john o'sullivan: the two sides of margaret thatcher - telegraph

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4/15/13 9:34 PMohn O'Sullivan: The two sides of Margaret Thatcher - Telegraph

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John O'Sullivan: The two sides of Margaret Thatcher

As Mrs Thatcher's speech-writer, John O'Sullivan got to know both sides of his boss: thestateswoman and the housewife

Margaret Thatcher during the Dartford Election in 1950Photo: UPPA/Photoshot

12:03PM BST 13 Apr 2013

At the height of her power as prime minister, Mrs Thatcher was an extraordinary combination of

towering world-historical figure and ordinary middle-class British housewife. She was Bismarck and

Carrie Pooter rolled into one. If you were a visiting statesman negotiating with her, as Mikhail

Gorbachev found, she became a formidable opponent, armed with the facts, determined to destroy you

in debate. If you were a member of a friendly delegation of mayors or Conservative ladies, she would

plump up the cushions, wind down the window, or rearrange the furniture to make you feel

comfortable and at home. And if you worked closely with her as an adviser or speech-writer as I did

for several years inside and outside Downing Street she would do both, sometimes at the same

moment.

Almost everyone who worked closely with Mrs Thatcher loved her because she treated them withconsideration. That is not to say that she treated everyone equally. But she inverted the usual rule of


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hierarchies: she kissed down and she kicked up. She was invariably courteous and understanding to

the typists, the doormen, her beloved detectives, the ladies who served the tea. She was demanding

and, when necessary, sharp towards ministers and senior civil servants. She thought that people at the

top should know their stuff or else. But she was considerate to everyone, remembering our

birthdays, advising us on our diets (Give John more potatoes; theyre very nutritious), and forcing

ministers, if she thought they were run-down, to take the holidays that she herself hated.

That attitude was right and refreshing, but not invariably fair. It was hard on Sir Geoffrey Howe that,

when a Wren at Chequers stumbled and poured soup into his lap, the prime minister leapt up to

comfort the waitress. And Mrs Thatcher did not always take into account that even senior advisers

might initially be intimidated by her when she was in a cross-examining mood. When one new adviser

staggered out after a savage handbagging, she asked, plaintively: Why does everyone take what I

say so seriously? She loved a good argument and reckoned that the high and mighty should be able todefend themselves. (The very highest took revenge in due course.)

Until 5.30pm each day, I was a temporary civil servant, advising the prime minister on a range of

policies. Half an hour later I would start work on the dark side as a speech-writer for the Leader of the

Conservative Party. Under the rules, Mrs Thatcher could not receive official help for party political

occasions thus no Downing Street secretaries, no regular civil servant advisers, above all no chefs

and waitresses.

ow, a Thatcher speech might go through five drafts. At some point in the long night, the speech-

writers needed to be fed. When the freezer ran out of M&S lasagne, Mrs Thatcher duly put aside her

handbag, took out her frying pan, and provided us with prime ministerial bacon and eggs. As I recall,

they were pretty tasty.

It is said that no man is a hero to his valet. Well, that depends on the quality of both the hero and the

valet. Margaret Thatcher was very much a hero to her valets, whether physical or intellectual. The

late Supt Bob Kingston refused promotion after promotion in order to remain part of her protection

squad.

Thatcher aides on the writing side might sometimes be tempted to claim credit for a particular speech

or even phrase. But we knew that the real author of a speech was the woman who had subjected every

line to forensic analysis and then gone out prepared to defend the brave policies it advocated.

Besides, we all remembered that she had delivered the Perfect Squelch to a group of intellectualvalets with ideas above their station.


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At the 30th-anniversary dinner of the Institute of Economic Affairs, she was the 12th speaker

scheduled to appear. The previous speakers were all men. They all overran their time. They all argued

that intellectuals were the real movers and shakers of the world, and that politicians were merely their

instruments.

Eventually, the prime minister rose to speak.

Gentlemen, she began. The cock may crow, but its the hen that lays the eggs

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john o'sullivan: the two sides of margaret thatcher - telegraph

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