Maggie's message on eve of Mark's wedding

When most nervous mothers would be pressing their son's suit the day before his wedding, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher settled down to constituency business in Finchley on Friday.

She admitted she still had some last-minute details to see to, but spent all afternoon and the early evening talking eagerly to the businessmen most likely to put her back in the hot seat at the next General Election.

Her message, which would have excited the wariest election pundit, was repeated more than once. “If you succeed then I will succeed,” she told them.

If there were any nerves about the big day she didn't show them. Only blisters on her pinched heels gave the game away that she may have been wearing in a pair of new shoes for Saturday's main event.

As she wandered among guests at the opening of Supreme Plastics' new head office in Finchley and then at a reception at Whetstone's Barclays Bank, she constantly slipped the grey shoes off her heels to ease the pressure.

She was obviously delighted at the prospect of Mark's wedding.

“It's given me more happiness than I've ever known,” she admitted. “I'm delighted to have a second Mrs Thatcher in the family.

“After all, I have 4,000 letters a week which could be misdirected.”

Even with sore feet she presented the image of a working prime minister and MP which would have had opposition leaders quaking in their shoes, especially if they had heard the brief words of thanks that quickly turned into a vote-catching tornado.

Mrs Thatcher had been invited to Supreme Plastics' new administrative headquarters in Regents Park Road, Church End, to perform the opening ceremony and talk to staff and customers.

She even had time for a wave from the first floor window to a gang of workmen on the building site next door who had been climbing on girders for a look at the VIP.

“Aren't they wonderful? They're always so cheerful,” she said.

It was particularly rewarding for Mrs Thatcher to be able to look out onto the development around Supreme's new offices, which has been transformed into a mixture of high-class residential and office blocks.

“We don't have much virgin land left in Finchley, so it's nice to see redevelopment of prime sites like this,” she said.

Mrs Thatcher, in a grey and blue check button-through day dress, looked at the displays of bags which have already given Supreme 50 years of success.

And she watched videos on the production in the Whitby factory with keen interest. “Thank goodness the human hand is in some respects better than the machine,” she said.

She had been guided round by chairman and managing director Dr Ronald Roeder, son of the company's founder.

And she told the staff afterwards the things she had heard were a lesson to all industry.

“1935 must have been a very difficult time to start. There weren't the grants and help we have now,” she said.

“I want to highlight three things about you—dedication, the will to succeed and flourishing enterprise.

“Britain was built by people who started up on their own. You took your products, did research, watched costs, inspected every item, delivered on time and became reliable.

“You got what you deserved,” she said.

She praised the company for moving with the times and taking out-dated designs off the production line.

“You never rested on your laurels. No-one can.”

Time and time again Mrs Thatcher voiced her message to a wider, absent audience—the industry bosses.

“British is best because you have made it so, and that means a great deal to me. If people like you succeed, and there are more of you, then I shall succeed,” she said.

After an hour at the Ballards Lane conservative office on constituency paperwork Mrs Thatcher was on the move again, this time to the new Barclays Bank on the corner of Oakleigh Road North and the High Road in Whetstone, the site of the old Hand and Flower pub.

She recalled the protest over the demolition. “But I should have thought everyone really should be very pleased now,” she said.

“Of course you've got to conserve old things but you must draw the line and just conserve the best. This is much better,” she said.

The new Barclays, staffed by 60 personnel, is the central branch for Whetstone, Friern Barnet, North Finchley and New Southgate.

Although it was not purpose built for a bank Barclays got just the lay-out they wanted for a new friendly approach.

One of the banking family, David Barclay, was on hand to meet the Finchley MP with branch manager Bob Griggs.

“We took over the building at an early stage and got involved in the design,” explained Mr Barclay.

But Mrs Thatcher immediately scuttled over to one of the bank's notices with a worried expression. Our Rates are a Steal, read the poster about home and contents insurance.

“There you are,” she said relieved. “I thought you were complaining about paying too much in local authority rates.”

Sitting at one of the personal banking inquiry desks she spoke to assistant Sue Delasalle.

“If I was a customer talking to you, I suppose it would be about a complaint or asking questions, perhaps about gas shares, not that my name is Sid,” she said.

Mrs Thatcher had a look at the personal customer section, behind the counters and had a go punching out the codes on a cash dispenser for the first time.

“I'm always fearful someone might be watching and waiting to snatch the money,” she said.

She heard, too, about the litter problems dispensers have created.

