Margaret Thatcher Off Camera - Pre-Interview Footage Reveals Another Side of the Iron Lady (1984)

[@Deano_P]

Whist I didn't agree with her politics, I find her so fascinating to watch. She spoke so clearly and to the point. Unlike today's politicians, who dodge and duck like there's no tomorrow.

[@version736ha2]

whether you loved or hated her, she was completely true to her convictions

[@michaelmartin9090]

Agree totally

[@plodplod]

It's also interesting how much more gentle the interviewer was, even while asking challenging questions. Everything seems so much more aggressive these days and it really isn't necessary.

[@julienfroidevaux1143]

​@@version736ha2So was Hitler .

[@Celisar1]

She was phenomenal in many regards. PS it’s not only true what you said but she always had the facts memorised to the smallest detail to back up her opinion, never shied away from debating opposing views and was totally honest. It is such a pity that many people couldn’t appreciate all of this.

[@carmelarthurs2438]

I love how clear her voice is and how knowledgeable she is , no one today to match her to deliver a speech.

[@marymary5494]

She had elocution lessons.

[@misst.e.a.187]

Her accent was contrived

[@naxalite115]

Intellectual titan

[@hisky.]

someone with a southern American accent using the exact same words as her with the same level of intellect would immediately be dismissed as a common person. your comment just shows how much eurocentrism and European superiority has been ingrained into all of us

[@wmpetroff2307]

@@marymary5494 it worked beautifully.

[@williamc6564]

Truly professional and at ease with herself which showed she was a leader and not a superficial pr stunt artist like most of them today

[@Beegeezy144]

You have to really respect that in a person. Like, that woman is conscious. Her eyes, her voice, she's the dominant one in the room

[@washersdryersradios]

I was born in 1977 she was PM for almost the first quarter of my life. The difference between Thatcher and today's politicians is that she wasn't scared of journalists. Never a day went by in the 1980s without her appearing in some way shape or form on the news she was everywhere and you knew exactly what she thought whether you liked it or not. No fluff no well maybe it was yes or no and my god you wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of her NO!

[@vordman]

Maggie did her homework. Throw any subject at her and she wouldn't be stumped. Amazing woman.

[@halfbakedproductions7887]

Thatcher was pretty based. A lot of her private papers have handwritten notes down the side where she basically calls it all out.

[@brazil-y2y]

Yep she would not cower to the EU like the cowards we have today in Parliament.

[@ALoonwolf]

I was born in 1976. All I knew of her came from the TV show 'Spitting Image', then I saw the actual person on TV mixing chemicals together so they changed colour like magic, and I thought, "Hey, She's pretty cool!"

[@washersdryersradios]

@@ALoonwolf she was a trained industrial chemist and partially responsible for the invention on Mr Whippy ice cream.

[@drewstewart9016]

Shows how far we have fallen and how dumbed down the public is now in the space of 40 years.

[@Nunov103]

Indeed, people can say that her policies were divisive and indeed they were, but she was very professional and straightforward unlike today’s politicians.

[@stevedavy2878]

Yes, thanks to a succession of Tory Governments, who want it that way.

[@Jon-es-i6o]

Import the third world, become the third world.

[@Jon-es-i6o]

@@stevedavy2878 Not Tory, Globalist.

[@Nunov103]

@snakedriver as I said, her policies were very divisive but I don’t think anyone can say that she lacked determination.

[@owent1166]

They were so well spoken and polite. They were very professional and respectful to each other.

[@Steve-zs2cl]

They were posh. They still are but just pretend they're not.

[@JayCreates]

Those are mostly pointless surface details, you realise?

[@Mike8981]

No, they weren’t I can assure you lol😢.

[@jayfielding1333]

@@Steve-zs2cl Margaret Thatcher was born in a flat about her father's shop. She was far from posh. Indeed one of her great achievements was blasting posh men out of her way on the way to reaching the top.

[@hadrianmonk]

No, not pointless surface details. Her contrived accent and mannerisms show her character - she was consumed by ambition and so eager to belong to the upper classes.

[@jameskvo]

Thank you, ITN. These unedited long-form interviews are absolutely fascinating. More like this, please!

[@yannatoko9898]

Bit late to get another like this...

[@ah7910]

You know what they meant, why the need to sassy? Unhappy home life? Try being nice, nice things happen.

[@kevinrichards3823]

Eloquent, informed, educated and utter conviction to convey her message- many may not have liked her policies but no one can knock her delivery - a brilliance that has not been replaced in 30 years

[@BuffOrpington7]

While I disagreed with her politics, I never had any doubt about her competence. What a contrast to our most recent PMs.

[@Xeeni87]

Here is my question for you would u vote for her or labour right now? who would u have most trust in for the country (i assume that's ur current vote?) io personally would for her many times over it seems to me old politicians did what they said there wasn't this sneaking around say 1 thing to please the people then do another to please politicans etc.

[@BuffOrpington7]

I would still vote Labour, as Mrs Thatcher is only one woman. Even if she was PM now, she'd still be surrounded by a lacklustre cabinet.

[@Xeeni87]

@@BuffOrpington7 ok thanks for answering i personally see the same for both parties right now. but i think the head of the party has a decent chance of steering in the direction they choose.

[@loubieloujones5698]

​@@BuffOrpington7Whereas Labour are lacklustre all the way to and including the PM. Starmer is the most hollow politician in my lifetime.

[@BuffOrpington7]

​@loubieloujones5698 In what way can he possibly be worse than Liz Truss or Matt Hancock, to name just a couple? He's not a very exciting politician, but he seems more competent than the last few PMs we've had.

[@ldavid2528]

I think I could start watching the news again if it was delivered calmly and respectfully like this.

[@patrickpaganini]

Exactly - what nonsense we get these days.

