Meeting Margaret – the many faces of Thatcher
The President of the Methodist Conference was under tremendous pressure from the grassroots to say something supportive of the miners. Just thirty years ago Methodism was still a formidable influence in many mining communities. He spoke with George Thomas, Viscount Tonypandy, former Speaker and President of the NCH and Len Murray, who had just stood down as TUC general secretary and had immediately became his Vice President at NCH. Both were Methodist Local Preachers, both had been brought up in mining communities and both were concerned that the strike ended honourably and quickly.
George Thomas was a favourite of Margaret Thatcher. They shared a Methodist heritage and George simply rang her up and asked if the Methodist Church could do anything to try to sort things out. Len gave me the number of the NUM head office and I phoned up asking to speak to Arthur Scargill. Both Downing Street and the NUM seemed pleased with the Methodist initiative, various meetings were held, sometimes in great secrecy, but by this time there was so much bad blood (and sadly some spilt blood) that the talks got nowhere.
A disillusioned George Thomas was convinced Margaret Thatcher wanted peace but her Ministers, advisers and the National Coal Board management sensed that they were beating the miners and weren’t in the mood for compromise. I’m not sure that George made the right call there.
He loved to tell the story of a visit by Prince Charles to him in hospital when having treatment for throat cancer. Charles noticed that Margaret Thatcher had sent him a “get well” card. He remarked to George “I didn’t know she had a heart”.
Meanwhile we launched a brilliant NCH campaign called “Children in Danger”. This included an article I ghosted for George in The Times. Margaret Thatcher read the article and immediately contacted him asking if there was any way she could help. George was keen that we held a photocall at Downing Street, to which she readily agreed.
So we then had the bizarre spectacle of an active member of the Warley East Labour Party organising a photocall with Margaret Thatcher at Downing Street. I wasn’t that perturbed. A good press officer is hardly noticed and there was little chance that I would speak to her as the Downing Street press officers had made it clear that it was their show anyway.
