Michael Brunson, ITN
Prime Minister, why are you going to the country now?
Prime Minister
I think for two reasons: first to end uncertainty about the future; we have a lot of plans and a lot of policies we want to implement; we want to know we are in a position to implement them, and secondly there is so much going on in the international scene: arms control talks, the future of the Common Agricultural Policy and the whole east-west relations, the whole of the Middle East problem. It is important, I think, to know that we are going to have continuity and confidence in dealing with those negotiations.
Michael Brunson, ITN
But you always said you would not be pushed into an election and yet it may look to some people outside as though you have been pushed into an election.
Prime Minister
No, I have not been pushed into an election. Anytime, as I have always said, between four years and five in a Parliament you have to decide to take an election. I do not like the uncertainty; [end p1] I want to plan on a longer basis. I want—the confidence we have built up internationally—to know that that will be maintained.
Michael Brunson, ITN
Are you blaming the uncertainty on the media?
Prime Minister
No, I was not blaming the media at all. I was rather grateful for the chance of doing an interview.
Michael Brunson, ITN
Could I ask you about the manifesto? We are told it is to be a radical manifesto. Now for those perhaps who do not understand the jargon of politics, what does a radical manifesto mean?
Prime Minister
I think what it means, after eight years of Government, is that you are still full of steam, full of ideas for continuing the direction in which you have gone. Things are in quite good shape now. Britain, I think, has been transformed; it is a newly confident country, it commands respect abroad but there is a great deal to be done and we mean to set about doing those things. We shall have changes in education, I hope we shall have more opportunities in housing, we shall have one or two further amendments in the law on trade unions in the direction in which we have been going, we shall continue sound economic policies—yes—we shall continue to try to reduce income tax just as soon as it is prudent to do so and of course our strong, firm policy on defence [end p2] will continue and on law and order we shall continue to have more police and continue to involve the larger population more in law and order than have been so in the past.
Michael Brunson, ITN
Can I just take one of those as an example? You said—right at the top of that list “changes in education” ; now what radical changes in education would you have in mind?
Prime Minister
Well, I think you must wait for the manifesto next week. We shall launch it next week and then we shall be able to tell you in much, much more detail but I think just a few more days waiting will be a good thing.
Michael Brunson, ITN
You see, your opponents would say that when you talk of “radical” you mean that these are going to be policies which are fine for the ambitious, for the clever, for—some would say—the “get rich quick” people in society and that they are not good for those who are less disadvantaged (sic), those who are less pushy in society.
Prime Minister
They are fine to give opportunity to all our people of talent and ability from whatsoever background those people come and, you know, the rest of us need those people to be able to give full vent to their talents and their abilities because we depend on them to [end p3] create the jobs, to create the business, so in so far as you give opportunity to the able and talented, you are helping not only them but the people who depend on them for jobs and someone, you know, has got to create the wealth before others can distribute it to the health service; so it is a policy for all our people.
Michael Brunson, ITN
But what about those who are not able, who are not talented?
Prime Minister
But I have just indicated: if you want to distribute the wealth of the nation to the weaker, someone has got to create it. Governments often are better at spending it than creating it so it is the task of Governments to create the sort of background, the sort of framework in which able people can get on with building up businesses. It is those that create the wealth, it is those that compete in the world, it is those that produce economic growth on a sound basis.
Michael Brunson, ITN
Both Mr Kinnock and Dr Owen and Mr Steel have hinted fairly broadly already that they intend to make your style of Government one of the issues in the campaign. They would describe it, I think in shorthand, as “autocratic” . Sir James Callaghan, for example, was suggesting in the House the other day that you do not like to take suggestions, that you do not like to be told you are wrong. Is your style of Government an issue? [end p4]
Prime Minister
If they make it an issue; I think that if they make that an issue then they make the enormous transformation in Britain that has happened over the last eight years an issue. Arrogant, autocratic? What nonsense!
I have knocked off the controls that they were running, I have knocked off the incomes control, the prices control and got inflation down. We have knocked off the dividend control, the industrial development certificate control. We have taken many, many industries out of the hands of Government, out of the hands of nationalisation, put them into the hands of the people. We have taken the trade unions away from the hands of the trade union bosses, put them back into the hands of the people. We have given opportunities for more and more spread of ownership, not only of houses, but of savings; savings which keep their value, indeed the spread of ownership, the spread of property among our people makes them one nation. We have taken away many of those powers from Government. It is because of that enterprise has flourished.
Of course we do not mind having suggestions. We are very grateful to have them but we do not wish to run everything by Government. What Government does, it will do well.
Yes we have a sound financial policy. We shall continue to do so. Yes, we have strong defence, yes, we are strong in supporting the police on law and order but we are strong enough also to trust the people, to be able to develop their talent and ability, to be able to better their own families by their own efforts and to have the right to keep more of their own money to do better by their families. [end p5]
Michael Brunson, ITN
In a word: no change of Thatcher style?
Prime Minister
No change of the policies which have been so beneficial to our people, which have raised it in the respect of the world from what it was: broke, bankrupt, unwilling to defend itself properly, with a bad economic record to a good economic strength, sound financial policies, a reliable ally taking a foremost place in the councils of the world.
Michael Brunson, ITN
Finally Prime Minister: if it were all to come down in the campaign to one speech, perhaps, in which you could pick on one issue or one particular message that you wanted to get across, what would that be?
Prime Minister
I think the one particular message is that Governments must do—and do strongly—those things which only Governments can do: the defence, the law and order, the sound finance but they must be strong enough and have enough faith in the people to leave other things to them: the enterprise, the responsibility for family, a certain amount of discipline, belief in all the good principles, in all the good things that Britain has done to make this country great. That is the agreement between Government and people. Government strong to play its part, strong enough to leave the [end p6] people free under a rule of law to take advantage of opportunity.
Michael Brunson, ITN
Are you looking forward to the campaign?
Prime Minister
I shall be glad when it is over. I shall be really glad when it is over. You know, somehow right at the beginning of a campaign, you just hope passionately that you will get your message across, particularly when you believe as I do, that so much depends upon it.