Speeches, etc.

Margaret Thatcher

Remarks following re-election in Finchley

Document type: Speeches, interviews, etc.
Venue: Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs, London NW4
Source: Thatcher Archive: General Election Compilation Tape (VHS)
Editorial comments: Around 0135? MT spoke with John Simpson of the BBC and Kevin Dunn of ITN immediately after her speech at the declaration.
Importance ranking: Major
Word count: 953
Themes: Conservatism, Conservative Party (history), Industry, General Elections, Labour Party & socialism, Liberal & Social Democratic Parties
MT speaking to John Simpson (BBC) and Kevin Dunn (ITN) on the floor of the count after the declaration:

John Simpson, BBC

Congratulations, first of all Prime Minister, on your result.

MT

Thank you very much.

John Simpson, BBC

You said to me when you came in that you were cautiously optimistic. Are you a little less cautious perhaps now?

MT

I have seen some of the results come in and I'm very pleased with some of them. Naturally we have lost one or two members that we shall miss very much in the House of Commons, but this is what happens at elections—you gain some and you lose some. But overall the results appear to be coming in quite well.

John Simpson, BBC

Are you prepared to say yet that you'll be the next Prime Minister? Have you won yet?

MT

No, I think it is always best to be certain that you'll get up to the absolute majority before claiming victory.

John Simpson, BBC

But it's looking pretty good …

Kevin Dunn, ITN

If you're not claiming victory Prime Minister are you scenting victory?

MT

I am very pleased with the way things are going, except I'm sad about losing some friends, and I hope and believe we shall win.

Kevin Dunn, ITN

Prime Minister, was there anything [poor audibility] about the results that would appear to indicate that the north/south divide would be even greater after this election?

MT

We have lost one or two seats in the north, and have held some seats where we have very very good members serving very well in the north. And we have held and held [end p1] very well. As I came in we were losing one or two in Scotland, which is obviously very distressful because we think highly of Scotland and … I do not like to losing seats. [Sighs] Isn't it strange, people always say ‘what are we going to do about the north?’ We try to do a great deal. They never say ‘what is the Labour Party going to do about the south?’ I do regret that we have not got more seats in the north and we shall work very hard …

Kevin Dunn, ITN

[Interrupts] Are you fearful perhaps that your Government after this election won't be truly representative of the north of England and of Scotland and perhaps of Wales?

MT

[Pauses.] We look as if we're holding very very well in the north west and we hold certain seats in Yorkshire, like Keighley for example. We seem to have held the Burys where I went and was very pleased with the work there. We've held Hyndburn. So we're not by any means absent in the north. It is very patchy and obviously we would like to hold more seats in the north and we shall continue to work there and we hope that our policies for the inner cities will help many people in those areas. That's what they're designed to do.

[JOURNALISTS TALK OVER EACH OTHER.]

John Simpson, BBC

Can I ask you one more question, Prime Minister? Is it really good for a party or a government or a country to be in office three times running? Might it not be better for the country and better for the Conservative Party perhaps to change?

MT

No, I don't think it would. I think you want consistency in policies, I think you want clear leadership. We have given sound financial management. Er, under our policies … we've had growth, which has not only brought a higher standard of living but a higher standard of social service and we've got clear defence policies and we have spread ownership more and more widely from the country. We then have new policies, particularly in education and housing, particularly for people who have not sufficiently profited from present policies and I think it is very wise that we have the continuation of policies. You know this isn't this first time we've had three consecutive governments. We got back in 1951, again in 1955, again in 1959. What is different this time is that it has been three consecutive governments—if it is, if we get the third term, that's not yet certain—it will be three consecutive Conservative governments under the same Prime Minister. And that's the thing that's different.

[JOURNALISTS TALK OVER EACH OTHER BUT JOHN SIMPSON WINS OUT]

John Simpson, BBC

The reason for my question was that in 1964 the Conservative Government really ran out of ideas and manpower. It ran out of almost everything didn't it? Is that a danger that might happen again? [end p2]

MT

We only just lost the 1964 election—only … I thought by about three. Very very … very very narrowly. No, we are not in any danger of running out of ideas this time.

Kevin Dunn, ITN

Prime Minister, your comment on Labour's recovery, because it would appear that the Alliance have not made a breakthrough? And how does that affect your stated aim of wanting to destroy socialism, the recovery of Labour that we've seen today?

MT

Well, I don't think you have seen that much recovery. What you have seen is a shift of Alliance votes to Labour, a certain shift, but I really do not think you have seen very much recovery of Labour. You've certainly have seen the return of some very very left-wing Labour members and it will be a very interesting House of Commons.

Kevin Dunn, ITN

Finally Prime Minister, I'm told that you need seventy seats to win. …