JS
… Your personal preference was to run the full term. You said this publicly in January. Why did you change your mind?
PM
I have been pestered and pestered about when there was going to be an election. If its going to be in June? I have said consistently that I will not consider it until after I have been in office for four years. But with the fourth and fifth year in office uncertainty always enters in because people want to make their long term plans. There was great uncertainty in Britain. It is in the national interest to end that uncertainty. That I decided and therefore I acted swiftly.
JS
But didn't you deliberately encourage that speculation particularly in your speech to the CBI, three weeks ago, when you quoted that song “Some say Maggie may, others say Maggie may not”.
PM
I seem to remember that the first questions I had about the election were on New Year's Eve when I gave interviews both to BBC and Independent Broadcasting. I looked out those questions just to point out to my present interviewers that they have been on to this subject a long time. You know I have been asked about little else, and little else has been reported. The uncertainty is becoming intolerable and everyone was becoming obsessed with the date of an election. And it's bad for Britain and it's bad for the people who are thinking whether they should invest here. We had to end that and decide to go.
JS
But couldn't you have killed the speculation by saying there wouldn't be a June election?
PM
Then we would only have got the next question. Will you have an October election. The electioneering would have gone on and on and on. It just would not have done. [end p1]
JS
What about the other accusation that according to the Official Forecast both unemployment and inflation will rise later in the year. So how can you avoid the accusation that you are cutting and running?
PM
Well hardly, if I had been going to cut and run I would have done it a very very long time ago. But you know when you are going to be accused of something—when you go between four and five years you are cutting and running, and if you don't decide you are dithering. If you continue to go the whole year you are clinging to office so I wouldn't take much notice of any accusations—they are bound to make some. What I am concerned about is ending the uncertainty and considering and pondering and talking about the issues.
JS
Before your meeting at Chequers yesterday some of your colleagues said that you might need some persuading that June was the right time. When did you actually decide?
PM
We discussed it yesterday and of course I had taken a number of soundings from some of my colleagues before. I made a provisional decision last night and slept on it, as its always wise to do. Finally I decided this morning and called the Cabinet and then once the decision was made you have to act quickly.
JS
There was a lot of speculation about whether you would go for the Economic Summit at Williamsburg in three weeks time and also to the European Summit at Stuttgart on June 6th and 7th. Will you be able to do that?
PM
We have yet to decide who will represent Britain and actually I would like to go. But I think that at the moment we have not yet fully decided.
JS
Do you expect that in the election campaign unemployment will be the major issue? [end p2]
PM
I expect unemployment will be a very very important issue. I have never known any election stick to one issue. They always range over the whole spectrum of political matters.
JS
Your Party Chairman, Cecil Parkinson, said that one of the Tories' advantages would be that the Leader of the Labour Party will be Michael Foot. Do you intend to have that kind of personal attack as part of your campaign.
PM
I have never, as you know, in my life had personal attacks. I have always tried to stick to issues, always, always, always, and always put very much our positive case. Certainly I will try to show up the shortcomings of Labour Party policy and without a shadow of doubt they will try to do the same to us. But I shall be discussing them on policy issues. I regard this as an extremely important election and therefore we must discuss the matters in hand.
JS
I know our time is limited, Mrs. Thatcher, but one more question if I may. In the last election people commented a lot on what were called the Saatchi and Saatchi gimmicks which included at one stage if I remember rightly you being photographed with a new born calf in a field. Now can we expect in the campaign that kind of thing happening again?
PM
Tell me, I was being photographed with a new born calf and really this happens really rather often that calves are born and agriculture is a very very important part and so is the beef and dairy farming, that is a very very important part of our life. Is it a big gimmick the moment I am photographed with someone, it may be a farm, it may be a policeman, it may be someone in dockland, may be agriculture—I shall be round and about everywhere, you'll have difficulty keeping up with me.
JS
Mrs. Thatcher thank you very much indeed.