“People wanted receipts, so we started giving them out and all they do is throw them on the ground,” said Mr Barclay.

On the first floor Mrs Thatcher toured the business banking section before joining business customers upstairs for a reception.

Mr Griggs referred to her new record as the longest-serving postwar prime minister.

“I hope she goes on to take Winston Churchill 's record too,” he said.

And Mrs Thatcher admitted her dream is to get over another hurdle, the next general election, and be the longest serving prime minister this century

“I really so much want to be that,” she said.

She took credit for putting Britain on the map. “Not many countries have had a woman prime minister, but we really are very good at our job,” she said.

Talking about the technological revolution in which we are living Mrs Thatcher reassured the businessmen. “You'll find it's as much as you can do to employ the same number of people.

“But this happened at the beginning of the century and in the last century when machinery came into agriculture and the manufacturing industry.

“The inventions themselves created jobs and a standard of [end p1] living beyond the dreams of people 50 years ago. That will still go on.”

But she lambasted the young people who don't want to be entrepreneurs.

“We are working to change that,” she said. “I'm trying to do everything possible to help the small business which will create the future.”

Mrs Thatcher also promised the businessmen she won't squander their money.

“I always think about whether I would do something if it were my own money I was risking,” she said.

She referred to the changes she had implemented to help business.

Changes to the trade union laws “which have changed British industry” and reducing income tax.

“And I want to go on reducing income tax for a human reason. If you do the right human things usually you get the right economic results,” she said.

“People work for their families. If too much is taken away in tax people won't work as hard. After all, why should they?

“People's earnings are their own. Don't think of the Budget as what the Chancellor gives away. It's what he takes away and I must take only what I can use well,” she said.

And Mrs Thatcher had a clear warning for her chief opponents: “High tax means lost incentive and that results in lost effort and lost prosperity.

“What does that do for a country?”

In her summing up she promised to continue what she sees as a transformation in society.

“Everyone can have their own bit of capital. The expectations of the few have become the expectations of the many. We are building a nation of independent people,” she said.

“If you succeed then I will succeed. And I will get that record which I dearly want,” she said. [end p2] b

(2) Finchley Leader, Spring 1987 (Issue No. 2)

“WE STAND FOR PROSPERITY”

The prime Minister speaking at the Barclays Bank Centre, Whetstone:

New technology is already creating products, services and jobs which did not exist even ten years ago. The absolute essence of being able to get the jobs and prosperity in the future is the number of new businesses created, the number of small business we have—and their vitality.

You refer to the fact that I have been the longest serving postwar Prime Minister but if I manage to get over another hurdle which must take place before June 1988, I will be the longest serving Prime Minister in this century. And I would so much like to be that.

We are in a great technological revolution and the big companies will find it as much as they can do to continue to employ the same number of people.

The phrases ‘voluntary redundancies’ and ‘natural wastage’ will appear. We should not be too frightened of that. It happened at the beginning of the century and at the end of the last century when machinery came to agriculture and mechanical devices came to manufacturing. But they found that the machinery and all the new inventions in the end created jobs and a standard of life which is beyond the dreams of people only 50 years ago.

I am so happy to be here among you. You are helping small businesses create future jobs.

The attitude which I have to spending your money as the Prime Minister is the attitude I got from being in small business, and the attitude is, ‘would I do this if it were my own money? Would I risk my own money like this?’ I wish more and more people would take that view.

On income tax, I wish to go on reducing income tax. It is not what I would call for economic reasons. It is human reasons. If you do the right human things you usually get the right economic result.

And the human things are these: people do not work for the commanding heights of the economy. They work for their families. If they find too big a chunk of their pay will be taken away in tax they won't work so hard. Why should they?

The view I take is different from that of my opponents. I do not believe in the phrase ‘giveaway’ Budget. I say that people's earnings are their own, and the Budget is what the Chancellor takes away from people's earnings and from their savings.

People work for their families and they need motivation and extra incentive.

If they get less incentive there is less effort and less effort means less prosperity. What would that do for the country? I do believe in lower taxation.

What is the point of my being generous with your money if I don't leave you enough to be generous to your own children, your own old folk, or your own voluntary association or cause to which you wish to subscribe?

We get one nation when we get a wider spread of prosperity. People can be independent if they get a little bit of capital.

We stand on the side of freedom and we have the resolve and dedication to take these things to fruition. We stand for prosperity and for getting a higher number of jobs. If you succeed I will succeed.”