[@KyleNornIreland]

​@@patrickpaganiniIt was always nonsense

[@michellefalleur960]

Good point

[@ingridkiss3402]

Mesmerising. Didn't miss a beat and not a single unnecessary word. Either you agreed with her politics or not, no one can deny she was a born leader and spokeswoman.

[@NotMarkKnopfler]

Sharp as a pin. Nobody whispering in her ear as to what to say, no advisers, no PR representatives telling her what she can and cannot say. Gives immediate answers, and doesn't duck the questions. Best there's ever been.

[@mellonudrigle6217]

You can see her press secretary Bernard Ingham just out of shot in the background.

[@Steve-zs2cl]

What are you talking about? She was totally manufactured by PR men. They told her what to wear, howvto hold her handbag. They even lowered her voice snd got her to speak in slower, more measured tones. It was the success of her and her party's makeover that brought us to where we are today.

[@archiebald4717]

The only PM who delivered what she promised. Everybody who voted for or against her, knew exactly what they voted for. Wish we had a bit more of that these days.

[@jonathansimmonds3758]

How refreshing to hear an interviewer who has the goal of producing light rather than heat.

[@gregsteven3762]

the only source of light is heat

[@jamesthecat]

​@@gregsteven3762They are distinct, all the same. Heat is a lower form of energy (and less useful), in terms of entropy.

[@gregsteven3762]

@@jamesthecat Entropic principles do guide the universe and thus politics I suppose (perhaps it is for this reason the investment in democracy as a social experiment is yielding diminishing returns). I miss Mrs. Thatcher for reasons which I shall keep to myself. However, I do wish Marx and Darwin would have met thus proving to the late PM there is or was such a thing as society -- until she and Reaganomics destroyed it.

[@arthurthroovest558]

For all our misgivings, she got the adoption of our daughter pushed through when our authorities were deliberately holding things up.... she personally intervened, not delegating the problem to a department. I wonder how many PMs would do that?

[@Richard-d1y]

I would. Vote me.

[@Jan-dv4hq]

How wonderful. She was very kind, something which doesn't always come across. How we could do with her now!

[@TheConduit10]

I was young kid when Thatcher came to power , and I just went along with Red Wave of socialist hate for her , but man How much respect I have for her now.

[@stevecooper3010]

True

[@medwayhospitalprotest]

You should have a good think why everyone hated her. She is the reason we have no decent stock of council houses. She sold them all. Along with anything else she could get her hands on. People like to blame our problems on migrants, when actually we are still living with the consequences of her policies.

[@brazil-y2y]

Yeah we were brainwashed as youth about evil Maggie, seems a true patriate

[@quick46]

If you warmed to her, you are f'kin idiots @@brazil-y2y

[@davidlondon9696]

@@medwayhospitalprotest everyone did not hate her: she was elected as PM of the country three consecutive times and engineered a massive positive transformation of an economy which had been in its death throes under Labour. As for the consequences of her policies now, where was Labour in 1997-2010 hen it could have rescinded the legislation that left wingers like you hate so much?

[@barryispuzzled]

This shows that she was very charming off camera and that her TV persona was an act. It's a shame because her off-camera persona is endearing. Very sharp mind too.

[@garryharriman7349]

She was an Oxford graduate before she entered politics!

[@jonathankieranwriter]

I wouldn’t say it is an “act”-settings determine human behavior. A pre-interview setting is more casual by definition. A taped interview setting of this kind, discussing serious international political policy, is quite formal, and a person of decorum and professionalism responds accordingly. She is charming in both settings, but again there are different attitudes and modes of conduct which the interviewee is required to summon according to the situation. Her decorum hardly constitutes an “act,” or some form of insincerity. This wasn’t a giddy morning chat-show discussion about making cookies or whether she prefers watching ‘Are You Being Served’ to ‘Fawlty Towers.’

[@halfbakedproductions7887]

@charleswhite758 My mother is nearly 70. She remembers Thatcher becoming Tory leader and it was seen as a very shocking, radical and bold event at the time - a woman leading a political party was one brave new thing, but the _Conservative_ Party of all things? Utterly unthinkable.

[@halfbakedproductions7887]

@@garryharriman7349 In her previous (pre-politics) life in industrial chemistry it is rumoured that Thatcher played a role in the invention of soft scoop ice cream.

[@garryharriman7349]

@@halfbakedproductions7887 She did. I believe she also stated that if people knew how science made it possible to consume it in such a manner, nobody would wish to eat it!

[@tommoncrieff1154]

Fascinating to see how witty and chummy she was when not on air, then how she steeled up as she became The Iron Lady. Word perfect, her eyes narrow and become steely as she concentrates on giving answers that she knows will resonate down the years into the history books. People say she was the last decent Prime Minister and the standard used to be higher than today. Truth is most politicians have always been poor and in it for themselves, she was a titan, so was Churchill, few others at any time have matched them.

[@dwayne_dibley]

Churchill had two great achievements, fighting the Nazis and eventually croaking it. It’s debatable which was the greater.

[@61sven]

@@dwayne_dibley what a stupid ignorant comment.

[@andrewwotherspoona5722]

Actually, the only other one to come close was Blair

[@redlumb953]

I could never stand her mannerisms because all I ever saw was 'the act' - she is so much more likable here - wish she 'd allowed the media to see that side of her

[@Daveyboyz1978]

​@@andrewwotherspoona5722 Blair never acted in the interests of this country, merely in the interests of himself. Blair ushered in the post truth era... there never was a more lowly man.

[@toomanysecrets7121]

Growing up heard my Dad hating on her, just went along with it. Now I’m wiser doing my own research she was the best PM of all time. Tough no nonsense, loved this country, everyone could sleep easy at night knowing she was in charge of running this country. If only we could have her back to fight our corner.

