Margaret Thatcher: Serving the Crown (2023)

[Music] [Music] in February 1952 before perhaps even daring to imagine herself as prime minister Margaret thater wrote an article for a now defunct National newspaper entitled wake up women the then princess Elizabeth had just received news of her father's death and was to ascend to the throne Thatcher praised the idea of women taking on leadership roles and hoped it would Inspire women to do the same my very first audience as prime minister with her majesty the queen set the tone for all those that followed over the next next 11 and a half years Her Majesty is eminently accomplished at putting people at their ease but anyone who believes that such meetings are a mere formality would be greatly mistaken the queen takes an intense interest in every aspect of life in our country and she brings to Bear a formidable grasp of current issues and a tremendous bread to experience her guidance and advice are always most acute and as prime minister I was privileged to benefit from both enormously she is truly an inspiration and an example to the whole nation long mercy rule a young Queen the loveliest ever to Reign Over Us Now occupies the highest position in the land if as many earnestly pray the accession of Elizabeth II can can help to remove the lar shreds of prejudice against women aspiring to the highest places then a new era for women will indeed be at hand something that remained constant throughout Sanchez Premier ship was her need to be extremely punctual always arriving early to events and appearances indeed she would also arrive 15 minutes early to every audience with the queen and it said that her majesty also wishing to be extremely punctual would let the Prime Minister wait outside until her allotted time rather memorably Thana always greeted the queen with a very low curtsy which many considered a sign of her great respect for the queen personally and for the [Music] monarchy 1985 marked the 250th anniversary of that iconic British Landmark 10 Downing Street becoming the official residence of the Prime Minister to Mark the occasion Thatcher invited five of the former prime ministers to 10 Downing Street it was a glittering but private occasion and the queen being guest of honor celebrated with them all in what proved to be a historic [Music] [Music] night I am delighted to be here and my first and real claim is that for the first 18 years of my life I lived over the shop which my father owned and ran and knew full well the tremendous number of hours which went into earning your keep 13th of October 1925 Grandam [Music] Lincolnshire Margaret Hilder Roberts is brought into the world daughter of humble grocery shop owner Alfred Roberts who later became mayor of Grandam and beatric Stevenson well of course I just owe almost everything to my own father I really do he brought me up um to believe all the things that I do believe and they're just the values on which I fought the election the young Margaret was educated at a typical British grammar school and the family values of hard work and fair play were instilled into her at an early age along with Christian values gained through her regular attendance at the local Methodist Church now I believe that the job you do is fundamental to the future of Britain Britain is not a place merely for big large companies it is a place where many private people have in the past and should in the future be able to show and develop their own initiative on behalf of the people this is the true wide [Applause] distribution hello dear of course have you been across to see it the house of did you enjoy it you went into the House of Lords as well lovely dark red color isn't it much prettier than the House of Commons it's half term here can I borrow that to sign this one where do you go to school beautiful Margaret did very well at school and was reported to be hardworking and a bright and exceptional student she continued her studies reading chemistry at Oxford University where her political leanings were clearly on display as she was quickly elected president of the University's conservative Association much like the Queen Margaret had learned at her father's knee listening watching and absorbing all the fundamental values and ideals which helped turn her into the formidable iron lady she later became after University a determined young Margaret spent four years working as a research chemist whilst also studying for the bar in her spare time later practicing as a barister there was a very curious thing I think developing when I was there among chemists a number of us felt that perhaps we were more interested in people than things of course you can also be interested in people and operate through your science because much of science ultimately is to the benefit of people but sometimes you could feel that it was rather remote from mixing with people and listening to their problems and a number of us felt we'd rather be doing that in 1950 her first attempt to get a seat in Parliament was unsuccessful but she was the youngest female candidate in the election which attracted a great deal of media attention female members of par was still a rarity at that time but Margaret did not let this defeat get in her way and she became more determined to make her Mark in politics 1951 love had blossomed and Wedding Bells rang out it was during her election campaigning that she met and fell in love with wealthy local businessman Dennis Thatcher in Dartford Kent two years later Margaret gave birth to twins Carol and Mark for Dennis this was the second time he had married a Margaret the former in 1942 but Dennis had been immediately sent off to active duty in the Army where his services to his country saw him twice mentioned in dispatches the first Mrs Thatcher never got to live with her husband and they divorced in 1946 despite being invited to stand for parliament in