Remarks visiting Jaguar Cars

Document type:	Speeches, interviews, etc.
Venue:	Coventry, West Midlands
Source:	Birmingham Post, 29 May 1987
Journalist:	Tony Halpin, Birmingham Post, reporting
Editorial comments:	1505-1610. An account - without actualite - of MT’s visit to the National Exhibition Centre follows the Jaguar story. MT commented briefly to the cameras: "I’m optimistic about the future of the Midlands. I’m optimistic about the Midlands vote. Here we are - this is a marvellous example of success. So let’s just shout it from the house-tops" (ITN Archive). BBC indexes record material expressing similar sentiments.
Importance ranking:	Minor
Word count:	402
Themes:	Industry, General Elections, Labour Party & socialism, Media, Trade union law reform

Thatcher's clash with worker on Jaguar tour

Mrs Thatcher got a shock as she toured Coventry's prestigious Jaguar car plant during her first election visit to the West Midlands yesterday.

Mr Paul Astbury, an electrician working for a contract firm at the site, told her: “You will get absolutely slaughtered, despite all the opinions polls and the poodles in the national press saying you're going to win.”

A stunned Mrs Thatcher replied: “I don't see any poodles.”

The surprise clash happened as the Prime Minister met a crowd of workers while being shown round the car company's new engineering centre yesterday.

She moved on quickly to talk to Jaguar workers while the company chairman, Sir John Egan, told Mr Astbury: “You wouldn't have any job to do at Jaguar if it had not been for Mrs Thatcher's Government.”

The Prime Minister tried her hand at designing cars by computer and sat in a vintage Jaguar sports car during the visit. She said Conservative trade union reforms had created a framework for companies like Jaguar to succeed.

Remembering “the troubles this industry used to have” , Mrs Thatcher said: “We changed the union law and that changed the whole atmosphere away from conflict towards harmony and co-operation.

“The Labour Party is not serious about wanting to improve manufacturing industry if they are serious about repealing those very laws which have brought harmony.”

“We brought in legislation to enable ordinary members of trade unions to stand up to people like Red Robbo (a militant former shop steward) and to make the kind of results that this company has had possible.”

Sir John said: “The industrial relations legislation brought in by the Government has been very helpful in that regard. We have 12,000 heroes all working together.”

Mrs Thatcher was welcomed enthusiastically by crowds as she toured displays at the Lifestyle '87 exhibition sponsored by The Birmingham Post and Evening Mail at the National Exhibition Centre.

She joined Birmingham ambulancemen, Mr Frank Smith and Mr Geoff Law for a lesson in life saving on an artificial respiration dummy after the pair had smashed the world record for non-stop resuscitation by 20 hours with 73 hours.