Margaret Thatcher & me
I still remember the first time I met Mrs Thatcher. I had joined Finchley Young Conservatives in 1959 and it was there that I met my husband, Derek, who had already been a member for several years. He had been on the fi nal selection committee when Margaret Thatcher was chosen to be the parliamentary candidate for Finchley in north London.
I soon heard about this engaging young woman moving swiftly through the party ranks – when she came to a meeting and went round the room, I recall thinking that she had an aura about her. She was dressed immaculately, and hearing her speak was something else. Her words were very clear and easy to listen to. She certainly seemed like somebody very special.
I saw her at several Young Conservative meetings after that, and I helped out at elections doing canvassing, packing envelopes and all the usual jobs. When my husband and I had young children we didn’t do quite so much, but we became heavily involved again in the early 1970s when Mrs Thatcher was Education Minister. In those days, it was usual to hold a number of public meetings around elections and we helped with stewarding. I never tired of hearing her speak and admired the way she handled questions.
She was a real people person. I believe that came from her experience of growing up working in her father’s shop. Chatting to customers, she would get to know them and learn what was important to them, and she carried that skill into her political life. She had a remarkable memory for details – she would come up to somebody and ask how their daughter’s A levels went, or remember that someone had a poorly mother. She paid attention to people and that generated real warmth, because everyone likes to be noticed.
When a job became available at the Finchley constituency offi ce in 1977, I jumped at the opportunity. After Mrs Thatcher became prime minister, everyone was surprised by how often she managed to visit her constituency. She would call at local businesses, schools and hospitals, sign letters to her constituents and deal with their problems in her surgeries. She enjoyed meeting people and simply talking to them; it was also a good way to see what eff ect her policies were having on the ground.
Finchley used to have an annual carnival, and Mrs Thatcher was a regular attendee. In the early days there was a baby show and she would be one of the judges; she would also go round all the stalls. Despite being jostled, she made sure she said hello to everybody. She took particular pleasure in the charity stalls because she was very keen to see people working for voluntary organisations.
Her work ethic was extraordinary. I always say she never drove anyone harder than herself. Her husband, Denis, often joined her in the constituency and was very supportive. Even on the days when she wasn’t feeling 100 per cent, she would most likely double her efforts. On one occasion, before we went out to a function, she said she couldn’t go around all the tables because her voice was suffering. But, of course, as soon as we got there she chatted to everyone. She didn’t like to shortchange people. If she knew they’d come to see her, she wanted to see them as well.
Tessa with Mrs Thatcher
She remained hot on the domestic front, too, even when she was prime minister. I heard accounts of her rustling up meals for people after late Cabinet meetings, and in the constituency she would always make a beeline for the kitchen at functions. As a woman, she knew that the food had to be shopped for, prepared and cooked, and she was extremely appreciative.
Mrs Thatcher was an incredible lady and, to this day, I think it is astonishing that she got to where she did. I think a huge part of her success was that she always stuck to her principles. She didn’t do things to be liked, she did them because she felt they were right.
She maintained a healthy attitude to her detractors, too: she respected people who stood up for what they believed in, even if their beliefs were different from her own. I often think back to a line from one of her speeches: ‘You don’t win by just being against things, you only win by being for things and making your message perfectly clear.’
The bottom line was that she cared about people. I know her protection officers would have laid down their lives for her – that was just the effect she had on those who knew her.
Mrs Thatcher came to Finchley many times after leaving Downing Street and I was able to keep in touch and see her from time to time until a couple of months before she died. There were many Finchley people at her funeral whom she would have thought of as friends, and as the coffin was carried out of St Paul’s Cathedral, there were cheers of appreciation from the waiting crowd. A great sendoff for a great lady.
To contribute to The North London Hospice Margaret Thatcher Gardens for Patients Fund: 020-8445 4292, www.northlondonhospice.org
I soon heard about this engaging young woman moving swiftly through the party ranks – when she came to a meeting and went round the room, I recall thinking that she had an aura about her. She was dressed immaculately, and hearing her speak was something else. Her words were very clear and easy to listen to. She certainly seemed like somebody very special.
I saw her at several Young Conservative meetings after that, and I helped out at elections doing canvassing, packing envelopes and all the usual jobs. When my husband and I had young children we didn’t do quite so much, but we became heavily involved again in the early 1970s when Mrs Thatcher was Education Minister. In those days, it was usual to hold a number of public meetings around elections and we helped with stewarding. I never tired of hearing her speak and admired the way she handled questions.
She was a real people person. I believe that came from her experience of growing up working in her father’s shop. Chatting to customers, she would get to know them and learn what was important to them, and she carried that skill into her political life. She had a remarkable memory for details – she would come up to somebody and ask how their daughter’s A levels went, or remember that someone had a poorly mother. She paid attention to people and that generated real warmth, because everyone likes to be noticed.
When a job became available at the Finchley constituency offi ce in 1977, I jumped at the opportunity. After Mrs Thatcher became prime minister, everyone was surprised by how often she managed to visit her constituency. She would call at local businesses, schools and hospitals, sign letters to her constituents and deal with their problems in her surgeries. She enjoyed meeting people and simply talking to them; it was also a good way to see what eff ect her policies were having on the ground.
Finchley used to have an annual carnival, and Mrs Thatcher was a regular attendee. In the early days there was a baby show and she would be one of the judges; she would also go round all the stalls. Despite being jostled, she made sure she said hello to everybody. She took particular pleasure in the charity stalls because she was very keen to see people working for voluntary organisations.
Her work ethic was extraordinary. I always say she never drove anyone harder than herself. Her husband, Denis, often joined her in the constituency and was very supportive. Even on the days when she wasn’t feeling 100 per cent, she would most likely double her efforts. On one occasion, before we went out to a function, she said she couldn’t go around all the tables because her voice was suffering. But, of course, as soon as we got there she chatted to everyone. She didn’t like to shortchange people. If she knew they’d come to see her, she wanted to see them as well.
Tessa with Mrs ThatcherShe remained hot on the domestic front, too, even when she was prime minister. I heard accounts of her rustling up meals for people after late Cabinet meetings, and in the constituency she would always make a beeline for the kitchen at functions. As a woman, she knew that the food had to be shopped for, prepared and cooked, and she was extremely appreciative.
Mrs Thatcher was an incredible lady and, to this day, I think it is astonishing that she got to where she did. I think a huge part of her success was that she always stuck to her principles. She didn’t do things to be liked, she did them because she felt they were right.
She maintained a healthy attitude to her detractors, too: she respected people who stood up for what they believed in, even if their beliefs were different from her own. I often think back to a line from one of her speeches: ‘You don’t win by just being against things, you only win by being for things and making your message perfectly clear.’
The bottom line was that she cared about people. I know her protection officers would have laid down their lives for her – that was just the effect she had on those who knew her.
Mrs Thatcher came to Finchley many times after leaving Downing Street and I was able to keep in touch and see her from time to time until a couple of months before she died. There were many Finchley people at her funeral whom she would have thought of as friends, and as the coffin was carried out of St Paul’s Cathedral, there were cheers of appreciation from the waiting crowd. A great sendoff for a great lady.
To contribute to The North London Hospice Margaret Thatcher Gardens for Patients Fund: 020-8445 4292, www.northlondonhospice.org