the 1954 election Margaret thater refused stating that her Focus was to devote her time to her two young children 5 years later in 1959 and with the children now in school Margaret Thatcher won a safe conservative seat in Finchley North London she took her place in Parliament as a backbench NP as the conservative government led by Harold McMillan claimed victory in the general election is is that it's always supposed to be a tremendous ordeal made in speech was it for you oh very much so I've done a good deal of other speaking but speaking in the House of Commons is quite different it's a unique experience do you think it's more difficult because you are a woman no I didn't notice that it really is because of of the quality of one's audience and the fact that most of them have had more experience at doing precisely what you are doing there's been Universal praise for your performance yesterday Talk of the front bench how do you feel about that well I think we'll just try to be a very good backbencher first certainly until these two are a little older I couldn't take on any more political responsibilities these responsibilities are quite enough have you been able to combine your political life with looking after a family running a home well I mainly do the catering here I like cooking and I do the shopping and always a big batch of cooking at the weekend and of course there are the Parliamentary recesses which coincide with the school holidays so I can see quite a good bit of her children and take them out and at halterm they come up to the House of Commons and have lunch with me in the early days of her parliamentary career Margaret Thatcher was not known for towing the party line conservative party policy was to vote very much against the reintroduction of the barbaric and outdated punishment of birching young men and women found guilty of certain crimes a severe form of corporal punishment where the unfortunate miscreant was caned on the bare buttocks with branches from a tree in the 1961 vote in the Commons she rebelled and voted in favor of its reinstatement thankfully there was insufficient support and the bill was defeated her talents were soon recognized by the conservative leadership and in 1961 Thatcher took her first steps into government office when she was appointed parliamentary secretary in the ministry of Pensions and National Insurance and later moving on to a more senior position position as Secretary of State in education and science thater became Infamous quite quickly when she put a stop to the long-standing policy of supplying every child in school with a free bottle of milk every day what I've tried to do is to say this I'm responsible for saying that there are proper good school buildings for children in primary schools and secondary schools this also comes on the rates as well as taxes there's a demand for that and there's demand for milk now most parents can afford to provide their own children with milk or to give them money to buy milk they can't in fact provide the school buildings that's my job and I think it's rather more important that that job should be carried out by me with the help of the rates than that we should have all School mil on rates she was labeled by the Tabloid press as Thatcher the milk snatcher and the labor opposition made much of what they called her lack of heart for working people people with the economy Under Pressure there were difficult decisions to make with many labeling her as harsh and cold it certainly toughened her up for what would be a long and challenging political career no I don't think that in my lifetime there will be a woman prime minister I'm always a realist I don't think there will be I agree that women are especially interested in education and the welfare subjects this is possibly the center of their life it is not the boundary of our abilities and I'm delighted to have someone in the audience who thinks that a woman could be prime minister or chanc of the exer while all about him were in a frenzy of toing and throwing Mr Callahan stayed at home in Downing Street until the very last moment indeed he didn't leave for the house until 16 minutes past 3 another wave he'd spent all morning working on his speech cancelling a Labour party national executive appearance in the process the whips came to to him bearing their latest arithmetic got a cool job this SP and next door at number 11 Mr hey's place they made the regular Wednesday delivery of scotch a pointer perhaps either to the survival of the government or next week's budget Mrs Thatcher of course was out bright and early on the doorstep by 9:00 a.m. her face shining with confidence I'm not prophesy from know in about 13 and a half hours am I prepared to wait I'm looking forward to it being over at the commons a fearful cold wind was blowing symbolically or not I do not know as onroad the Gallant 600 by car by bicycle and with the aid of a stick in 1975 Margaret thater challenged Edward Heath for party leadership even though she was not not considered to be senior enough in her party hierarchy she was much to the surprise of herself and others successful and she became leader of the conservative party whilst it was in opposition I think they felt the government was intervening far too much and far too many Powers going towards government when our whole philosophy is to keep power in the hands of the people and to limit the power of the state that I think was the fundamental difficulty it was partly because of the prices and incomes policy which at the time I believe we had to have from 1970 to 74 but I think some people felt it went on a little bit long do you think Mr Heath must bear more responsibility for that if it did go wrong for it having gone wrong than you do because you weren't a prime minister I don't uh Sherk my share of the responsibility I was a member of that cabinet watch then power who