Speech to 1922 Committee

INTRO

Thank Cranley OnslowCranley.

Reporting regularly

& tactfully views of

Parliamentary colleagues.

Thank LPS John Biffen & Chief Whip John Wakeham for getting us up this week.

Four Points

1. Where we stand now.

Tough year. p2

Tendency to dismiss this as mid-term blues.

Think that a mistake—because they come from a different cause—namely a failure of fundamental policy (e.g. Labour I.M.F.)

Our fundamental policies are sound.

Difficulties due to

a) allowed ourselves to be p3

deflected by

i) issues not central to strategy

Westland—which made us temporarily [end p1] lose the Tory virtue of unity

THAT mustn't happen again.

ii) partly because we have had to face difficult current decisions

Libya.

S. Africa p4

— Both times taking decisions which we believe are in long-term interest—case for which has required detailed exposition—now winning the case.

When we got down

to these big issues

stayed together p5

Good—election results will not be determined on issues which come & go in a matter of weeks but in how we tackled long term problem.

Morale—polls are rising p6

2. Achievements

Economic—Had I said 3 years ago let alone

Inflation,

2.5%;

Sound Finance

— Moved the decimal point one place to the left.

1m new jobs

Lowest no. of strikes for half century [end p2]

Four taxes abolished since 1983.

Personal side—Revolution that has come about in the spread of personal ownership p7

Health Service

Hospitals that Labour cancelled in 1976 restored to programme & built by us.

These are Conservative achievements

Require a Conservative Govt to keep them

Would be lost by any other Govt. p8

Use them not only facts as facts to tell their story,

but as evidence that the party that has tackled the problems of the last 7 years is the one to tackle the problems of the next seven.

Built the architecture of the last 7 years p9

So we are the builders of the future

3) Future.

Success is a dynamic thing—not static [end p3]

Never stand still.

Consolidation is not enough.

Relaunch products & develop acc to the needs of the times to come p10

11 policy groups

— go across departmental boundaries

‘Managing the economy’.

‘Rural Britain’.

‘Youth’—Edn & Training

Minister as Chairman

Backbenchers

Keep in close touch with B'bench committees

People from industry

academic world p11

Not running out of ideas now Rates reform—green paper

Personal Taxn—H & W.

Profit related Pay

Family Practitioner Service

Expansion of Technical Training TVEI

Personal Equity Plans—Privatisation Gas p12

Let's make sure [end p4] we fight next election

ON GROUNDS OF OUR CHOOSING.

Defence.

Law & Order.

Sound money—your savings are safe with the Tories.

Soundly based services— & promises

A Party which encourages enterprise & doesn't envy it. p13

Essence of freedom is choice

Contrast that with Socialism

who want not more

choice for people

but more control over people.

Contrast it with Socialism in Action

Picket line.

Wapping

London Council Chamber p14

By contrast with Lib/SDP.

All things to all people and end up standing for nothing. [end p5] p15

Record of achievement

New ideas now coming forward

Preparation for the future

entitle us to be confident & optimistic

and requires us to convey that to others.

I believe we've p16

Got to win

I believe equally passionately that we are going to win.

That's the spirit in which—a totally united party—we shall set about it.

Mrs. Thatcher admitted to her MPs that the year had been a tough one for the government. On Westland, it had lost the virtue of unity which voters expected from the Tory Party. Ministers are relieved that with MPs leaving Westminster for the summer break, Westland will soon be off the front pages—but the Labour leader, Neil Kinnock, said last night it was not the sort of subject which would die away during the summer. The government is expected to give its own response to the Committee's report in about a couple of months, and there will be a debate in the autumn. All that is some way off. Mrs Thatcher's optimistic message to her supporters was to prepare for power until the year 2000. She said she passionately believed they would win the next election. Meanwhile they should concentrate on putting over their record. To involve Conservative MPs more in planning policies for the next election and beyond, the government has set up a dozen policy groups; they will be reporting in about six months' time.