Q1
How do you think the children of the world can help save the natural environment which is now in danger?
MT
Children can help by finding out as much as they can and then doing the right things. Environmental education is important - children need to be taught the basic principles of e.g. science, technology, plant and animal life, and that these things cannot be confined within national boundaries. The British Government has published attractive informative folders, full of pictures which tell their own story, diagrams which show what is happening and answers to the questions you ask. It is all very interesting as well as important. These folders have been given to pupils in all secondary schools.
It is a feature of the British way of life to involve children in many organisations concerned with protecting the environment. Bodies such as WATCH, the junior branch of the Royal Society for Nature Conservation, encourage practical participation by children in conservation work. WATCH currently has 30,000 individual members and 2,000 schools. An environmental enterprise award scheme, run jointly by the British Department of Education and Science and the international World Wide Fund for Nature, encourages children to think about practical solutions to real problems - in their locality or further afield, and offers prizes for projects which protect or enhance the environment. [end p1]
Q2
As a child, did you ever dream of becoming Prime Minister?
MT
No, never. Although I was encouraged by my parents to take an interest in politics, it was not a career I could have contemplated because the pay was such that I would not have been able to support myself. However, as I became older the salary improved and it was while I was at University that the possibility of becoming a Member of Parliament became real. I was just twenty-three years old when I first stood for election. I wasn't successful on that occasion but tried and tried again and in 1959 was elected as a Member of Parliament. Even then the possibility of one day being Prime Minister did not cross my mind - I just didn't think there would ever be a woman Prime Minister in my lifetime.
Q2.b
Which events of your childhood most influenced you?
MT
I cannot recall a specific event but do know that a great influence in my life was my Alfred Robertsfather. He put a lot of emphasis on education and encouraged me - as a child - to take an interest in world events. His own interests encompassed national as well as local politics. I simply took my lead from him.
Q3
Which school did you attend?
MT
At the age of eleven I won a scholarship to attend the Kesteven and [end p2] Grantham Girls' School.
Q3.b
What was your favourite subject?
MT
I enjoyed many subjects at school, but my favourite was chemistry. I had a wonderful teacher called Dorothy Hodgkin who in fact went on to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1964.
Q3.c
Are you still in touch with any of your former classmates?
MT
There is only one with whom I am still in close touch. However, I often bump into classmates when I am on visits - both at home and overseas - when someone will stop me with the words, “Do you remember me? We went to school together,” and of course I am pleased to see them again.
Q4
If you were to form an international crew of a spaceship for a flight to a different planet whom would you pick and what would you give them to take on the flight?
MT
This is a very difficult question! I think my answer has to be that there would be so many candidates that there just would not be a spaceship big enough! [end p3]
Q5
Do you visit schools and do you discuss the children's problems with them?
MT
I visit schools as often as I can and enjoy having discussions with children. I have been interviewed by children both here at No 10 and also on childrens television programmes. I recently attended a “Child of Achievement” awards ceremony where I was very impressed to see how wonderfully well children who are disabled have been able to overcome their handicaps and lead a very full life.
Q6
Do you still embrace any of the beliefs which you formulated in your childhood?
MT
Oh yes! My upbringing as a child was a good grounding for a political career: first sort out what you believe in and then apply it. [end p4]
Q7
What are the family traditions in your household?
MT
I have a son, Mark ThatcherMark, and daughter, Carol ThatcherCarol who are incidentally twins. Mark is now married and living with his American Diane Thatcherwife and son in the United States but I still manage to see them quite often and we are always in touch by telephone. My daughter lives in Britain and so I manage to see quite a lot of her. I believe home should be a refuge and an inspiration; something to come back to if you have a problem or want an opinion.
Q8
Were you a strict mother when your children were small?
MT
No, I do not think so. But I was a firm mother and, I believe, successfully taught my children the difference between right and wrong and the important values in life.
Q9
What was your favourite toy when you were a child?
MT
I still have two teddy bears from my childhood - Humphrey, who is well over half a century old by now and his companion, Mrs Teddy. [end p5]
Q10
Do you have any pets and do you think that children should have them?
MT
If I had the time to look after it properly, I would probably choose to have a dog - a Golden Labrador perhaps. But, while dogs make wonderful companions, they also need a lot of time, care, attention and exercise and I am afraid that I would not be able to devote enough time to a dog and care for it properly. This is why I think children and parents should think very carefully before taking on the responsibility of a pet and they should only have one if they are sure they can look after it properly.
Q11
Not long ago the newspaper, Pionierskaya Pravda, organised a competition on the children's knowledge of literature, arts and history, it would be interesting for the readers to know who are your favourite artists and writers.
MT
I have so many favourites, I do not think I could begin to answer this question: I would not know where to start. But two of the most popular British writers are Roald Dahl and C S Lewis. [end p6]
Q12
In September the Heads of State will gather in New York at the United Nations to adopt an international code of conduct towards children. What, in your opinion, should be included in the first paragraph of this code?
MT
We shall be taking part in a meeting on 19 March of the Planning Committee for the UN Summit for Children. It is therefore a little too early to comment in detail, but obviously we will be considering things like the importance of the immediate family of parents, siblings and grandparents setting the standards and rules for children, as well as providing encouragement.