[@nasdkhan254]

She had a bit of a school teacher telling you off demeanour. I personally thought she was non compassionate myself but she was good on 3 things 1/ The Irainian Seige 2/ Falklands 3/ Ira Brighton Bomb getting bombed in the middle of the night yet still doing the Conference 9am the same morning . Labour had Michael Foot & Neil Kinnock 😂😂😂

[@johnnylaird7883]

:-)))

[@markpalmer8083]

​@@nasdkhan2544. And most importantly, the economy. And we have lived off her success with that , through Major, Blair, Brown and Cameron... But it is now completely unraveling due to to socialist policies of both the Tories and Labour, which have been let back in. God help us now!

[@marymary5494]

We had a Psychopath in power.

[@markpalmer8083]

@@marymary5494 How old are you?

[@georgeholland2934]

Not a single err or umm. Fluent and articulate. I despised her policies, but she was mesmerizing on screen! An extraordinary political leader. Fascinating to see her sense of humour and self-consciousness off air.

[@stephengraham5099]

There were a couple around seven minutes.

[@simoncarswell3515]

@charleswhite758 Absolute nonsense. I'm a professional camera operator and take great pride in making sure that nothing will distract from the main subject. The idea that any professional camera operator would deliberately make a subject look awkward or ridiculous is deeply offensive. If it happens, it happens accidentally, usually due to time restrictions, and it's incredibly frustrating.

[@christopherwainman6284]

That’s becashe had elocution lessons. Watch early footage of her - terrible ! Awful woman awful party awful polocy’s. But most of all awful public voting her in

[@batmandestroys1978]

Fantastic comment!

[@simoncarswell3515]

@charleswhite758 you're talking about reportage which is a different animal. I guess camera ops are freer in that domain to take some liberties (and the less said about what tabloid paps are capable of the better! Bacon sandwich, anyone?) I was talking about this exact type of filming in the video - the more formal sit down interview. I've filmed lots of these, including some with (then) current and former prime ministers, and royalty. They are extremely restrictive with what you can and can't film. There will be people in the room looking at your shot and checking nothing is amiss. You can see in this clip Maggie is able to look at a monitor and is giving directions to the camera operator. If anyone in the room thought I was trying to make the subject look foolish I would be off the job, make no mistake!

[@Guardian__Angel]

She spoke with real conviction and determination.

[@moodyblue1964]

I disliked her and her politics back then. Mind you, being A teenager, how could I possibly understand much of it. Since then, I've come to respect her immensely. My country could only dream of a leader like her in 2024. Straight talking, knew exactly what she stood for and put up with no crap from anyone. The much missed Mrs Thatcher.

[@Ana_crusis]

In other words you've become a fascist

[@LOTPOR0402]

As a teenager you hated her because you were told to do so

[@SuperBC10]

@@LOTPOR0402as a teenager I hated her because of the absolute annihilation of my area due to her policies. Much as you may find it difficult to believe, even as pre teenagers some of us had clear and concise first hand experience of the old evil witch’s ways. My opinion is the same now as it was then. That is my opinion - based on first hand experience-period. When she died our local pub had a £1 a pint bonanza. The pub was full.

[@LOTPOR0402]

@SuperBC10 So why don't you say that to the original.poster , and if you think Starmer is any better you are a fool , he is way worse

[@moodyblue1964]

@@LOTPOR0402 No I wasn't told that at all. I was politically aware for a teenager and took a healthy interest.

[@Mal_Outdoors]

Amazing to see the interviewer genuinely asking questions and listening to the answers instead of trying to score points as most seem to do today.

[@Steve-zs2cl]

He was the ITN creep. She didn't like tough interviewers.

[@silvana11221122]

loved Margret Thatcher and always will. thanks for sharing this unedited clip. would love to see more please !

[@AntunesDalsgaard]

Nowadays you often don't really know, about female leaders, whether they have partly been chosen due to their gender. Back then, we all knew that Thatcher was chosen despite her gender, and it showed. Her qualities were self-evident.

[@shelleyphilcox4743]

@AntunesDalsgaard I think we all know that previous to Thatcher, Prime Ministers had all been in place due to their sex rather than their proven merit on a level playing field.

[@juanchoresultay2704]

She was chosen because of her leadership skills and her strong stans and who happens to be a woman

[@shelleyphilcox4743]

You could easily say historically we know people were chosen only because of their sex, and nothing to do with their ability. There was no case of not being sure whether they were there due to their sex, we knew it for an absolute fact.

[@markl8740]

How articulate and knowledgeable. And I am a Labour voter.

[@simonhibbs887]

Conservative, but look, Labour politicians back then were also a different breed to now. People who'd lived through WW2, or at least had seen the hardships of the post war years. Denis Healey was beach master at Anzio. I hardly agreed with a word Michael Foot and Tony Ben said, but never for a second doubted their honesty, conviction and commitment to the British people.

[@rachelpenny5165]

I may not agreed with some of her politics but she made an impression to me when I was a child. She was on a Saturday morning children's TV programme. When answering questions from the children she spoke to them with respect rather than talking down to them. As kids we were used to people talking down to us, so it was nice to see someone talking to the children. It is something that I still remember.

[@shazshanaa6425]

I remember on a kids programme she did a science experiment with red cabbage in the tiny flat kitchen at No.10. I was so shocked and she did it perfectly.

[@paulfrost8952]

⁠@@shazshanaa6425A chemistry degree from Oxford does help when doing science experiments for kids!

[@paulfrost8952]

As one of the 1 in 10 I can state that she left an impression on millions of us especially the miners!

[@Steve-zs2cl]

She was acting. She hated kids. They called her the Milk Snatcher because she stopped free school milk for kids. That's how much she respected them.

