PM's answer to unemployment

The secret of solving unemployment is creating goods and services which are well designed, value for money and delivered on time.

So said the Prime Minister to her supporters at the Finchley and Friern Barnet Conservative Association's annual meeting on Monday night.

About 200 members flocked to St Mary's Church Hall, Hendon Lane, Finchley—after being closely checked by police—to hear their MP speak.

And speak she did—on everything from unemployment, and the coal strike to rate-capping, defence, democracy and finance.

Her message on unemployment stressed that 340,000 jobs had been created last year.

“We shall only finally tackle the unemployment problem by one simple means—you only create more jobs when you create the sort of goods and services which are well designed, good value for money and delivered on time.

“When you do that we have solved unemployment.”

The Prime Minister was enthusiastically applauded for her role in the coal strike and in rate-capping authorities such as the GLC.

But Finchley GLC member Neville Beale had a word of caution on the authority and their demise.

He warned that the process of winding down the GLC and setting up bodies to take their place must be, “slow and careful.”

“County Hall Tories have questioned whether the arrangements proposed for replacing the council will be an improvement on what we have now.

“We have also doubted whether there will be a significant cut in the total burden of rates,” Mr. Beale said.

“Unless we end up with a system of local government which is both more efficient and less costly, the public will be entitled to ask what the whole exercise was for.”

Members pledged their continued support for Mrs Thatcher as Finchley's MP.

Officers elected were: Cr Frank Gibson, president; Ron Thurlow, chairman; Godfrey Phillips, deputy chairman; Stuart Martyn and Bill Vokes, vice-chairmen; Dennis Thatcher, N. J. Sapsted, Ena Constable, H. L. Stein and A. C. Miller, vice-presidents; and Tam Hartley, treasurer.