PRIME MINISTER PUTS BY-ELECTION DEFEAT ASIDE TO SPEND DAY IN CONSTITUENCY

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher definitely wasn't eating humble pie on Friday after the previous night's by-election defeat in Eastbourne.

Her constituency women's committee served up a roast dinner, followed by profiteroles and coffee—with an added course of fighting talk.

The Finchley and Friern Barnet MP was guest of honour at the annual luncheon at The Firs banquetting suite in Winchmore Hill.

Committee chairman Sue Thurlow opened the speeches to the 150-plus guests with her own message to the jubilant Liberal Democrats who overturned IRA victim Ian Gow 's 17,000 majority to romp home in Eastbourne: “Mrs Thatcher is definitely not on the way out.”

And there was an eager show of hands in support of a fourth term for the PM—and beyond.

Mrs Thatcher stuck to her well-worn principles for her own address—firmly ignoring the Eastbourne result.

She proudly highlighted Britain's reaction to the Gulf crisis, stressing the special alliance with America.

And it gave her the opportunity to underline her government's policy on defence. “We couldn't have responded unless we had kept up our defences through 11 Conservative years, kept them strong.”

On the home front Mrs Thatcher repeated her long-standing support for enterprise, independence and initiative: “That's what made Great Britain great in the first place.”

“It's the people who have to create the wealth before government can tax it to spend it on social services.”

That is achieved, she said, with the highest number of jobs in the country than ever before, the lowest number of unemployed in Europe and the fewest days lost to strikes since 1934— “All under the Conservatives,” she underlined.

As her third issue Mrs Thatcher approached the thorny subject of the European exchange rate mechanism—ERM—pausing momentarily to describe the title: “It's not riveting is it?”

She said ERM spelt help for a lot of homeowners as well as small and large business.

And she stressed that the timing was right for entry.

Mrs Thatcher said ERM is just one facet of the belief in Europe, drawing on the individualism of each.

“But we're not prepared to go into a federation of Europe,” she added, constantly underlining the need to preserve national identity.

And she chose her winding-up to repeat her catchphrase: “We're rolling back the frontiers of socialism and rolling forward the frontiers of freedom.”

But, she promised, the first 11 years have just set the foundations for the 1990s.

“Thatcherism is the right thing to do,” she said. “But Thatcherism is much older than I am, you know, I have only recreated it.”

Predictably Mrs Thatcher received a standing ovation, echoing her own tribute to the constituency workers of “loyalty, affection, inspiration and marvellous support of working together” .

Staying power!

Margaret Thatcher made a surprise presentation to the manager of The Firs banquetting rooms in Winchmore Hill, John Thorpe—as he celebrated 30 years in the job on Friday.

“I spoke to Mr Thorpe just before dinner and he said he often thinks about retiring but never gets round to it—I think that way too!

“We'll both be here for quite a few years to come,” she vowed.