§ David Hannay (1935–), educated Winchester and New College, Oxford; Assistant Under-Secretary of State (European Community), FCO, 1979–84; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to European Communities, 1985–90; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to UN, 1990–95; knighted, 1986; created Lord Hannay, 2001.
* Documents show that the 66 per cent which pleased officials so much when they reached it was actually only their minimum aim at Fontainebleau. ‘The real crux’, wrote David Williamson to Geoffrey Howe, just before the Council, ‘… is how far, if at all, we can get them above the refund of the two-thirds of the VAT share/expenditure gap’ (Williamson to Howe, 22 June 1984, Prime Minister’s Papers, European Policy, European Council Meeting in Paris, Part 18 (document consulted in the Cabinet Office)).
† Peter Lilley (1943–), educated Dulwich College and Clare College, Cambridge; Conservative MP for St Albans, 1983–97; for Hitchin and Harpenden, 1997–; PPS to Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1984–7; Economic Secretary to the Treasury, 1987–9; Financial Secretary to the Treasury, 1989–90; Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, 1990–92; for Social Security, 1992–7.
* Over the years, a number of elaborate schemes had been proposed, mainly by private investors, which included various combinations of tunnels and bridges.
† Edward Heath’s government pressed ahead with plans for the tunnel but, when the Conservatives returned to opposition, Mrs Thatcher raised concerns about rising costs (Hansard, HC Deb 30 April 1974, 872/969–72 (http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1974/apr/30/channel-tunnel-bill)). The government plan was abandoned in 1975, but the idea was kept alive by interested private sector groups in subsequent years.
‡ Again through Gow, MacGregor tried to use Mrs Thatcher to gain an audience with President François Mitterrand, implying her support. She was happy to introduce him to the President, but aware that she must stay above the fray: ‘he cannot say that I endorse his particular plan.’ (Gow to Alexander, 25 November 1981, Prime Minister’s Papers, Transport, The Channel Tunnel, Part 1 (document consulted in the Cabinet Office).)
* Pierre Mauroy (1928–2013), French Socialist national and local politician; Mayor of Lille, 1973–2001; Member of the National Assembly for Nord, 1973–81 and 1986–92; president, Regional Council for Nord, 1974–81; Prime Minister of France, 1981–4.
† The phrase ‘Channel tunnel’ was problematic, since it assumed there was no other possible built means of crossing the 22 miles between England and France. The wider term, adopted by the government, was ‘fixed link’.
* Helmut Kohl, for one, believed that Mrs Thatcher shared these traditional British anxieties about Continental invasion. Richard Burt, the former US Ambassador to Germany, recalled the Chancellor’s account of Mrs Thatcher’s remarks on the subject: ‘She started talking about her concerns that rats and animals with rabies would come through the Chunnel and spread rabies in Britain. Kohl saw this as a metaphor for her relationship with Europe. He said he’d never heard anything more stupid in his life.’ (Interview with Richard Burt.) The British press was full of the sort of fears Kohl found ‘stupid’, including drug imports and damage to the ferry companies. Oddly, opportunities for illegal immigration, considered the great problem in the twenty-first century, were little mentioned.
* It was sometimes referred to as the ‘internal market’. Mrs Thatcher did not like this phrase, though she did sometimes use it, because it implied that the EEC was an embryonic United States of Europe rather than a trading bloc.
† Her private manuscript account of Fontainebleau spoke of ‘weak rather futile anecdotes’ at dinner (‘Fontainebleau’, Thatcher Memorandum, undated, CAC: THCR 1/20/4 (http://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/139100)).
* Vicomte Étienne Davignon (1932–), Belgian diplomat, politician and businessman; Vice-President, European Commission, 1981–5.
† Jacques Delors (1925–), Minister of the Economy and Finance, France, 1981–3; Minister of Economy, Finance and Budget, 1983–4; President, European Commission, 1985–95.
* Those who favoured greater European integration wanted the EEC to get rid of unanimity requirements in most of its votes and replace them with ‘qualified’ majority voting. This was so called because a straight majority was not good enough: it had to be additionally qualified by the right balance of voting ‘weights’ accorded in proportion to population, and a sufficient spread of different member states.
