rjt

Blair also sneaked her in the back door rather than greet her at the front.

__________________
Mr Delors said that he wanted the European Parliament to be the democratic body of the community, The Commission to be The Executive and The Council Of Ministers The Senate. NO! NO! NO!
(Margaret Thatcher 30 Oct 1990)

Ignore List: The Prophets of ST Al the Unelectable.

Millennium3

Brown has her eating out of the palm of his hand. She will probably come out agreeing with him.

Millennium3

Tory attacks Brown for 'exploiting' Thatcher

By Andrew Pierce
Last Updated: 2:04am BST 15/09/2007

Gordon Brown has been accused by a Tory MP of cynically exploiting Baroness Thatcher's fading mental powers to score cheap political points.

Rob Wilson, a shadow education minister, accused the Prime Minister of being "unscrupulous" in exploiting Lady Thatcher's "frailty and loneliness" by inviting her to Downing Street in full view of the cameras.

Supporters of Lady Thatcher reacted with dismay and accused Conservative Central Office of orchestrating the remarks to undermine her.

In an article on Conservativehome.com web site Mr Wilson said: "Lady Thatcher is 81, is elderly, she is lonely, she is frail and she has difficulty with her memory. Those closest to her say that her grasp on daily life is some days better than others.

"My feeling of delight for the Baroness going back to the scene of her former glories was tempered by an uneasy feeling about the way she was apparently being exploited by the Prime Minister. There will be questions about Brown's moral compass and whether he used Baroness Thatcher in a shallow, self-serving and unscrupulous way," he wrote.

Mr Wilson, the MP for Reading East, who was then cleared by the party leadership to repeat the remarks on the BBC's World at One programme.

In the interview he said: : "I think we're asking the question: do we think it's right to exploit Lady Thatcher in what could be described as a self serving and unscrupulous way? I think Margaret Thatcher at the peak of her powers would certainly not have countenanced being used in this way. I think all the evidence is suggesting that she has been taken advantage of."

But supporters of Lady Thatcher, who spent more than two hours inside Downing Street with the Prime Minister on Thursday, were saddened by the intervention of Mr Wilson, who has been an MP since 2005.

"Margaret saw Tony Blair at Downing Street and no one made any fuss. So why are they making a fuss now," said one leading Thatcherite.

"This was Prime Minister to a former Prime Minister. They got on very well and talked about a range of subjects from the influences of their fathers on their politics to bringing up children. Margaret knew exactly what she was going and thought it would have been rude to have ignored or rejected the invitation."

The invitation came about after Lady Thatcher wrote to Mr Brown, who became an MP in the 1983 Tory election landslide, to congratulate him on becoming Prime Minister.

A spokesman for Lady Thatcher said: "I don't think these comments [by Mr Wilson] are helpful. To suggest that she was not aware of the political implications of it would be wrong. It was just one Prime Minister courteously inviting another Prime Minister."

But Gerald Howarth, a Tory MP and friend of Lady Thatcher, also joined in the attack on Mr Brown.

He said: "Everyone knows that she is not in the same rude health she was a few years ago, but I personally believe that this Prime Minister is every bit as manipulative as the previous one.

"For a man who has spent his whole political life castigating the Conservatives I find this nauseating, to see him trying to cash in on the public affection for Lady Thatcher."

A source close to the Prime Minister has since called on Mr Wilson to apologise for "denigrating" Baroness Thatcher.

"Mr Wilson's account of his meeting with Lady Thatcher is hurtful and unfair, and it does not match in any way with the Prime Minister's private meeting with her.

"No matter whether they agreed or disagreed with her policies, Lady Thatcher is respected by millions of people in Britain as a strong leader who still holds strong views on the future of the country.

"It is disappointing that Mr Wilson has chosen to denigrate her in this way and he should apologise."

Less than 24 hours after calling on Mr Brown at Downing Street, Lady Thatcher turned up at London Zoo to watch the antics of male gorilla Bobby and his smaller companion, Zaire, a 33-year-old female.

Lady Thatcher, in her first visit to the zoo in 15 years, then saw Lucifer the lion undergoing a health check.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...hatcher114.xml

Britannist

I doubt it. She is no fool.

When Gordon Brown was elected for the first time to the Commons in 1983 Mrs. Thatcher (as she then was) invited him to her Prime Ministerial Office in the Commons for a chat about an economics paper he had written.

Gordon Brown - who was photographed standing next to Lady Thatcher a couple of years ago when they were both attending a service at a Cathedral - has simply invited her back for a chat now he has the job she once held. Sadly, Lady Thatcher is a widow and I should imagine that her visit to 10 Downing Street was an interesting day out for her.

What a pity that the Conservative leadership did not think of inviting her over for a chat and that it has been left to a Labour Prime Minister to do so.

Britannist

I am glad you have confirmed that point, RJT. I made exactly the same point to a Conservative-voting friend of mine who insists (and still does) that Lady Thatcher went through the front door of 10 Downing Street to meet Blair back in 1997.

I am quite sure she went through the back door that time.

Millennium3

I don't believe in innocent actions at this level of politics when there is so much to play for.

g hall

It is quite obvious that GtM will do absolutely anything to keep power even cosy up to Maggie.
She obviously feels that boy dave is now a lame duck and her actions may well help remove boy dave as "leader" of the tory party

Why are so many people fooled by Brown he is a **** of the highest order

__________________
"That government is best which governs least."
"This is a sharp Medicine, but it is a Physician for all diseases and miseries".
"To be "matter of fact" about the world is to blunder into fantasy --and dull fantasy at that, as the real world is strange and wonderful."
TANSTAAFL TANJ

Millennium3

The article at No 23 suggests that Thatchers mental powers are in decline.