says tonight that people who didn't resign from the heath cabinet failed the party far worse than Edward Heath well I don't think we've held them far worse Mr Heath was leader at the time I think Mr Powell is right in saying well we could have resigned uh some of us didn't and he's F fully entitled to make whatever comments he wishes Thatcher had a full set of sales and was not shy of adopting a strong tone against what she saw as Injustice and a threat to British interests in 1976 she gave her famous foreign policy speech Britain awake in which she criticized the concept and policies of the Soviet Union saying it was bent on world dominance the Soviet reaction was predictably Russian leading to a Red Army newspaper to call her The Iron Lady alluding to her remarks on the Iron Curtain and intended as an insult it is said that thater gladly and happily accepted the title it would endure as a nickname which followed her for the remainder of her political career and which many say aptly represented her character yes I am an iron lady after all it wasn't a bad thing to be an Iron Duke yes if that's how they wish to interpret my defense of values and freedoms fundamental to our way of life and by they I mean that somewhat strange alliance between the comrades of the Russian defense Ministry and our own defense [Music] minister By 1979 Britain was facing crises on many fronts with labor prime minister James Callahan presiding over major strikes and Industrial unrest in what became known as the winter of discontent the public wanted change and people were crying out for a release from the industrial strife and pessimism which had hung over postwar Britain and which was fueled by seemingly never ending disputes between the extremists of the political landscape a new broom was needed and the fresh face of Margaret Thatcher and a revived conservative party had much appeal the very idea of a female prime minister had rarely been considered but the appetite for change grew with her infectious enthusiasm and optimism that Britain could once again be a proud and industrious Nation Thatcher's policies and ethics later came to be known as Thatcher ISM advocating among other things for greater Independence of the individual from the heavy hand of the state come on thatal I was very anxious that we should fight a a campaign about the policies for the next five years CU that's what it's all about is there anything tell you what happens in almost every campaign people don't like Party leaders slanging one another another so I was determined that we shouldn't and then of course you get terrific criticism you're not attacking enough and I say but really it's for him to put his policy for the next five years and for me to put mine so you to some extent in some de whatever you do is wrong but I think it's thoroughly wrong to to to have a slanging campaign and I think it's an insult to people who you expect to vote for you we're very fit we're very cheerful you know um we never count our chickens before they're hatched and we don't count number 10 down the street before it's thatched that's the worst joke of the campaign thank you we're going to leave you in May 1979 Margaret thater led the conservatives to a resounding Victory after forcing a common vote of no confidence in Jim Callahan's leadership of the country under Labour's Banner here comes the prime ministerial Rover bearing now Mrs Thatcher as prime minister and Mrs Thatcher out onto the onto the doorstep the wave that we've now become really quite well accustomed to throughout this campaign Mr Dennis thater husband standing behind the excitement was almost palpable when thata became the first woman to lead a western [Applause] democracy the BBC Mr it's been a wonderful campaign for you conratulations thank you much how do you feel at this moment very excited very aware of the responsibilities Her Majesty the queen has asked me to form a new Administration and I have accepted it is of course the greatest honor that can come to any citizen in a democracy I know full well the responsibilities that await me as I enter the door of number 10 and I'll strive unceasingly to try to fulfill the trust and confidence that the British people have placed in me and the things in which I believe and I would just like to remember some words of St Francis of aisi which I think are really just particularly apt at the moment where there is Discord may we bring Harmony where there is error may we bring Truth where there is doubt may we bring Faith and where there is despair may we bring hope and to all the British people howsoever they voted may I say this now that the election is over may we get together and strive to serve and strengthen the country of which we're so proud to be a part Prime minutes and finally finally one last thing in the words of Arin Eve whom we had hope to bring here with us there is now work to be done prime minister could I ask you if you would tell us what sort of administration you would like to have over the next 5 years well we shall be going inside and we shall be getting on with that as fast as we can and we'll hope to have some well I think the first job is really to try to form a cabinet we must get that done Administration going until then well how soon do you think you'll be able to name your cabinet well certainly not today I hope you'll have some news by tomorrow evening by tomorrow evening it's a very important thing it's not a thing that should be suddenly rushed through it's very important what will you be doing for the rest of today Mr I shall be here working have you got any thoughts Mrs thater at this moment about Mrs Pest and your own Mentor in political life your own father well of course I just owe almost everything to my own father I really do he brought me up um to believe all the things that I do believe and they're just the values on which I fought the election and