Margaret Thatcher on Socialism

Margaret Thatcher Foundation ^

[Ray76]

Video snip of Margaret Thatcher's last speech in the House of Commons on November 22, 1990.

partial transcript:

Mr. Hughes

There is no doubt that the Prime Minister, in many ways, has achieved substantial success. There is one statistic, however, that I understand is not challenged, and that is that, during her 11 years as Prime Minister, the gap between the richest 10 per cent. and the poorest 10 per cent. in this country has widened substantially. At the end of her chapter of British politics, how can she say that she can justify the fact that many people in a constituency such as mine are relatively much poorer, much less well housed and much less well provided for than they were in 1979? Surely she accepts that that is not a record that she or any Prime Minister can be proud of.

The Prime Minister

People on all levels of income are better off than they were in 1979. The hon. Gentleman is saying that he would rather that the poor were poorer, provided that the rich were less rich. That way one will never create the wealth for better social services, as we have. What a policy. Yes, he would rather have the poor poorer, provided that the rich were less rich. That is the Liberal policy.

Mr. Hughes

No.

The Prime Minister

Yes, it came out. The hon. Member did not intend it to, but it did.

[]

Mr. Sillars

The Prime Minister is aware that I detest every single one of her domestic policies, and I have never hidden that fact. [Interruption.]

[]

The Prime Minister

I think that the hon. Gentleman knows that I have the same contempt for his socialist policies as the people of east Europe, who have experienced them, have for theirs. I think that I must have hit the right nail on the head when I pointed out that the logic of those policies is that they would rather the poor were poorer. Once they start to talk about the gap, they would rather that the gap were that—[indicating[—down here, not this—[indicating[—but—[indicating.] So long as the gap is smaller, they would rather have the poor poorer. One does not create wealth and opportunity that way. One does not create a property-owning democracy that way.

[Ray76]

Then as now, the left deploy the same "the gap between the richest 10 per cent. and the poorest 10 per cent has widened" blather.

[broken_arrow1]

“Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Goods”...unless you are a socialist, or a democrat...or both.

[conservativejoy]

My favorite Thatcher quote “ The problem with Socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people’s money”.