* Mrs Thatcher had a reciprocal distaste for the national cuisine which the Chancellor offered her, much disliking the various stuffed bits of pig in which Kohl delighted. In this case, the German Chancellor’s wishes were granted: they ate beef.
* The Luxembourg Compromise was the informal convention that each member state was free to veto any measure which it considered ‘a very important national interest’. This, in theory at least, could override majority voting. The only time that Britain invoked the Compromise was at the Agricultural Council of 16 May 1982. The Community ignored it – hence the British demand that it be formalized.
* Horst Teltschik (1940–), Chief of Staff, CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group, 1977–82; Ministerial Director, Federal Chancellery, and Head, Directorate-General for Foreign and Intra-German Relations, Development Policy, External Security, 1982–90; Deputy Chief of Staff, Federal Chancellery, 1983–90; president, Boeing Germany, 2003–6.
* Although always affecting to be monoglot, Mrs Thatcher had clearly read, in French, the French memorandum ‘Pour un Progrès de la Construction de l’Europe’. Next to the bit which advocated ‘la consultation systématique des partenaires sociaux’, she wrote ‘No’. (French memorandum undated, Prime Minister’s Papers, European Policy, European Council Meeting in Milan, 28–29 June 1985, Part 22 (document consulted in the Cabinet Office).)
† Benedetto (‘Bettino’) Craxi (1934–2000), head of the Italian Socialist Party, 1976–93; Prime Minister of Italy 1983–7; ended his days in judicial exile in Tunisia, under suspicion of handling bribes worth more than £100 million.
‡ Stephen Wall (1947–), educated Douai and Selwyn College, Cambridge; First Secretary, Washington, DC, 1979–83; Assistant Head, later Head, European Community Department, FCO, 1983–8; private secretary to Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, 1988–90; to the Prime Minister, 1991–3; Ambassador to Portugal, 1993–5; Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to EU, 1995–2000; head of European Secretariat, Cabinet Office, 2000–2004; official government historian, 2007; knighted, 2004.
* Other press headlines also made Ingham’s point – Sun: ‘Maggie’s rage at EC’; Express: ‘Angry Maggie’; Guardian: ‘Thatcher fumes over Summit setbacks’ (‘Press Digest’, Ingham to Thatcher, 1 July 1985, CAC: THCR 3/5/47).
* Powell went on in the same note to satirize Kohl for Mrs Thatcher’s diversion: ‘The first three or four hours – if you let him – will be devoted to gloating over the latest opinion polls in Germany, the state of the German economy, the fantastic sales of the latest biography of him (I am arranging to supply you with a copy. You might ask him to autograph it. He would never suspect a tease)’ (Powell to Thatcher, 22 November 1985, Prime Minister’s Papers, Germany, Chancellor Kohl’s Visit to the UK, Part 9 (document consulted in the Cabinet Office)).
* It is an example of Mrs Thatcher’s unusual way of doing business that when, after three hours of argument over phytosanitary controls on agricultural products, Geoffrey Howe came up with a solution and the chairman asked if anyone disagreed with it, the only person who said ‘Yes, I do’ was Mrs Thatcher. After embarrassing her own Foreign Secretary in front of others, she was eventually won round to his point of view. (See Stephen Wall, A Stranger in Europe, Oxford University Press, 2008, p. 68.)
† This matter of nomenclature was a test of Euroscepticism. The European Parliament always referred to itself as such, but, until the Single European Act, it was named in the treaties as the European Assembly. The Foreign Office always used the term ‘Parliament’. Mrs Thatcher always preferred
the term ‘Assembly’. When the Conservative MEP Lord Bethell wrote to her to complain about this usage, she sent him a formal letter confirming his assertion that the word ‘Parliament’ was correct, but added a sort of snub in her own hand: ‘I do not understand your antipathy to being an elected Member of a Treaty Assembly.’ (Thatcher to Bethell, 8 August 1983, Prime Minister’s Papers, European Policy, Confusion over the terms ‘European Parliament’ and ‘European Assembly’ (document consulted in the Cabinet Office).)