it's passionately interesting to me that the things which I learned in a small town in a very modest home I are just the things which I believe have won the election gentlemen you're very kind Prim Minister a lot of international interest the newly elected prime minister decided her first priority was to Kickstart the economy as her Frugal housekeeping habits taught her that the books had to be balanced before any real progress could be made thater quickly started an ambitious program of privatization of state-owned Industries such as Airlines TV radio and domestic utilities at the same time she became the hero for many announcing a new initiative where tenants could purchase their Council owned homes at a discount of up to 70% in October 1980 thater made one of her most well-known political speeches often known as the ladies not for turning at a conservative party conference to those waiting with baited breath for that favorite media catchphrase the U-turn I have only one thing to say uturn if you want to the ladies not for turning it was in response to those urging her to perform former u-turn on the radical changes she was making to the economy amid fears that unemployment and inflation would continue to rise she was however not to be diverted from the core she had set in her bid to make radical changes in the way the country ran prime minister hasn't 1980 been largely a year of economic failure for your government with 900,000 people nearly a million more people becoming unemployed during the year of course one is very worried about the amount of unemployment but I don't think you can say it's been a year of economic failure inflation is coming down and it's coming down fast and it must come down further because without that there's no confidence for the future interest rates are coming down exports have done better than all the economic forecasts predicted it is the Queen's custom to invite Prime Ministers for a holiday at her private estate in the Wilds of Scotland at Balmoral Castle so in 1981 the queen welcomed Margaret Thatcher and her husband Dennis to a Windswept Wilderness fall from the corridors of power in Westminster it's rumored she spent the time briefing Her Majesty on proposed changes in the cabinet which may well be announced this week she flies back to London tonight balm moral is one of the Queen's favorite Estates as she and her family can find real privacy and Solitude there easily avoiding the public eye and enjoying their freedoms it's estimated that over 12,000 people turned up and they had to wait for nearly 3 hours to catch a glimpse of the royal family and it was to be only a glimpse before The Limousines headed back for the privacy of Bal moral it is sometimes reported that the thatches didn't particularly enjoy their first visit to Bal moral perhaps being ill-prepared for the rigors of Scottish country life and the less than hospitable weather which can sometimes dominate this part of the world Thatcher is said to have referred to it as a different world however it is said that she speaks fondly of sharing simple domestic tasks with the queen washing and drying dishes after a picnic for both families and it's even reported thata gave the queen a pair of rubber gloves as a Christmas present in January 1980 Margaret's son Mark satcher was invited to compete in the Paris to Dakar Rally this grueling long-distance race through some of the most inhospitable terrain on the planet is no place for the faint-hearted ill prepared for what was to come and with no real experience in this type of race they went missing for six days in the middle of the Sahara Desert Mark Thatcher and his French Co driver Charlotte ver were cited this morning by an Algerian Air Force C130 search plane only a few miles from the border with Marley as the pilot returned to the rescue headquarters in tamam raset he was embraced by Mr Dennis Thatcher Mark's father he seemed overwhelmed with emotion when the pilot told him he'd flown over the stranded car so low he could see the couple waving shirts and handkerchiefs at him immediately a helicopter took off carrying a Land Rover and a medical Rescue Team they'll be dropped off within an hour's Drive of the stranded car to bring the couple home because of the mountains even the helicopter can't land Mr Thatcher once the sighting had been confirmed telephoned the prime minister in London to tell her the good news afterwards he said to me you've got a very relieved Mom and Dad well what we know at the moment is that there is a very hopeful sighting it's the right color car it is approximately in the right place it looks like being the the right number fingers crossed and he paid tribute to the Algerian Air Force who have had helicopters aircraft and land team searching for the past 6 days for some reason which no doubt he'll explain once he gets home mark decided to risk everything by taking what may have appeared on the map as a shortcut instead of keeping to the known and used tracks going due south obviously he wanted to save time and distance but this was after all his first desert rally and he lacked experience but perhaps the real real Lifesaver has been the weather because we were told by the race organizers that Charlotte and Mark only had enough water to last them for 3 days and they've been lost 6 days just over 48 hours ago there was a light rainfall in this area something we're told that happens here only once a year over the decades and even after her retirement Mark has brought embarrassment and controversy to his mother being prosecuted in the USA as well as South Africa the queen and Margaret Thatcher have something else in common each of them having children whose behavior in their personal lives and whose associations with questionable businessmen have done more than raise eyebrows and in 1982 after Decades of territorial dispute and with little warning Argentina