Files reveal Margaret Thatcher's frugal side

BBC ^ | 30 Dec 2011 | Gerry Holt & Nathan Williams

[Zajko]

Margaret Thatcher's early life as a grocer's daughter was a far cry from the sometimes lavish surroundings she later found herself in as Britain's first female prime minister.

And it seems her relatively modest upbringing stayed with her after she entered No 10.

Government papers from 1979, made public for the first time by the National Archives, suggest she kept a very close eye on the costs of furnishing her official residence.

The documents reveal how the "Iron Lady" insisted on paying for her own ironing board and dictated that spending on her official residence at No 10 should be as "economical as possible".

In a document detailing costs, including £464 for replacing linen and pillows and £209 for replacing crockery, one official writes in a handwritten note: "I find these figures impossible to believe."

Mrs Thatcher voices her agreement, writing "So do I!".

The former prime minister queries the cost of the bedding by writing a note saying: "We use only one bedroom". And the £19 cost of an ironing board prompts her to scribble: "I will pay for the ironing board."

[Cheburashka]

Until the movie is actually released one can only judge based on the trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDiCFY2zsfc

We shall see.

[saintgermaine]

Amen

[saintgermaine]

Amen

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I acted badly, but I hadn’t really thought it through and didn’t understand the dynamic at the time. Being married for 30 years and having a daughter and grandchildren has changed my perspective. Believe it or not, even when I was under 30 I didn’t sleep with any woman that I could. (I avoided married woman, or woman who were engaged, mostly because I didn’t want to be a home wrecker.) If I understood our dynamic, even at 30, I probably would have behaved differently. I think I only understand our relationship, to the extent that I understand it, retrospectively.

I think she got what she wanted from me (which wasn’t sex, but affirmation that she was attractive and could be with another man), though I never felt much intimacy or affection from her, which is what I wanted, as much as sex. Men crave intimacy as much as women, but are more likely to settle for sex. I think it was a difficult time for her, and we both needed to mature and find ourselves. I admit, it was probably a more painful (if brief) relationship for her than for me.

[driftless2]

"old joke"

I felt the same for many years. I started wondering if I was the only person who thought Streep was the most overrated actress ever. (Julia Roberts is not overrated, she's just a bad actress.) But she was good in the flick about Julia Childs, so I'll modify my sour attitude towards her slightly.