Page 4880 - Week 16 - Thursday, 29 November 1990
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She was born a grocer's daughter in Grantham in 1925, not an auspicious start for someone likely to lead the Conservative Party of Britain. She went into Parliament in 1959 and by 1975 she was Leader of the Opposition, again a first for a woman. In 1979 she became Britain's first female Prime Minister. She introduced into Britain a series of fairly radical measures which have ultimately put Britain on a more stable financial footing now than it was when she took over from the previous Labour Government in 1979, when it was virtually bankrupt.
She got Britain largely out of the welfare mentality which both major parties had fostered since World War II, and basically got the economy onto the basis that you cannot really spend more than you earn. I think, though, that she will probably be remembered by history for her contributions as a leader on the world stage. I think she played a significant part in the slackening of tensions between East and West. Despite the problems we now see in the Middle East, there is a considerable slackening of tension between the major superpowers who are now cooperating and reducing their arsenals, and I think she can take some credit for that.
Initially, because of the policies she pursued along with her colleague President Reagan in the United States, the West rearmed, stood up to a then very aggressive Soviet Union and effectively made it quite clear to the Soviet Union, under President Brezhnev, that aggression would not pay. This, I think, assisted Mr Gorbachev to come to power. Mrs Thatcher and Mr Gorbachev got on very well from the word go, and I think that that was significant in relation to a thawing of ties, especially between the Americans and the Soviet Union. She played a fairly central role there, perhaps as an honest broker.
Perhaps she stayed on too long as Prime Minister, perhaps not; but as a result of the leadership challenge she took the wise course for her party and resigned. I think history will certainly be very kind to Margaret Thatcher, the longest serving Prime Minister in Britain. She has turned her country around and made a significant contribution to the world. I think we should wish her well in retirement and, indeed, wish her successor well.
British Conservative Party : School Closures
MR CONNOLLY (5.38): Mr Speaker, after listening to that high speech in praise of Mrs Thatcher, perhaps it should be noted that the British Conservative Party has now done a very honest thing for a conservative party, and far more so than our pale antipodean versions of the Conservative Party, as it has elected a leader whose heritage is out of garden gnome and circus clown. What an appropriate family background for a Tory leader, Mr Speaker. At least you know that his background matches his ideas.
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