invaded Sovereign British territory the Faulkland Islands in the South Atlantic taken somewhat by surprise and during a fairly quiet day in the House of Commons a surprising but fortuitous coincidence occurred first sealord Henry leech was on hand visiting Parliament and after some discussion he quickly convinced thater that he could have a task force ready to sail to the South Atlantic within 48 hours if necessary leech persuaded Thatcher that it was an ambitious but achievable goal and she gave the order to go ahead head a war cabinet was formed and a naval task force dispatched on the orders of the Prime Minister a royal Navy submarine HMS conqueror sank the Argentine Cruiser Bel Grano with considerable loss of life it was a controversial decision at the time some claiming it to be a war crime but SATA was later exonerated when the Argentinian defense Ministry concluded it was a legitimate Act of of War it's only too easy for them to ask for more time they've had a lot of time if they're going to withdraw they will decide to withdraw within the next few days I would be so pleased if they did why do people talk about humiliation I'm not seeking to humiliate anyone at all I'm just asking that the Invader returns his troops to the mainland that is not humiliation that is to say say he should never have invaded and please will he restore the position by returning his troops to the Homeland that is not humiliation it is the restoration of international law we can only guess what was said at the weekly meetings between her majesty the queen and her prime minister when the Queen's Ascent would have been needed to go to war equally there would be a very deep personal reason the queen may be perplexed a very real sense of personal duty to her country a trait she shared with Thatcher will have been on her mind when she was asked about her son going to war prince Andrew the Monarch's third child was on active Service as a royal Navy helicopter pilot and expressed his very strong wish to be sent to serve in the fand's task force and no exceptions made just because of his position in the royal family Brazen helicopter crew were preparing their own Forkland Patrol and its pilot was punctual for his briefing his Royal Highness Prince Andrew a left tenant who calls himself simply the driver and looks remarkably like another Royal seafaring ancestor his helicopter is a lynx which he's nicknamed the hassy as in the Brazen hussy and for the first time we were allowed to film what is to him simply routine search and surveillance there's a saying on a poster down here that there are two places to avoid when you're flying the back end of ships and fishing boats and for the last three months I spent most of my time at the back end of ships or around fishing boats after some grueling battles and considerable loss of life on both sides over 74 days the task force was able to retake the Faulkland culminating in the Argentinian surrender on the 14th of June 1982 Margaret thater was elevated to the position of national hero and the mood in the country was at an alltime High during this period in her Premier accompanied by the defense secretary Mr not ladies and gentlemen the Secretary of State for defense has just come over to give me some very good news and I think you'd like to have it at once at about 6:00 p.m. London time the white flag was hoisted in gri Vicken beside the Argentine flag and shortly afterwards the Argentine forces there surrendered to British forces God Save the Queen what happens next thank you very much your reac Rejoice at that news and congratulate our forces and the Marines are Weare War Argentina Rejoice Hallelujah that was the Prime Minister with some tough words and saying Rejoice I had a wonderful message from the people of goose green and Darwin it came in this morning through the ministry of Defense saying thank you for liberating us thank you for being so steadfast and God Sav the queen it was a very touching message but it said RAR everything that the British people feel they're British too they've been loyal they know what Britain has done to liberate those islands they intensely grateful but they also realize that it's something which Speaks For What what we stand for in the world they've not let us down and we mustn't let them down the country remained positive the economy was strengthening and it seemed an ideal time to cement a victory for a further term in office labor was struggling to field a potential leader with any reasonable credibility and the 1983 general election confirmed thater to a further term in office with a landslide victory in favor of the conservatives and Mrs Thatcher smiling broadly went along the line shaking one hand after another for her a personal as well as a political Triumph no visits to Buckingham Palace being the incumbent prime minister none was necessary instead after greeting as many sightseers as possible a final wave at the door of number 10 and then inside to work on details of her new government prime minister congratulations again on your Victory I last saw you outside conservative central office at 4:00 in the morning how are you feeling now I'm feeling fine and you well not too good did you get manage to get some sleep just a little enough now last night you said that this was a historic election now what did you mean by that I think it's the first time that a conservative prime minister has been reelected having been elected the first time since the last century uh that's very important in the spring of 1984 the conservative party annual conference was planned to be held in Brighton at the Grand Hotel which was on the seaside Resort's fashionable prominade Britain had been at hearts with the IRA in Northern Ireland for many decades and the Republican terrorist threat had been increasing as Satch's governments simply refused to negotiate with those who chose to use terrorist