Remarks visiting Cricklewood ("a very very difficult few weeks")
| Document type: | Speeches, interviews, etc. |
|---|---|
| Venue: | Remploy Headquarters, Cricklewood, North London |
| Source: | BBC Radio News Report 2230 14 January 1986 |
| Editorial comments: | 1500-1600. The Finchley Times , 20 February 1986, has some slight additional material. Asked about recent opinion polls, MT replied: "They don’t bother me much. Of course I can’t avoid seeing them but I know I won’t always be the most popular one". Admitting that Westland had been traumatic she commented "that’s all behind us now". "I expect the polls to go up and down. The important thing is that you follow the policy which you yourself honestly think is the best one". |
| Importance ranking: | Minor |
| Word count: | 201 |
| Themes: | Autobiographical comments, Executive, Public spending & borrowing, Taxation, General Elections |
The Prime Minister has been speaking about the effect on her of the Government's recent difficulties—and about next month's budget. Mrs. Thatcher was replying to questions after a visit to a training centre for the disabled at Cricklewood in North London. She was asked whether the past few weeks had been traumatic for her: [end p1]
Thatcher
It has been a very very difficult few weeks. If you put yourself in the frontline in politics you must expect to be shot at, and never complain.
Interviewer
And should we be looking forward to the Budget or dreading it do you think, as ordinary people in the street?
Thatcher
Oh well you musn't ask me about the Budget. You musn't ask me about the Budget, but don't forget this, that, come what may, we've always been, had very prudent sound budgets, so we've never had a financial crisis. Yes, we've had problems, but we've got through every difficulty, and we manage the finances so well that we rode through Falklands without any financial problems, we rode through a coal strike without any financial problems. We've ridden through a fantastic drop in the oil price.