Files shed light on life of former British PM
LONDON — The Iron Lady loved teddy bears.
Newly released documents have pulled back the curtains on such lesser-known aspects of the life and times of Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister from 1979-90.
The documents, mostly from 1988, were published online Saturday by the Margaret Thatcher Foundation. They are searchable, and some documents can be downloaded.
Here are some of the insights:
Backing a single market
Decades before Britain voted to leave the European Union, Thatcher gave a celebrated speech on Sept. 20, 1988, in the medieval city of Bruges, Belgium, that spoke of the need to keep ties to the bloc:
“Britain does not dream of some cozy, isolated existence on the fringes of the European Community. Our destiny is in Europe, as part of the community.”
A draft of another speech, made in April the same year at a conference on the single market, Thatcher noted:
“We must get this right. Too often in the past, Britain has missed opportunities. How we meet the challenge of the Single Market will be a major factor, possibly the major factor in our competitive position in European
and world markets into the 21st century.
“Just think for a moment what a prospect that is. A single market without barriers — visible or invisible — giving you direct and unhindered access to the purchasing power of 300 million of the world’s wealthiest and most prosperous people. Bigger than Japan. Bigger than the United States. On your doorstep. And with the Channel Tunnel to give you direct access to it. It’s not a dream.”
A thing for teddy bears
A Thatcher Foundation spokesman told the Guardian newspaper that Thatcher was “into” her teddies. Thatcher collected at least two teddy bears, named Humphrey and Mrs. Teddy, the documents show.
The files reveal that the bears were quite popular, and Thatcher was often asked to loan them out to various museums and for events. In one letter from No. 10 Downing St. to the Marquess of Bath, Thatcher wrote:
“Thank you so much for returning Humphrey. I am sure that he had a lovely time at Longleat.”
Biographical notes
The documents also opened a window into how Thatcher and her husband put together a guest list of 229 names for a gala at Downing Street.
Denis Thatcher personally vetted the list, adding red check marks to “those who I would personally like to see included” as guests, he wrote. (More than one tick meant “super person and a known friend.”)
He wrote question marks next to “those who I believe do NOT help,” the files show.
Among the latter were former Beatle Paul McCartney, naturalist David Attenborough and singer Shirley Bassey.
But composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber and actress Judi Dench got a thumbs-up.