activities to try to further their cause several weeks earlier the IRA planted a bomb inside the Grand hotel with a long delay timer to explode at a moment which would cause maximum death and destruction and to kill Margaret Thatcher who they saw as their strongest opponent and critic at that time prime minister's bathroom was completely destroyed and the foreign secretary's sitting room and mine was an next one along none of us were hurt Mr gumo whereabouts were you when you the explosion happened well I was with the prim at the time and the explosion happened just as we were packing up what what were you doing and and what did you hear well there was just um a loud bang it sounded like two bangs but I wouldn't like to be uh too precise about that and we were merely putting papers away having completed the work for for tomorrow the bomb did kill five people one of whom was a member of Parliament and it injured many more Thatcher was outr raged at the attack and more defiant than ever refusing to take the advice of her security detail to go back to London she stayed at the conference and delivered a powerful speech sending a clear message of rebuke to those who had tried to kill her the prime minister went to Brighton police station to tell newsmen about her own Escape she was awake and had just completed work on her conference speech when the bomb went off my husband was in bed and all the windows went and the bathroom is extremely badly damaged yes yes we were we were we were very lucky you hear about these atrocities these bombs you don't expect them to happen to you but life must go on as usual and your conference will will go on all right all right the conference will go on as usual thank you thank you as she arrived on the platform and waited to speak the strain hardly showed she'd reworked Her speech in which there were now no knocking references to opposition politicians many of whom had sent messages of sympathy and outrage the bomb attack on the Grand Hotel early this morning was first and foremost an inhuman undiscriminating attempt to Massacre innocent unsuspecting men and women staying in Brighton for our conservative conference our first thoughts must at once be for those who died and for those who are now in hospital recovering from their injuries but the bomb attack clearly signified more than this it was an attempt not only to disrupt and terminate our conference it was an attempt to Her Majesty's democratically elected government that is the scale of the outrage in which we have all shared and the fact that we are gathered here now shocked but composed and determined is a sign not only that this attack has failed but that all attempts to destroy democracy by terrorism will fail they cheered and stamped their feet for more than 7 and a half minutes it's probably true that events mold politicians as often as politicians mold events in which case this conviction politician will almost certainly have emerged from the drama of the last 16 hours strengthened in many of her views and her standing among the party faithful one of Margaret Thatcher's election promises was to reduce the power of the trade unions the government created laws that required unions to carry out secret ballots among their members before strike action could be called planning to put an end to Decades of intimidation and strong armed tactics from the extreme left in her view the trade unions had become much too political supporting the Socialist left and having a very clear influence over labor policy I think the unions are obviously one body where a fanatical tiny fanatical minority can and seem to be able to take over a whole Union and then say that they represent the whole Union as some of the tactics they use are to hold meetings at very short notice in places not advertised and they somehow take over you get the same thing sometimes in students unions uh where those who are pist on work can't go to meetings and stay on and on and on and on and on and then find uh that the vote isn't taken until there only a few left and those are the Fanatics this I'm afraid has become almost a standard tactic both in Britain and in some other countries as well and we must watch out for it because they're not true representatives of the majority and sometimes they deny the majority the right to speak because they know they won't support the tiny minority now you talk about the ruthless manipulating few now will you not negotiate with them ever I will never negotiate with people who use coercion and violence to achieve their objective they are the enemies of democracy they are not interested in the future of democracy they are trying to kill democracy for their own purposes it was 1984 when the Mine Workers began a nationwide strike the miners were led by Arthur Scargill from the national Union of Mine Workers the power struggle between the Trade union movement and the conservative government lasted nearly a year with bitter fighting between police and Strikers the police knew the pickets would return with a Vengeance today they were prepared numerically if not strategically some 3,000 striking miners waited for 4 hours then after the previously set deadline for minor Brian Green's arrival had passed a buildup of Poli lease was followed by a major confrontation the miners were attempting to block the access road to the pit and they [Music] succeeded come I'll take your bloody pictures now police came under a hail of missiles from a group of minors who disobeyed strict n instructions good film that I must tell you that what we've got is an attempt to substitute the rule of the mob for the rule of law and it must not succeed it must not succeed that are those who are using violence and intimidation to impose their will on others who do not want it thata simply dug her heels in and refuse to meet any of the Union's demands the miners did not achieve a single one