* One of Lawson’s motives, in 1981, for favouring ERM membership was political. He thought that if he could link financial discipline with the European project this would outflank Wet critics of Mrs Thatcher’s economic policy, who felt bound to support almost anything which they considered pro-European. (Interview with David Willetts.)
* Donald (‘Don’) Regan (1918–2003), chairman and CEO, Merrill Lynch, 1971–80; US Secretary of the Treasury, 1981–5; White House Chief of Staff, 1985–7.
* Edward (‘Eddie’) George (1938–2009), educated Dulwich College and Emmanuel College, Cambridge; Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, 1990–93; Governor, 1993–2003; knighted, 2000; created Lord George, 2004.
* It seems more likely that it was not Ian Gow who escorted Mrs Thatcher to either occasion, but Michael Alison, who had replaced Gow after the 1983 general election as her parliamentary private secretary, or possibly a civil servant from her private office.
* James A. Baker III (1930–), White House Chief of Staff, 1981–5; US Secretary of the Treasury, 1985–8; Secretary of State, 1989–92; White House Chief of Staff and senior counsellor, 1992–3.
* This was true. Lord Burns slightly regretfully recalled that ‘Peter and I had persuaded ourselves that it was doable’ (Interview with Lord Burns).
* The centre forward in football was a position already supplanted by the more modern concept of the ‘striker’.
† Though an invaluable adviser and confidant while at No. 10, Gow had disappointed Mrs Thatcher as minister for housing. ‘This man wanted more money for local authority housing,’ Mrs Thatcher later recalled. ‘This man had been my right hand as a right-winger. IAN! IAN! IAN! MAD!’ (Thatcher Memoirs Materials, CAC: THCR 4/3).
* Richard Needham (6th Earl of Kilmorey) (1942–), educated Eton; Conservative MP for Chippenham, 1979–83; for Wiltshire North, 1983–97; Parliamentary Under-Secretary, NIO, 1985–92; Minister of State, DTI, 1992–5; knighted, 1997.
† One of the best examples of this came with the promotion of John Major, who entered government for the first time in the 1985 reshuffle. For quite some time she considered Major a true believer, but events would later prove her wrong. ‘We thought he had a better brain than he had’ was how she (unfairly) put it later. (Thatcher Memoirs Materials, CAC: THCR 4/3.)
‡ Michael Forsyth (1954–), educated Arbroath High School and St Andrews University; Conservative MP for Stirling, 1983–97; Chairman, Scottish Conservative Party, 1989–90; Minister of State, Scottish Office, 1990–92; Department of Employment, 1992–4; Home Office, 1994–5; Secretary of State for Scotland, 1995–7; knighted, 1997; created Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, 1999.
§ Michael Fallon (1952–), educated St Andrews University; Conservative MP for Darlington, 1983–92; for Sevenoaks, 1997–; assistant government whip, 1988–90; Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Education and Science, 1990–92; Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 2012–14; Department of Energy and Climate Change, 2013–14; Secretary of State for Defence, 2014–.
¶ Francis Maude (1953–), educated Abingdon School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge; Conservative MP for Warwickshire North, 1983–92; for Horsham, 1997–2015; Minister of State, FCO, 1989–90; Financial Secretary to the Treasury, 1990–92; Chairman, Conservative Party, 2005–7; Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster-General, 2010–15; Minister of State for Trade and Investment, 2015–; created Lord Maude of Horsham, 2015.
* Neil Hamilton (1949–), educated Amman Valley Grammar School, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge; Conservative MP for Tatton, 1983–97. In 1997, while still an MP, Hamilton became involved in a political scandal known as the ‘cash for questions’ affair in which he was alleged to have accepted bribes for tabling parliamentary questions on behalf of the Egyptian owner of Harrods department store, Mohamed Al-Fayed.
† Richard Ryder (1949–), educated Radley and Magdalene College, Cambridge; Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk, 1983–97; Government Chief Whip, 1990–95; vice-chairman, BBC, 2002–4; created Lord Ryder of Wensum, 1997.