[@floatingsara]

​@@Steve-zs2clMilk Snatcher 😂 I guess she hated everything that came for free from tax payers. So sad. 😢

[@KazgarothUsher]

This is beyond fascinating - great post ITN!

[@damienabbott9805]

What an absolutely incredible interview.

[@roisingrant]

January 1984 is exactly 40 years ago. Interesting that much of what Mrs Thatcher says is _still_ relevant today.

[@BaddaBigBoom]

...and much of what she damaged remains damaged.

[@roisingrant]

@@BaddaBigBoom I never said I agree with all of what she either said or did, only that _much_ of what she _said_ is relevant today. I'm interested in discussing this further and expanding my perspective. Please tell me your experience/perspective of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister and your main faults with her.

[@sebastianwelcome2080]

no it's not 40 years ago 1983 is 40 years ago now .1984 is 39 years ago.

[@roisingrant]

@@sebastianwelcome2080 Are you unaware of what year it is? 2024-1984=40. Bear in mind I said _January,_ which applies from January 1st onward if we're to be truly pedantic. Do think _somewhere_ between typing and posting something like that. You're doing yourself a disservice.

[@sebastianwelcome2080]

@@roisingrant how did you work that one out? my mates younger sister was born in 1982 and in 2023 she just turned bloody 41years old l done the maths

[@davidtweats310]

A librarian told me that a friend of his had been a police VIP protection officer. His favourite VIP? Margaret Thatcher. He said that she was the nicest person.

[@patrickpaganini]

That's interesting. You couldn't say that about Prince Andrew.

[@jeanalarson3108]

Robert Kingston, one of her long-time personal protection officers, was asked what she was like to work for. He intimated that most people they have to protect aren't kind and the officers personally didn't like them. Not so with Margaret. She was exceedingly kind and was concerned with their well being and families. He said, "I would catch bullets in my teeth to save that woman!" There's true testament to the kind of person she was.

[@stevedavy2878]

I had a friend of a friend who was Adolf Hitlers gardener, said he pressed flowers in a book

[@MrJohnfoster70]

She lost Hong-Kong

[@lukerogers6133]

6 years after leaving office? Also, HK was leased, the lease ran out. Well, the large New Territories that the city couldn’t survive in any practical way without.

[@davidlondon2810]

OMG is it really 40 years ago. Seems like just yesterday. She was the best and last of a breed of conviction politician that is now extinct.

[@michellefalleur960]

Absolutely true

[@garrylloyd9497]

Fabulous piece of archive. Mrs Thatcher in brilliant form.

[@markcolston2930]

Love her or hate her,we wouldn't be in the mess we are in now if she was in power today!

[@leeskinka]

lol, she’s the reason we are in this mess. Trickle down economics, privatisation, out sourcing, cuts to public services, selling off of social housing, poll tax, recession etc etc. They’re just the good things she presided over. 👏

[@David-uf8ex]

Damn right

[@Steve-zs2cl]

No, we'd still be in the EU for a start

[@bombshelterfoxes]

She is the instigator of the mess we are in today

[@aaronwalderslade]

I hardly agreed with one thing she did. But by golly, I miss her. She was honest. We all knew where we stood back then. We're so lost now.

[@LordWalsallian]

Whether you loved her or hated her...she had something our current politicians lack....gumption, tenacity and a work ethic like a miner.

[@archiebald4717]

Conviction.

[@DeclanMBrennan]

Quite an ironic analogy seeing as miners became an endangered species in the UK during her premiership.

[@archiebald4717]

@@DeclanMBrennan Not true. More mines were closed by Labour.

[@DeclanMBrennan]

​@@archiebald4717 While accepting that mine closure since WW2 was a historical trend, the Conservatives closed 586 deep mines versus Labour's 371.

[@LordWalsallian]

@@DeclanMBrennan Deep mining was and still is incredibly dangerous, polluting and terrible for the environment. I’d actually forgotten about the Miners Strikes however it was the Unions with their stranglehold on Britain’s energy production that are equally to blame for everything that happened during time.

[@Nunov103]

It’s funny that a lot of people say that she didn’t have a sense of humour when in fact she did, she was quite funny, actually, I mean, say whatever you will about her policies, she was indeed very divisive, but one cannot say that she was not charismatic.

[@harrynac6017]

“I'm back... and you knew I was coming. On my way here I passed a cinema with the sign 'The Mummy Returns'.” ― Margaret Thatcher

[@Nunov103]

@@harrynac6017 😂😂😂 she was brilliant.

[@brazil-y2y]

I grew up hating Thatcher but what I'd give for someone who cared about the UK, to run it like her. Rather than traitors like we've had for decades since she left.

[@deliciousful]

Cared for UK? You sure?

[@brazil-y2y]

100% she wouldn't have bent over for the EU like every other PM since.@@deliciousful

[@truth.952]

Same thing here..used to be a rabid leftie hating everything thatcher stood for...still dont agree with a lot she did but boy do we need someone like her now...would love to see her treating the EU with the contempt they try to treat us and as for the boat mob dont even go there

[@jeansmith3367]

Hate to say it, but me too. Need someone now with her strength. Still don't like her at all though, caused the beginning of the downfall of this country. She'd be out of her depth now though, I think. Different world. This Country is fkd

[@brazil-y2y]

Nah she didn't cause anything, the globalists have been plotting their NWO for well over a century. WW2 failed so everything we see today was planned in the 1940s, the downfall of the UK, US, Europe Australia all planned. Maggie was the last PM who stood up for this country and is why she was removed. Things always look darkest before dawn, so remember there's always hope when the sun comes up. People are waking up as they rush their plans so don't give up hope. Know this is a literal spiritual war happening, whether you have any faith or not, God always wins.@@jeansmith3367

[@61sven]

For the information of the younger generation, this is what a strong and decisive prime minister looks like.

