Speeches, etc.

Margaret Thatcher

Radio Interview for IRN (General Election victory)

Document type: Speeches, interviews, etc.
Venue: No.10 Downing Street
Source: Thatcher Archive: COI transcript
Journalist: Peter Murphy, IRN
Editorial comments: Between 1100 and 1200.
Importance ranking: Major
Word count: 1426
Themes: Executive (appointments), Union of UK nations, Industry, General Elections, Housing, Local government, Leadership

Peter Murphy, IRN

Congratulations Mrs Thatcher on your victory. Are you surprised by the size of the majority?

Prime Minister

Well, I am very very pleased. We expected to lose some seats because you never know how the opposition votes will break and that, in fact, can have a considerable effect. You know, there are areas where our voters not only held up but improved, and then because the opposition vote has split in a different way it has meant we have lost a seat and lost some very dear friends. But that happens in politics and we are all very much aware of it.

Peter Murphy, IRN

But your majority is so large. Does it reinforce your decision to serve a full term and perhaps go on to another one?

Prime Minister

Look, we have been re-elected with a tremendous majority. My sole concern now is to get cracking and really put the things in our manifesto into effect and to start to bring in some of the legislation during the first parliamentary session—that is important. We planned our manifesto that way and we planned the [end p1] legislation that way and now ministers have got to work really hard to get that legislation ready in bills to bring in this session.

Peter Murphy, IRN

But you must be saying to yourself, I have done so well, I could do it again in four or five years time.

Prime Minister

We have done very well indeed. As you know, I assume nothing. You have never been able to get me just before the election to say yes, I am absolutely chock-full of confidence, because one does not know. We have the polls, but you never quite know how the electorate will respond and we shall now get on with the manifesto proposals and we shall work extremely hard and, of course, we shall hope to earn a renewal of confidence when we have once again to submit ourselves to the judgement of the people. But we now have to get on and get on very quickly.

Peter Murphy, IRN

What are the priorities for your Government?

Prime Minister

We keep the same consistent policies that are raising the standard of living throughout the whole country and the defence and, of course, a renewed attack on law and order with an increasing number of policemen. But the real priority is the real things in the manifesto which were radical, but to try to bring opportunity to people who have not got it at the moment. They are really directed [end p2] at some of the inner city people in housing and in education. Some of the people in some of those militant cities feel trapped. They are dissatisfied with the education, they may not be able to purchase their own homes in council estates, so we are trying to give them a new opportunity to have a different landlord for example like a Housing Association or Building Society. That is going to be major legislation and, of course, the new rating bill to abolish rates and have community charge would be major. That is also very important because some of the inner cities under the control of militants have extremely high rates on industry and that is one reason that stops industry going there. One of them only, but it is one and we have to deal with that.

Peter Murphy, IRN

In the early hours of this morning, after you realised you had won, you talked about helping the inner cities. Are you going to put more Government money into the inner cities?

Prime Minister

Look, a fantastic amount of Government money has gone into inner cities. Often people have not realised it is taxpayers' money because the people around those inner cities, or sometimes they did not take it all—that they were entitled to—but sometimes they would say now look what we, the militant councils, have done for you and often interest(?) tax payers money. So we shall continue our policies there.

We also are asked, you know, sometimes business who will not go to those militant places, please set up an urban development [end p3] corporation here. They have been so successful we have got four more going and we will have to look to see if we can get an increasing number. And we have now got, I think it is fifteen or sixteen, quite a lot of task forces for inner cities. It is not only money, it is being welcoming to business and enterprise. Because if you are hostile to business and enterprise you are hostile to jobs and some of them are.

Peter Murphy, IRN

You said you lost some dear friends in the election. Scotland is the area where you did not do terribly well at all. There does appear to be this polarisation once again of the north and the south. How are you going to try and reunite Britain?

Prime Minister

No, it is not polarisation wholly of the north or south. We held a lot of the seats in the north and we did extremely well in the north west and I, as you know, dislike it intensely when people seem to indicate that the north is doom and gloom—it is not. There are areas of very considerable prosperity and the unemployment is coming down faster in the north and north west than anywhere else—that is good. It means that policies are steadily spreading north and bringing the hope of more jobs and bringing more opportunity to people there and that is our objective.

Peter Murphy, IRN

You do not think there is going to be a problem though with Scottish Labour MPs in particular saying, look we voted against Mrs Thatcher, we want devolution? [end p4]

Prime Minister

Look, England has had a majority, three out of the four times when we had a post war Labour Government, England has had a majority of Conservatives. England itself had to submit to being governed by a Labour Government when Conservatives had the majority. Really what is sauce of the goose is sauce for the gander. Yes, it is disappointing in Scotland. We had thought we would lose a few seats, we did not expect we would lose quite so many. I understand it is the reason the Conservative vote held in many of those seats. It is the way the opposition votes split, which makes it especially difficult because there is a Labour opposition, there is a Scottish Nationalist opposition and there is an SDP Liberal opposition, and it is the way those votes split which has made us lose our seats rather than our vote collapsing.

Peter Murphy, IRN

Your own style of leadership was criticised during the election campaign. There have been accusations of stridency, lack of care and compassion. Will you try and change your image in the next four or five years?

Prime Minister

Stridency? When have you heard me shout from a platform?

Peter Murphy, IRN

Not in this election campaign, no. [end p5]

Prime Minister

No indeed, not in this election campaign at all. Being intense—yes, being passionate about what I believe—yes, criticism of the style, surely the answer to that is the very nearly about a hundred majority. We are producing the results, people realise that that is the right way to go about it. This fantastic partnership between Government and people, Government having the right policies and people responding. That is the way steadily to improve and spread the prosperity everywhere over our country.

Peter Murphy, IRN

Finally, Prime Minister, the first job you face is forming your new cabinet. Some changes are forced upon you by the fact that certain people did not stand again. Will you be bringing many new faces in? Will there be many changes?

Prime Minister

I do not expect an enormous number of changes. The team we have got will be the team that mainly will go on, but of course, there will be some changes. There have to be, otherwise some of the younger people who have hopes of getting into cabinet, all their hopes would be frustrated. What I hate most of all is having to do it, because you know, in spite of the fact that people have served extremely well and with great distinction, if one decides then to make way for young people you will say the older people have been sacked. It is not this, they are making way for other people and that is the way of politics. Every Prime Minister hates having to do it, and I am no exception, every Prime Minister knows it has to be done and I too am no exception to that. [end p6]

Peter Murphy, IRN

Can John Biffen rest easily this weekend?

Prime Minister

I am not going to answer particular questions. We shall do our usual consultations and then decide in a matter of within, I hope, a couple of days or so.

Peter Murphy, IRN

Thank you very much Prime Minister.