‡ Gerald Howarth (1947–), educated Bloxham School and Southampton University; Conservative MP for Cannock and Burntwood, 1983–92; for Aldershot, 1997–; PPS to Margaret Thatcher, 1991–2; Parliamentary Under-Secretary, MOD, 2010–12; knighted, 2012.
§ Eric Forth (1944–2006), educated Jordanhill College School, Glasgow and Glasgow University; Conservative MP for Mid Worcestershire, 1983–97; for Bromley and Chislehurst, 1997–2006; Conservative MEP for North Birmingham, 1979–84; Minister of State, Department for Education, 1994–7.
* A reference not to Hitler’s purge of the SA in 1934, but to Harold Macmillan’s sacking of a third of his Cabinet in 1962, which had been satirically named after the original Nazi event. Macmillan’s act had been intended to revive his government, but in fact caused ill feeling which hastened its disintegration.
* Indeed, one or two polls did briefly show this.
* The term was not then current in Britain.
* Mrs Thatcher was only too aware that those who lost office could become bitter and ‘treacherous’: ‘It all goes back to the fact that one sacked them’ (Thatcher Memoirs Materials, CAC: THCR 4/3).
* Gowrie caused media mockery by saying that could not afford to live in London on the £33,000 salary paid to peers in the Cabinet. Ministers in the House of Commons received more than peers because of an extra consideration for being an MP.
† The bar of the House of Commons is not a drinking den (though these exist too), but a white line on the floor of the House beyond which only MPs may tread. Under certain rare circumstances, people guilty of an offence against the dignity or authority of Parliament can be called to the bar of the House as a form of admonishment. Peers cannot appear there, any more than MPs can appear in the House of Lords.
* Jeffrey Archer (1940–), educated Wellington School and Brasenose College, Oxford; best-selling author; Conservative MP for Louth, December 1969–October 1974; Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, 1985–6; political career ended with his conviction and subsequent imprisonment (2001–3) for perjury and perverting the course of justice; created Lord Archer of Weston-super-Mare, 1992, by John Major.
† There were. Miss Keays’s book A Question of Judgement was published to coincide with the Tory conference and attacked Parkinson once again.
‡ Nonetheless, she commented on a contemporary note that Clarke had ‘outstanding ability’ and ‘deserves promotion’ (‘Action for Sunday’, Thatcher’s handwritten notes on reshuffle, undated, CAC: THCR 1/14/14).
* Mrs Thatcher’s depiction on Spitting Image is discussed in greater detail in Chapter 19.
† Andrew Lansley (1956–), educated Exeter University; private secretary to Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, 1984–5; Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire, 1997–2015; Secretary of State for Health, 2010–12; Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons, 2012–14; granted a peerage in the Dissolution Honours List, 2015.
‡ Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster (1951–), educated Harrow; succeeded father, 1979; chairman of trustees, Grosvenor Estate since 1974.
* Michael Dobbs (1948–), educated Christ Church, Oxford and Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University; government special adviser, 1981–6; chief of staff, Conservative Party, 1986–7; deputy chairman, Saatchi & Saatchi, 1983–6, 1988–91; Joint Deputy Chairman, Conservative Party, 1994–5; author of House of Cards and oth
er political novels; created Lord Dobbs, 2010.
* Tebbit would almost certainly have known that Heseltine had refused Energy when offered it in 1979, holding out for Environment (see Volume I, p. 429), so he may well have calculated that he would have rejected such a demotion if offered it and left the government.
† John Stanley (1942–), educated Repton and Lincoln College, Oxford; Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling, February 1974–2015; Minister for Housing and Construction, 1979–83; Minister of State for the Armed Forces, 1983–7; NIO, 1987–8; knighted, 1988.
* In retirement, Mrs Thatcher blamed herself for giving ‘too much importance’ to the job of chief secretary to the Treasury and therefore over-promoting men who had occupied that post well. Brittan was one such in her mind; John Major was another. (Thatcher Memoirs Materials, CAC: THCR 4/3.)
* Bettaney’s pathetic failure to get to first base as a traitor and persuade the KGB to accept his proffered secrets is described in Christopher Andrew’s authorized history of the Security Service (Andrew, The Defence of the Realm, pp. 714–22).
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