[@marymary5494]

Or what a witch looks like. ☺️

[@matelot95]

You can also add to that statement ...cruel, cold, selfish, autocratic, heartless and uncaring.

[@Steve-zs2cl]

This is what a psychopath looks like

[@loubieloujones5698]

​@@matelot95She saved this country by seeing the bigger picture and not trying to be all things to all men as today's weak politicians do.

[@jonnobloggs1139]

Brian Walden was correct in calling her off her trolley.

[@MrX12889]

Last conservative prime minister and one with a spine

[@feliscorax]

Nowt conservative about her: she was a radical.

[@stephenturner7949]

Also a milk snatcher and poll tax thief

[@elagabalusrex390]

Well...with a spine and a brain simultaneously. Boris was very forceful - just not terribly bright. Much like another blonde tousle-haired politician on the other side of the pond that I know...

[@nirmalsandhu5256]

Actually she was a neo liberal with a conservative bias

[@halfbakedproductions7887]

My mum remembers Thatcher becoming Tory leader. It was a shocking, bold, radical moment. At that time the idea of a woman leading a political party was one thing... but the Conservative Party?! Really?! Just unfathomable. The 1970s was a very different time and a lot of social attitudes were hopelessly oldfashioned.

[@androgyny77]

"Someone once asked me if I'd had my face lifted - I said it hadn't dropped yet" ICONIC

[@harrynac6017]

“I'm back... and you knew I was coming. On my way here I passed a cinema with the sign 'The Mummy Returns'.” ― Margaret Thatcher

[@KeiranCounsellKC1994]

Im amazed that unused stuff like this is still in the archives, its a great look into history and a real treat

[@dwayne_dibley]

Just to think, the BBC recorded over Doctor Who but ITN kept the ramblings of early onset dementia.

[@KeiranCounsellKC1994]

@@dwayne_dibley current affairs and news is valued alot more and always was. Becides some of the stuff isnt great quality online that was saved

[@YOUTHOCD]

@@dwayne_dibleySome 20 years between the two instance’s, 20 years in which the ability to cheaply store and archive broadcasted material evolved a great deal.

[@dwayne_dibley]

@@YOUTHOCD that’s not quite true. The BBC was still wiping tapes well into the late 1970’s and didn’t have any form of archival policy until 1978. Thatcher resigned in 1990. Also Betacam tapes have never been prohibitively expensive.

[@barbaradobner6050]

That was very interesting. Everyone is totally different than they are in front of the camera .I.loved her sense of humor right there.😊

[@kevindare3113]

When we had a proper prime minister running the country

[@TC8787-yq7og]

She absolutely destroyed the country, she started the neoliberal two tier system we’re still stuck in

[@TheExtremenarcissist]

Nonsense. Thatcher is the architect of today’s problems: decimated public services, outrageous wealth inequality, collapsing infrastructure, housing crisis, health crisis, appalling rail service, education crisis and more. All of it can be traced back to Thatcher’s blind devotion to neoliberal ideology.

[@reuterromain1054]

I fear Rishi Sunak is all bla, bla,bla and very little action.

[@natalielove6934]

Running it, into the abyss

[@kevindare3113]

@@natalielove6934 what winning 3 elections

[@SimonandJojo]

Lovely to see Margaret Thatcher before going into Prime Minister mode, love or hate her, you have to admire her, back then she was in what was very much a 'man's world'. Before she was interviewed I loved her humour, especially about a face-lift., but what is so wonderful and beautiful to hear is her diction, you can hear every word she says. Noele Gordon (from the soap Crossroads) was very much from the same mould, a lady in a man's world, but managed be the first woman to interview a prime minister, the first woman on colour tv, got herself a pilot license for flying a plane, and on the board of ATV and many other things, but she had many of the same qualities as Margaret Thatcher. I know someone who wrote to Margaret Thatcher, he received a beautiful letter from her and a signed photograph. Britain has gone to the wall now.

[@jimj1525]

This lady knew her own worth

[@bowwowrapha7790]

A minus equation!!

[@Expresso98]

Very pleasing to see the respectful nature of comments here, even from those who disliked (or even despised) her policies: it seems apparent that many people crave politicians giving professional, articulate responses and eschewing the "10-second" spun and confected-for-easier-digestion answers so redolent thesedays. It is refreshing, as many seem to have found. Fabulous to see footage, albeit brief, of the "unguarded' Maggie Thatcher. Hopefully more of such footage and exchanges will be released.

[@fionaforrest4787]

Fascinating stuff! Whatever you may think of her politics, she was a real politician.

[@gumusluk05]

She didn't start a sentence with "so" Great interview

[@michellefalleur960]

... Thank goodness, I'm So Sick of hearing people starting what they're saying with that !!

[@keithjohnson49]

Churchill aside, Maggie was the best PM we've ever had, bar none. My God do we need someone of Her character now. She'll be turning in Her grave

[@thombrown]

She described gay people as immoral and introduced Section 28. Tried to introduce poll tax too. She was a highly problematic woman.

[@dh2032]

more of best priminister we didn't have, he war time leader, a all collision uk government for duration of the war (ww2), after war was over and normal politic resumed, he dropped like stone,

[@Ana_crusis]

If she's turning in her grave it'll be attached to a spit over the flames of hell

[@davidryan3079]

Churchill was the worst PM England ever had.

[@nickholland6537]

This is no comment on her poltics which, depending on who you were could be divisive, ignorant to others or brilliant, but from a human perspective she had remarkable control and a very very confident way of dealing with people. Her management style is immensely impressive as was her competence in that management. Like I said, not a comment on politics but you have to say that in terms of character we’d love a prime minister with her confidence and will again

[@markwalters2927]

A wonderful woman, Prime Minister, party leader & speaker. Thank-you Mrs T for what you did for our country. The end of your reign was the start of our country's decline.

