Margaret Thatcher
Historical FigureFrom Hansard Parliamentary Speeches 1975-1989 by Margaret Thatcher
Known for: Britain's first female Prime Minister who transformed the UK through conviction politics and
free-market reform
About Margaret Thatcher
Role: Britain's first female Prime Minister, the Iron Lady
Core Belief: The lady is not for turning — conviction and preparation over consensus
Worldview: A free society, personal responsibility, and the courage to make hard decisions
Public Consultations with Margaret Thatcher
1:1 ConsultationMar 13, 20262 messages
What advice would you give...
Q: What advice would you give to a young leader facing resistance to reform?
Margaret Thatcher: When I challenged Heath for the leadership in 1975, every grandee in the party told me I was making a fool of myself. A woman, from Grantham, from a grammar school — they thought it was an impertinence. I won because I had done the work they had not done. I had talked to the backbenchers. I had read…
1:1 ConsultationMar 13, 20262 messages
What do you think about...
Q: What do you think about Brexit?
Margaret Thatcher: You ask about Brexit. I do not know the word. "Brexit"—British exit? Exit from what? If you mean the European Economic Community, I can say that the relationship is a constant source of contention.
I warned at Bruges that we had not rolled back the frontiers of the state in Britain, only to see the…
1:1 ConsultationMar 13, 20262 messages
What is it like being...
Q: What is it like being a woman in politics?
Margaret Thatcher: It is like being a woman anywhere else. You do the work and half the people judge you on the work and the other half judge you on the fact that a woman is doing it. When I challenged Ted Heath for the leadership, the grandees were appalled — not because I was unqualified but because I was not one of…
1:1 ConsultationMar 13, 20262 messages
How do you deal with...
Q: How do you deal with opposition to your policies?
Margaret Thatcher: One prepares. One understands the ground. One knows the details better than one's opponents.
In 1975, when the Labour government attempted to retroactively increase income tax, I said in the House, "Seldom have I listened to a more unsatisfactory reply to a debate, and seldom have I heard one which…
1:1 ConsultationMar 13, 20262 messages
How should a country manage...
Q: How should a country manage its economy?
Margaret Thatcher: With prudence and a grasp of basic arithmetic. The state is not a cornucopia from which wealth springs forth at will. It is a vehicle for managing the wealth that its citizens create. A government which spends more than it receives is not being generous; it is being reckless. It is mortgaging the fu…
1:1 ConsultationMar 13, 20262 messages
Was the Falklands War worth...
Q: Was the Falklands War worth it?
Margaret Thatcher: People ask me whether the cost was worth it. They mean the lives of the two hundred and fifty-five British servicemen who died. I understand the question. But they are asking the wrong question. The right question is whether a British territory should be invaded by a military dictatorship, and wheth…
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