of their goals as the national Union of Mine Workers had neglected to comply with the new law and they failed to hold a national strike ballot in September 1984 the strike was ruled illegal this year as before in our history we've seen men and women with Brave Hearts defying violence scorning intimidation and defending their rights to uphold our laws thatat's legendary work ethic was gathering pace and she is reputed to have trained herself to survive and even thrive on four to five hours of sleep each night this must have stood her in good stead during those years of turmoil and strife battling trade unions at home and foreign Invaders overseas but that nickname The Iron Lady never wavered and many of her colleagues could simply not keep up with the pace with which she worked thata was Keen that Britain should maintain its place in the world as a key player in global politics and to use its influence for good she built a strong working relationship with us Republican president Ronald Reagan and used every diplomatic means to secure a peaceful resolution to the growing problem of nuclear Armament and the tensions between East and West I'm so pleased to see him to have a chance of thanking him for everything he's done for freedom in the world but of course I'm sad that I'll not sit in this position with him sitting in that chair again because uh we knew one another before the president was the president and before I was a prime minister and we had the same political dreams and the same ways of achieving them and we're both just recalling a moment ago but I remember the time when uh Governor Reagan came to see me in my room in the House of Commons when I was leader of the opposition so there are lots of times to recall but I think the nicest thing of all it's a very different world now and a very much better one and a very much more hopeful one than it was then pres guess the thing she says about the state of the world she has played a major role in bringing those things up out and these improvements and I think uh when you stop to think today that the unity we have and with the other allies in the in NATO I don't think very much of the world can remember when more than four Decades of Peace have followed as a result of that thank you Mr President thank you for the summit thank you for your presiden say thank you for your Testament of belief and God bless America prime minister the entire world salute you and your Gallant people and Gallant Nation by inviting an ITN camera crew into her private flat above 10 Downing Street last Friday this is half of a two-sided image she and her advisers want to project the homely wife with time for Family Matters and concern for every detail however small you're going to a cattle market at 6:30 and uh I've got to send the luggage down I'm afraid um casual warm clothes and could you tell me what shoes oh goodness me well I better take my real Cloud Hoppers havn't I the CL Hoppers and the thick Co I got the real you know the real tough ones the real big lace UPS um that I usually use for for walking but I must have something in the car I must have some ones despite saa's successes there was a growing GES among some of her colleagues issues of unemployment and inflation were still in people's minds along with pole tax riots and fears of future Strife caused thata to begin to lose her popularity one of the many bones of contention was saa's stance on Europe and the European exchange rate mechanism thata was adamant that Britain should not be ruled from Brussels and she was concerned at the gradual erosion of British sovereignty and the country's ability to be allowed to manage itself the creeping federalism of Europe would be one of the main themes of some of her most powerful speeches in Parliament sewing seeds of Doubt on the unification of Europe the beautifully oiled machine was starting to fail and a plot was being hatched to unseed Thatcher from her position of power the conservative slogan for these elections is leading Europe into the 1990s the problem is there's a deep division in the party over what kind of Europe that should be Mrs ther's vision is clear enough she wants a market free of what she's described as the creeping socialism of the Brussels bureaucrat that's a theme she picked up again today no the people of Britain do not want Petty bureaucracy they do not want taxation rates imposed upon us without the consent and agreement of the British Parliament that is absolutely in keeping with everything British and that's what they want Jeffrey how her longest serving cabinet minister chose to plunge the dagger and he offered an ultimatum he threatened to resign unless thater agreed to join the European exchange rate mechanism which he refused ultimately he did resign and his resignation speech left the House of Commons questioning their prime minister's ability to continue to lead her party and the country in his Infamous resignation speech he said the time has come for others to consider their own response to the tragic conflict of loyalties with which I myself wrestled for perhaps too long things came to a head in 1990 when Michael heseltine challenged Thatcher for leadership of the conservative party Thatcher won the first vote but the majority was too small to be an outright Victory one by one she was advised by her cabinet members to resign on November the 22nd 1990 she resigned as leader of the conservative party and as prime minister after 11 consecutive years in office ladies and gentlemen we're leaving Downing Street for the last time after 11 and a half wonderful Years and we're very happy that we leave the United Kingdom in a very very much better State than when we came here 11 and a half years ago but then the iron lady's composure almost broke watch her face as she reaches her [Music] car she recovered quickly for one last wave friends say though that she is deeply