On A Visit To Canada
Trudeau’s government was extremely unpopular in 1983. Trudeau argued that the Korean Airliner incident with the USSR demonstrated the dangers when politicians were not in command. He felt that the responsibility was on local military commanders not the leadership. Thatcher responded that there was endemic incompetence on USSR’s communist system of governance. Thatcher met with Progressive Conservative leader Brian Mulroney but found that there was too of the adjective and not enough of the noun in his policy and actions. With Reagan’s visit Thatcher reiterated the sentiment that – in reality – the Soviets had nothing to fear from them since Liberal Democracies are peace loving.
On Lebanon and Grenada
242 American and 58 French troops were killed in a terrorist attack in Beirut. Two Shia Muslim groups took credit. In Grenada, US intervened in a USSR coup attempt. International opinions were negative towards with US. Lebanon led to Grenada.
On the Falklands War: Military Victory
The Argentineans were claiming to have destroyed a British Harrier but a BBC journalist famously disputed those facts ‘I counted them all out and I counted them all back’. The press however was revealing information that the Argentineans could use. The Belgrano’s destruction was a major military victory for the British task force intent on invading the Falklands. The Belgrano’s position was outside the TEZ, some people claim it was moving away from the British task force. There are a host of competing claims about the sinking. Thatcher blames the escort ships of ARA Belgrano for the 321 dead having not aided their fellow military officials. The claim that the British were trying to undermine peace negotiations presented by the Peruvian talks was false. It was a clear military threat that needed to be destroyed. Ireland called Britain the aggressor in this case. The HMS Sheffield was hit by Exocet missiles. 22 British soldiers died.
Thatcher had trouble planning the way this news should be revealed. The Argentineans would reveal the sinking immediately causing British families to worry about the loses while she wanted the families of the deceased told first as part of being respectful to those who have lost loved ones. Argentina was trying to get maximum international support after the conflict escalated.
Thatcher was consistent; appearing intransigent while refusing to compromise. A diplomatic route was continually explored under the tenants of the Haig agreement. The struggle was being portrayed as a David versus Goliath situation. By night the invasion of the Falkland islands began successfully. Diplomatic concessions no more. Thatcher sent her boys in to take the island. The HMS Coventry was destroyed. Unexploded Argentinean bombs were being diffused across the British task force. One bomb exploded while a serviceman was working on one. At the UN, a Spanish led cease-fire was being drafted to halt the conflict after Britain was about to win completely. Japan voted with this resolution making the vote of 9. The Japanese PM was not available to talk when pursued he gave a lame explanation claiming Argentina would have withdrawn. Port Stanley was subsequently taken over. The victory was complete as Thatcher stated that Britain was no longer a nation in retreat.
On Public Expenditure in 1981: “You turn [u-turn] if you want to; the Lady’s not for turning” is her most famous line from the early 1980s. Thatcher did not believe that increased government spending would prevent further economic recession. Some of her cabinet colleges (the wets) revolted and she had a few of them sacked over this philosophical dispute between entrenched statism and her limited government vision. The party faithful were taking the heat for the continued poor performance of the economy until the budget speech where she spoke of the road she was taking. But there were relapses later that year.
The recession was blamed on oil prices. The unemployment was also caused by high wages and low production. However, the wets agitated again in late 1981 to make a u-turn similar to Mitterrand of France. This was a difficult time for Thatcher’s monetarist policies because it failed to improve the economic situation in the 1981-82 period. The Conservative Party stress blew up repeatedly and a full cabinet re-shuffle was necessary to weaken the ‘wets’ within the party. Thatcher could not tolerate dissent and the unfaithful. Thatcher’s economic policy guided other western countries in subsequent years.
On Ronald Reagan: Early Talks
Reagan’s election was a watershed for the US and the World. He shared many of the same ideas as Thatcher. However, she disagreed with him on deficit reduction, which Reagan was not taking seriously. Reagan stood for a renaissance against the increased threat of communism. He spoke eloquently about the horrors of communism. Thatcher also hatedthe USSR and she wanted to end what she called the repression of the Russian people. Reagan was the leader of world freedom. He was also amiable and charming.
Thatcher met Reagan as the first head of government to do so. She knew not to pressure him on issues that he could not resolve. The “one principle of diplomacy which diplomats oath to recognize more often: there is no point in engaging in conflict with a friend when you are not going to win and the cost of losing may be the end of the friendship.” Thatcher shared Reagan’s concern over El Salvador’s communist movement. The Washington press core noted Thatcher’s failure in government and pointed to the neoconservative vantage as a fraudulent one. The economic problems in America could not be solved using the Thatcher experiment. However, Thatcher’s rebuttal was that entrench nationalization was much worse in Britain. Socialism in Britain was not present in the US, so there is a fallacy of composition in their critique of her policies.
Historical inaccuracies may be prominent in the upcoming bio-pic Thatcher film, but one thing is certain, Meryl Streep has Thatcher spot on. Streep is absolutely amazing.
Example of Margaret Thatcher’s Rhetoric:
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On A Visit To Canada
Thatcher was consistent; appearing intransigent while refusing to compromise. A diplomatic route was continually explored under the tenants of the Haig agreement. The struggle was being portrayed as a David versus Goliath situation. By night the invasion of the Falkland islands began successfully. Diplomatic concessions no more. Thatcher sent her boys in to take the island. The HMS Coventry was destroyed. Unexploded Argentinean bombs were being diffused across the British task force. One bomb exploded while a serviceman was working on one. At the UN, a Spanish led cease-fire was being drafted to halt the conflict after Britain was about to win completely. Japan voted with this resolution making the vote of 9. The Japanese PM was not available to talk when pursued he gave a lame explanation claiming Argentina would have withdrawn. Port Stanley was subsequently taken over. The victory was complete as Thatcher stated that Britain was no longer a nation in retreat.
