and that of course would under certain circumstances include pre-emptive strikes, not retaliation and I think we are concerned about the increasing violence, the scale of violence in the Lebanon—we're not there for that, we're really there to help President Gemayel set up a government of reconciliation among the various factions in hi s country. It's not easy, it can only be done with the co-operation of Syria and so, yes, we are concerned. The Foreign Ministers meet from time to time and we keep closely together in touch on the multinational force.
M. Brunson
But how can keeping that small British contingent in the Lebanon help that process?
Mrs. Thatcher
Well you know that small British contingent meets with very very high regard which I don't find surprising at all. Naturally I think that some of our people can do a job which no-one else can do. One of the things they've been doing is actually guarding the building where the security and truce talks take place. It is a symbolic contingent. People of very very high superlative quality are there and they are very highly regarded locally.
M. Brunson
And you are not going to pull it out?
Mrs. Thatcher
I've heard that rumour, there's no truth in the rumour.
M. Brunson
There's also a rumour that you may be going to the area yourself?
Mrs. Thatcher
Well as a matter of fact I'm not going immediately but if I were I wouldn't say so. [end p1]
M. Brunson
Can I then now turn to the summit: you had breakfast with President Mitterrand this morning, what did you say to him this morning and yesterday after his decision to offer you a quick fix deal?
Mrs. Thatcher
Well I can't say just exactly what I said to President Mitterrand over breakfast or at any other time. But I was just a little surprised that after weeks and months of negotiation which have included French officials and French ministe rs, when we reached a kind of half conclusion, draft conclusion, about the nature of the fairer sharing of the burden that we were going to have in the Community and it was going to be a fundamental change, I was a little bit surprised when the whole thing was overturned. But it was and, well, we can't have it overturned and we must go and get a f undamental solution.
M. Brunson
But surely the Community, Prime Minister, can't go on like this with people saying one thing at Stuttgart and another thing here, acting one way in the Special Council and apparently acting in another way when they come face to face with you?
Mrs. Thatcher
It's a very justified criticism, I agree. The Stuttgart Council was an excellent one, very firmly led and we got agreement on the subjects to which we must find a solution and the nature of some of the solutions which must be found, for example, that we really must deal with agri cultural surpluses and have guaranteed thresholds and this kind of thing. But when we came to try to put it into action they just weren't ready to do so. Instead of dealing with the agricultural surpluses they didn't want to, it was easier to go on producing them, so they actually set about trying to find more taxation to finance more surpluses an d I think it's absolutely crazy. They'll go on doing that until they run out of money. I wasn't going to agree to extra taxation, it would have been an extra co- responsibility levy, falling heavily on our farmers and an oil and fat tax which would have fallen heavily on the housewife and also on many other countries which sell things to us and the y of course would have retaliated in the way in which they bought things from us. All to finance surpluses that we don't want and can't eat. It is absolutely ridiculous. But some of them will go on that way until the money runs out and it will run out. Then they'll change.
M. Brunson
Exce pt that some of them may say and indeed have said in the past it doesn't really matter, the United Kingdom has got its cash, we're not bankrupt yet. We always think we're going to go bankrupt but we're not and so why should we bother?
Mrs. Thatcher
Well I'm afraid that's a view that some of them have taken, let me make it clear not all. There are four or five who are very much with us. On saying we must tackle these problems in a fundamental way. The others shied away from it preferring short term experience but we're winning. The long term solution people, those are the real believers in the Community—
M. Brunson
But are you willing, Prime Minister, this was discussed at Dublin four years ago and London two years ago, you haven't really moved forward on the long term problem.
Mrs. Thatcher
No, not sufficiently and I entirely take your point. It's been indeed part of my complaint but we shall get nearer to moving forward on them when the money runs out. Now I think the position by October this year unless there are remarkable crops and a remarkable change in the relationship between world prices and Community prices, they will be in considerable difficulty by autumn this year and won't be able to finance what they're doing now.
M. Brunson
Prime Minister I know that you feel that the Community has suffered because it won't face up to these decisions but you've made it a personal crusade to try and make them, you haven't succeeded, do you feel that this has been a personal failure?
Mrs. Thatcher
No, one can't do these things alone. But what I can say is that there are four others, four of us actually, four of us all together and possibly a fifth who are strongly trying to get the long term solution, that's a long cry, a far cry from being alone.
M. Brunson
Thank you very much.