[@terrydray]

Couldn’t agree more. Our country was bankrupt thanks to Wilson and Callahan when she became PM.

[@matsudaseiko]

OBVIOUSLY U'RE ONE OF TRAITOR MARK'S MATE WHO WANT TO OPEN A THATCHER MUSEUM for their own profit and THAT'S WHY CAROL has to round up the handbags and SOLD IT ALL OFF ! KARMA for neglecting the poor daughter while spoiling the traitor son......CHUCKLE

[@mylist4039]

...did to our country...did to our country...

[@poetlaureate7334]

What a boss, what a woman.

[@davidroberts1187]

Whether you liked her politics or not, she was a strong leader unlike the wet blankets in parliament today.

[@TJTHEFOOTBALLPROPHET]

I was born and raised in New Orleans Louisiana and discovered her through my history teacher. What an amazing beautiful leader.❤

[@batmandestroys1978]

Very classy Prime minister, beautifully spoken and very elegant!

[@josephkennedy8281]

Oh shut up

[@ianstrange5674]

@batmandestroys1978 The same couldn't be said for her policies.🙄

[@josephkennedy8281]

Batman tho 😂🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡😂

[@batmandestroys1978]

@@josephkennedy8281 Lol!

[@batmandestroys1978]

@@josephkennedy8281 Keir Starmer Oh dear!

[@Magicalfluidprocess]

Many folks despised her, but there is much to admire,

[@dwayne_dibley]

Like she’s in a grave?

[@SharonTateFan67]

​@@dwayne_dibleyGrow up sixth former

[@Barnabybright]

Almost impossible to imagine a Tory of this calibre today. Most of them can barely string a sentence together.

[@daveoliver5838]

Do they have a clip of her speaking in her northern accent ?

[@Barnabybright]

I'd like to hear that!@@daveoliver5838

[@valuetraveler2026]

and the are all foreign

[@halfbakedproductions7887]

@@daveoliver5838 Politicians didn't have regional accents back then. Apart from Harold Wilson of course, he was a major outlier. Roy Jenkins also grew up in a shitty Welsh mining town but sounded like a Shakespearean actor.

[@daveoliver5838]

@@halfbakedproductions7887 According to Edwina Curry, Mrs Thatcher had unmistakable northern accent when she first arrived as a student at Oxford university.

[@rdrhouse]

An incredible woman.

[@Celisar1]

One of the most impressive people I have heard about! Even as an opponent you had to acknowledge her remarkable qualities.

[@garyb455]

Without doubt the best PM in my 70 years, nobody else is even on the same Planet as her.

[@Steve-zs2cl]

Is that Planet Paedo?

[@sgtshellfish5541]

Fascinating, thank you for uploading!

[@flabbybum9562]

I've just finished an audio book on British PMs. It says off camera, she was a thoroughly nice and decent person. She offered a pregnant journalist her own resting area on a long flight. And at a big fancy state banquet full of heads of state and other VIPs, a nervous waitress had an accident and dropped a huge cut of meat 8n the floor. It was Thatcher who stepped in immediately, calming and reassuring the waitress, and making light of it. She later made enquiries to ensure there would be no unfortunate consequences for the girl. These apparently were not isolated examples.

[@davidlondon9696]

Absolutely true. I’ve heard exactly the same from someone I know who worked on a project which involved meeting her on a couple of occasions.

[@ziggystardust3060]

Outstanding interview, thanks for the clip, ITN! 🇬🇧

[@Cabbage_math]

I love the fact she had complete disdain and contempt for Marxism

[@petermartin5030]

The quality and values of Westminster politicians have nosedived in recent decades.

[@uknewsuncut]

See how quick and stern she said "Sovereignty is not negotiable". Today's politicians would sell us out at the drop of a hat.

[@Tony-yp7ok]

She never faltered once. I didn’t like her policies but she always stuck to her principles, was determined and up front. She didn’t hide behind spin or duck questions. Such a massive contrast to the puerile name calling, lies and corruption of today’s tories. Politics has been dumbed down massively. .

[@jozefserf2024]

So many of us were misinformed and misled when we were younger. I know realise MT was the last good PM we had.

[@douginprague]

She was exceptional, even if you disagreed with her. But Major and Blair were also competent and decent. Blairs legacy gets similar flak as Thatcher from the ranting masses.

[@gabrielfranciscorp]

And they say she didn't have a sense of humor.

[@Celisar1]

I recently bought a book with her best quotes. She was incredibly witty. „They“ have no clue.

[@gabrielfranciscorp]

@charleswhite758 El País, a Spanish publication, on an article called "Iron Lady, not amused" by John Carlin, depicts her as basicly being incapable of understanding a joke, and this was on the follow-up of her death. On the same idea was based an article by The Guardian interviewing her chauffeur Denis Oliver, who said: "One thing she didn't have was a sense of humour." And even the British Comedy Guide has a chronicle containing the outburst: "Margaret Thatcher was not known for her sense of humour. In fact, Margaret Thatcher was known for her lack of a sense of humour." Apparently this has become something of a consensus, confirmed by the media in TV series like 'The Crown' and so on and so forth. Clearly, none of that was made evidently enough, though.

[@gabrielfranciscorp]

@charleswhite758 Yes, and I wonder the same now about many other people who were much more well-cultured than others, like Sir Winston Churchill, who in this time and age probably wouldn't meet the 'British Comedy Guide' bar either. Indeed, Thatcher herself had a degree in chemistry and another one in law. Your very comment had me cracking a few good laughs alone. Thank you.

[@vordman]

Yeah, I've never understood that. Her speech comparing Neil Kinnock to someone waiting in a sales queue is a masterclass in comic timing.