shocked by the seeming Injustice of it all three election victories and a clear though insufficient majority in the first ballot rewarded as she sees it with the sack Mark Thatcher left alone with his thoughts as his mother's car sped to the Palace Dennis Thatcher managing a wave just moments before his wife officially ceased to be prime minister some 40 minutes later John Major and his wife Norma left the Chancellor's official residence number 11 Downing Street for the last time to follow the same route to The Palace the latest stage of a meteoric rise for John Major in National politics raw backbencher to prime minister and all within the 11 and a half years of Mrs Thatcher's Premiership Mrs Thatcher of course has a new home now in dich but she sered notice that her political career albeit on the Tory back benches is not over yet she will be at Westminster tomorrow she said be in I the house today we've always worked Mr thater added it's the only thing we know Michael Branson USS at 10 Westminster I'd like uh I'd like firstly if I may to thank my many parliamentary colleagues for the tremendous the support they've given me today it's an enormous encouragement to know that so many people in the Parliamentary party have prepared to entrust me with the leadership of the conservative party and I will endeavor to discharge those responsibilities to the best of my ability if I may I do think this particular election has enhanced the Democratic process quite substantially it's been a very clean election an election based on substance and not personality and an election that has dealt very constructively with the issues and I'd like to offer my very grateful thanks to Douglas herd and to Michael hin both for the way they conducted the election and also for the very gracious way in which they have conceded that they will not stand on the third ballot it is it is it is it is a very exciting thing to become leader of the conservative party and particularly exciting I think to follow one of the most remarkable leaders that the conservative party has ever had I believe as time predes and Margaret Thatcher's uh period as prime minister is seen in a proper perspective that it will be seen that she has been a very great prime minister indeed our job now I think is quite clear we're going to unite we're going to unite totally and absolutely and we're going to win the next general election thank you all very much indeed thank you all very much again one can only imagine the conversation at the final meeting when Margaret Thatcher prime minister for 11 and a half years went to Buckingham Palace to offer her resignation to the queen it is almost inevitable that they will have had differing views on a number of issues over such a long per period of time but it is widely acknowledged that they had enormous respect for each other in their roles coupled with a good degree of personal affection and regard the queen honored thater with the order of Merit only one month after she resigned as prime minister which signifies the respect and admiration the queen must have had for the former prime minister as it is given entirely on the order of the Monarch uninfluenced by politics or recommendation all of which contradict so much of the speculation that there was a level of tension and discontent between two powerful and determined [Music] women in 2007 in the House of Commons a sculpture of the former conservative leader was unveiled after a change in rules allowed the depiction of living prime ministers in Parliament under certain conditions s the bronze statue of Margaret Thatcher showed her in her final term as prime minister and stands directly opposite the statue of Sir Winston Churchill particularly I find when I'm on my feet that that's when people thank you for coming and I'm very glad to be here on this great occasion the house has done me a great honor by commissioning this fine and imposing statue I might have preferred iron but bronze will do don't lust and this time I hope the head will stay on above all I could not ask better company for it with Lloyd George Atley and Churchill three great Prime Ministers one of them our greatest ever so thank you to allow all whove made this moment possible thank you some people are greedy but people who want a better standard of living in a better way of life for their children are not they are highly moral they're highly valued citizens and they're usually those people who look after their houses and their families look after their neighborhoods join in doing things for their neighborhood community spirit this is the real [Music] saturnism Margaret Hilda Thatcher spent her final days in a private suite at the Ritz hotel in London where she died on the 8th of April 2013 aged 87 fcha had changed the landscape and culture of British politics in so many ways and even her most Ardent critics have acknowledged her sincerity and her tenacity in trying to serve the British people in the way she thought [Music] best the Queen's final gift to her first female prime minister was to attend the ceremonial funeral not the state funeral offered to Churchill but nonetheless the Queen's attendance was an important Mark of respect for a woman whose values of Duty and principle she will have admired thousands mourned the loss of one of the most important and influential prime ministers in British history lining the Streets of London to pay their respects on her final [Music] Journey one ship drives East and another west by the self same Gale that blows it is the set of the sail and not the Gale that determines the way she goes as the Winds of politics continue to change Margaret Thatcher will remain as first female prime minister of the United [Music] Kingdom [Music]

Channel: Royalty TV

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Length: 58min 56sec (3536 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 17 2023