Her husband referred to me as ‘that pinko’. ibid.
‘I did like her but I can’t say why.’ ibid. Matthew Parris
She was very particular about her men. ibid.
She was not really a person who had friends as such. ibid.
‘The EU has slid from free trade into crony capitalism and protectionism.’ ibid.
‘Europe has ended up with an ailing moribund economy.’ ibid. Daniel Hannan
This is the story of a working class revolution and the woman who led it. This story is about how Margaret Thatcher stole the working class. This is the story for how the new prosperity and influence of ordinary people offended Britain’s traditional ruling class. This is the story about how the traditional Tory establishment turned on the revolutionary in its midst. This is the story of Margaret Thatcher. Margaret: Death of a Revolutionary, Channel 4 2013
In Mrs Thatcher’s first Queen’s speech she announced that people in state housing would be allowed to buy their own homes. ibid.
Mrs Thatcher’s election victory in 1983 was the most decisive since the Second World War. ibid.
‘Some people would say she changed the Labour Party more than she changed the Tory party.’ ibid.
It appeared that the strain had finally taken its toll. ibid.
It took only a few individuals: they included an old Etonian chicken farmer, a dashing millionaire who became a mad monk, an Austrian seer, a classical scholar and a chemistry student who became an Iron lady. At first they were voices in the political wilderness, their views thought at best eccentric, at worst – mad. But this small band of right-wing revolutionaries was to change the course of life in Britain. Tory! Tory! Tory! I: Outsiders, BBC 2006
Hayek saw the social and economic planning brought in during the war as the thin end of a dangerous wedge. ibid.
Hayek took [Anthony] Fisher under his wing and introduced him to his own private thinkers club in Switzerland. ibid.
‘It was a period of collective amnesia madness.’ ibid. Ralph Harris
There was a consensus among the parties: capitalism should be tempered by socialism. ibid.
Holidaymakers going abroad could take a mere handful of money out of the country. ibid.
Britain has haunted by stagflation. ibid.
Milton Friedman really turned them into monetarists. ibid.
[Enoch] Powell was a free market trailblazer. ibid.
The three-day-week destroyed the Heath government. ibid.
Mrs Thatcher stood for the leadership of the party in place of her friend Keith Joseph. ibid.
In 1975 Mrs Thatcher became the leader of the Conservatives. ibid.
She was to be the anointed one. ibid.
There was another side to the ’70s: rising inflation, high unemployment, power blackouts and industrial anarchy. Tory! Tory! Tory! II: Path to Power
An election of mavericks and outsiders who set out to kickstart a political revolution. ibid.
To [John] Gouriet the world was locked in a titanic struggle between capitalism and communism … Many thought that the unions had become too powerful, and John Gouriet and his friends the McWhirters were horrified. Together they conceived a new organisation – The Freedom Organisation … The biggest and more influential right-wing group in Britain. ibid.
It all started in north London at a small photographic processing lab called Grunwick … He [Ward] sacked the strikers … He still wouldn’t deal with the unions: it was the Freedom Association … There were over 50 vehicles involved in [Operation] Pony Express … 20,000 pickets came to Grunwick … The Freedom Association kept George Ward in business. ibid.
Keith Joseph was an intellectual on a mission. ibid.
Hoskyns and Strauss produced a strategic plan for the Conservatives called Stepping Stones. ibid.
The Conservative manifesto said very little about tackling the unions. ibid.
But then came a winter of discontent. ibid.
One big change – policies to rein in the trade unions. ibid.
Mrs Thatcher thrived on confrontation. ibid.
Monetarism was extremely controversial … In 1980 unemployment started to climb. ibid.
In 1980 there was a massive strike in the steel industry; inflation was high and workers wanted a pay rise to match it … The strike went on for three months. ibid.
‘Instead of changing the policies she changed the cabinet.’ ibid. Parkinson
Ted Heath went on television to denounce the policies of his own party. ibid.
Mrs Thatcher’s ideological crusade would divide Britain and even her own party. Tory! Tory! Tory! III: The Exercise of Power
A new buzzword entered the vocabulary: privatisation. ibid.
The first company put up for sale was British Telecom. ibid.
‘Popular capitalism is nothing less than a crusade.’ ibid. Thatcher
The biggest privatisation of all was council houses. ibid.
For those miners, Thatcherism was a destructive force … Public sympathy was with the miners. ibid.
The No Turning Back Group wanted to push Thatcherism to the extreme. ibid.
Mrs Thatcher would make the biggest blunder of her career. She backed a policy that would lead to her own downfall [Poll Tax]. ibid.
When the leadership contest was declared, Mrs Thatcher reacted with wounded pride. ibid.
The party was traumatized by the political assassination of its most charismatic leader since Churchill. ibid.
Margaret Thatcher swept to victory last night in the first contest for the Conservative Party leadership since her defeat of Edward Heath in 1975. With 240 MPs voting for her and only 60 voting against or abstaining, the Prime Minister overwhelmingly defeated the challenge by rebel backbencher Sir Anthony Meyer. Thatcher: The Final Days, radio news, ITV 1991
In my view we have surrendered enough. ibid. Thatcher
Michael Heseltine said again tonight he would not stand against Mrs Thatcher. ibid. ITV news
Douglas isn’t a winner. I am. ibid. Heseltine
Well, Geoffrey, I think that caused quite a stir. ibid. MP
She’s four votes short. ibid.
After three election victories it’s the cruellest thing. ibid. Thatcher
It’s a funny old world. ibid.
This is the story of two men who fought for the soul of their party and the dirty war between their supporters. William Hague’s friends smelt treachery and they cannot forgive. Michael Portillo’s friends talk of sabotage: they won’t forget. This is the man who inherited what’s left [Ian Duncan Smith]. Behind him the woman who’s haunted the party for more than a decade [Margaret Thatcher]. Nick Robinson, The Tories: The Curse of the Mummy, BBC 2001
Margaret Thatcher shouldn’t have a state funeral … It wasn’t officially a state funeral. That would have been fucking great, wouldn’t it? On the side of the coffin: sponsored by Gas. Mark Thomas, interview Richard Herring, Leicester Square Theatre, Youtube 1.29.01
This is the story of an outsider who rose to the pinnacle of power. To change Britain for ever. Leading Britain through ten turbulent years. To become one of the most divisive figures of our modern age. Thatcher: A Very British Revolution I: Making Margaret, BBC 2019
God save me from politicians who want to be loved. ibid. Bernard Ingham
Margaret Thatcher was a bizarre character. One of the most unlikely human beings I ever met. The woman was a workaholic. A highly intelligent workaholic. ibid. Kenneth Clarke
To understand Margaret you have to go back to Grantham. ibid. Kenneth Baker
I don’t think it’s fair. ’Cause I like milk. ibid. boy, televised interview
In the second ballot Thatcher wins by a margin of 67 votes. ibid. caption
When she became leader frankly she wasn’t any good at it. ibid. Kenneth Clarke