[@ForGodAndTheEmpire]

Even iron ladies are concerned about how they look…

[@handsoffmycactus2958]

Look at that ITN logo! Iconic. In comparison to that thing now. Dreadful. What a timeless and classic logo you used to have.

[@cketts8128]

She certainly didn’t do everything right but, boy oh boy, you wouldn’t mess with her!! Wish she was still in charge. I was a youngster when she came into power. You realise how impressive she was compared to the rubbish we often have now! 🙄

[@mesparky9]

Like her or not, you won't find a politician with that much integrity in todays world.

[@stevedavy2878]

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha funniest most ironic comment Ive read in weeks

[@brazil-y2y]

Yes, a leader who cared for the country, would never have bent over for the EU. Before any labour'tards respond look into what Labour did pre Maggie and post Maggie about coal mining, also the unions during the coal miners strikes! Research but you won't. Evil Tories not evil Labour too.

[@lornocford6482]

@mesparky you need to look up the meaning of the word 😂

[@mesparky9]

@@lornocford6482 you should be asking Starmer that. The man defending rapists while trying to convict innocent postmasters.

[@lornocford6482]

@@mesparky9 oh I see, it was just you idolising a politician.

[@outsideview3447]

There were riots because she shut the mines,there would be riots if they tried to open one now 😂

[@peterallen2904]

So many people only think of her as closing the mines. If you know your history, Labour closed far more mines than she did.

[@outsideview3447]

@@peterallen2904 and they took milk from children before the Tories had the nerve to do it

[@RltchieI]

Not only did Wilson close more pits in one term than she did in her entire reign, he also ended the use of coal on the railways costing the NCB their largest customer. But some don’t like to let facts get in the way of perception 😉

[@nicktecky55]

@@RltchieI Rubbish, the end of steam traction was decided by the 1945 Treasury, nothing to do with Wilson, or any politician come to that.

[@mogulhopper]

incredible woman

[@pennybunny]

She was an absolute legend

[@brazil-y2y]

hey are you penny bunny to used to do vids? You kinda look like her. seeing if I can sub to you

[@halfbakedproductions7887]

That leaked conference call audio of Theresa May from a few years back also revealed a very different (i.e. much more casual, laid-back and personable) side to her than the public normally saw. She seemed so much more natural and relaxed without the cameras and the public being present. It's fascinating to see behind-the-scenes stuff like this.

[@khar12d8]

Mrs Thatcher was very charismatic in her own way. Thatcher and Blair both had strong public personas whatever you think of their policies.

[@bodinski100]

Totally......in 2023, this woman is the sanity amongst the madness......who knew!!!

[@richardjames3356]

Saw Blair as a weasel from the very beginning.

[@kevindare3113]

Blair couldn’t lace her boots

[@vordman]

Don't even try to compare the Iron Lady with that creep.

[@dsmsl9734]

Blair? You are living in idiot land the man had as much substance as air

[@paulb3517]

if only we had someone like that in charge today..

[@Steve-zs2cl]

We'd be well and truly fucked

[@paulb3517]

@@Steve-zs2cl lol

[@stevedickson5853]

Probably not​@@Steve-zs2cl

[@John-mz8rj]

Wonderful woman so compassionate.

[@nationaltrevor255]

You’re either drunk, a moron or being sarcastic.

[@MicaRayan]

'That porcelain guy' 😂😅

[@philgrossman660]

A very moving interview. Whatever you think of Margaret Thatcher, she was a very learned and articulate person. No swerving, direct answers.

[@greenpedal370]

My god she was good, so relaxed.

[@markuk8803]

The last 'Great' Prime Minister... What a shambles we have now...

[@halfbakedproductions7887]

Queen Elizabeth II started her 70 year reign with the legendary Sir Winston Churchill. She ended it on Liz bloody Truss. Back in 1952, I don't think anyone could have predicted what a shambles future generations would turn out to be. There was also the joke that the Queen had 15 Prime Ministers in her time, but her son King Charles III was on track to beat that by his first Christmas.

[@CaptainNow2]

I strongly disliked her and her politics but man, listening to her here is an incredible experience. No wonder so many people hold her in high regard, I reluctantly do so myself, right now and hate myself for it, her answers are so clean and thought out and her humanity at the start of the interview really shows how sharp she really was. What an impressive woman.

[@bazbbeeb7226]

What a great woman.

[@peacockpaula4723]

I adore her accent she is so articulate and she has such a sweet voice, is a pleasure to listen to Mrs Thatcher. She knows her job🙂.

[@DanBmthUK]

1:44 That Television Station she was ‘Opening on Friday’ in Maidstone was the newly built TVS Television Centre at Vinters Park - which remains open and operational today as the Maidstone Studios.

[@adamcormie3362]

She was just fascinating, Maggie

[@Asarlai-1]

I am an admirer of Mrs.Thatcher, and it is delightful to see another side of her here. At the same time, I believe that there are ethical issues that need to be considered when showing pre-interview footage of any interview. For example, one question I have in this instance is, "Did Mrs. Thatcher give all rights to ITN to distribute the above material in any format at any time in the future as it sees fit?" I would be interested in knowing how ITN has considered ethical issues that might arise in showing such footage.

[@11nitrox]

Every politician knows that if you are in front of a camera and mic'd up then everything you say and do from that moment forth is going to be recorded and captured and can be used. If you don't want something to be recorded, don't say it or do it while you are mic'd up and in front of the camera. Ronald Reagan learned that the hard way when he joked about bombing Moscow, i think as the words he spoke when asked to give a voice level test for an Oval Office TV address he was making. I also recall past incidents where politicians have been exiting vehicles or walking up Downing Street and documents and folders they have been holding in their hands have been captured, the images enlarged and the details of their contents broadcast when clearly they did not intend for that to be so. In these cases, while they weren't technically being interviewed, they all knew they were in front of cameras and mics that would be recording them and that press would be monitoring their demeanor, behaviour and anything they say. It is their responsibility and that of their aides to ensure appropriate behaviour and the security of any information they are holding, not the TV companies duty not to film and record it. If they are careless in that regard then that says something about how they handle sensitive information and the public has a right to know. In this situation she had invited the TV crew into Downing Street and the cameras and mic were not hidden. She knew she was being recorded and unless she had specifically asked that they be turned off prior to the interview formally starting and had assured they had been, then if she had been careless and said or done something unwise, she would have no expectation that it wouldn't have been captured. By sitting there in front of them in her role as PM she had implicitly given her permission for whatever they captured to be used. Even if they had been off, she was in the room with TV crew and any of them could recount what they saw and heard, they would not have signed an official document binding them to secrecy. If this was zoom lens footage or captured by a hidden microphone of her in a place considered to be private, or at a time when she was not 'on duty', like in the garden of a holiday villa or at a family event to which the media had not been given access, then it may be different. But here she was 'on duty' so would have no expectation of privacy.

[@nicolemurphy2629]

Princess Diana was not a Politician and her Privacy should have been protected as should the Privacy of all the Royals TV channels should not be using off camera footage of Princess Diana and releasing it now that is unethical and grotesque It is one of the reasons why I refuse to have a TV

[@nicolemurphy2629]

she was such a 🌟

[@nicolemurphy2629]

indeed you are right to bring this up and to question it.

[@VintageTVMemories]

As a leader and a public figure, EVERYTHING YOU DO IS PUBLIC. Otherwise, choose another career. There is no call to question of ethics here. Thatcher and her peers are PUBLIC SERVANTS and as such, everything they do, everything they say, whether they give express consent or not, is our business and can be broadcast, dissected or otherwise analyzed. It seems today that unknowledgeable laymen tend to occupy their tiny minds with this type of inane question. If you want to understand the rational at play here, please study journalism instead of verbalizing in a comments section.

[@stu4843]

They don’t make them like Thatcher any more regrettably.

[@davidGPS95]

Yes they do Anne Widecombe

[@RestWithin]

Yes they do, Jacob Reese Mogg.

[@PompeyBoy66]

She was a Christian. This nation has rejected the Lord.

[@Michaelneiss]

Agreed! Despite repeated attempts, no one has yet managed to produce such a large pile of human feces.

[@terrystephens8603]

Thank fxxx She hated mines steelworks and any Nationally owned industries Now we got fxxx all.

[@pivotset2]

Makes you realise just how near the bottom of the barrel we have sunk with Sunak and the rest.

[@jasonthewatchmansson8873]

A great leader. I really enjoyed seeing the unscripted moments. Please upload more, ITN Archive!

[@DerickRose-ld2qv]

She was the greatest matriarchal leader in the history of modern England. May her soul rest in peace.

[@Ciskokid1970]

What a Lady 🤩

[@andrewraffan1597]

One of a kind. She gets my utmost respect. Margaret never had a silver spoon in her extraordinary life as a grocers daughter with a dream. With grit, determination and merit PN Thatcher left a mark on GB as a steadfast Leader which we won’t see again.

[@geezerbutler4582]

Marrying a multi-millionaire oil executive helped. Especially with the the fees to become a barrister.

[@davidlondon9696]

@@geezerbutler4582 she got two degrees and passed Latin O level in six weeks from scratch after learning that she would need it in order to start her law degree. Sheer hard work, steely determination and a can-do attitude were the key ingredients to her success. It’s why the loony left really hate her because she so fatally undermines their flawed worldview.

[@sebastianwelcome2080]

​@@geezerbutler4582who was the multi millionare oil executive Dennis l dint know that l can remember as little kid the press makeing him look slow and dopey

[@Ling-us9td]

@@geezerbutler4582she deserves a good husband

[@cbnewham5633]

And she didn't remind everyone in every single interview - unlike the "son of a toolmaker".

[@markbehr88]

She had a lot more presence than many politicians that followed her, not just in the Uk but globally.

[@PlayMoreGolf-RipOff]

It’s great to see how firm she was on the issue of rebate payments from the European Community and using very strong legal terminology such as ‘they are now in default’ they are literally a few days overdue at this point and she is already right on them about it and stating clearly that she will take steps to safeguard the financial wellness of 🇬🇧 by stopping further payments until the amount owed has been payed or recouped by cumulative non-payment of further amounts. Could you imagine current leaders bringing this strong with other countries / organisations that owe 🇬🇧 money today?

[@Knappa22]

But crucially she was *there* in the middle of the EEC. She was one of the architects of the single market. One thing she would *not* have done would be brexit. She *never* reneged on a treaty and she was too pragmatic to self impose sanctions and obstacles on our businesses as they traded with our nearest and biggest market on the continent. She fought for our concessions and rebate, which we still had till 2019, and it’s all been destroyed by the swivel eyed brexiteers and their stupid brexit.

[@stephenmcpadden3770]

And the UK owe how much in debt?

[@NickGreenwoodable]

I think the general issue of international debt is different from defaulting on payments due? @@stephenmcpadden3770

[@Dbdbe1]

And she would never have been stupid enough to support Brexit

[@feliscorax]

@@Dbdbe1 That's the thing her contemporary fans overlook: she might not have had much love for the EU, and goodness knows there are reasons for that just as there are many others in the opposite direction as well, but as the daughter of a green grocer, she certainly knew which side her (and the country's) bread was buttered. Her acolytes today are complete zealots who misrepresent what she was all about -- and look at the mess they've made!

[@mgbtvshowsfilms]

Mention for Sir Alastair Burnet, great voice, great composure, where have these newreaders gone????