UK Government Releases 1979 Documents

For those of an historical bent, there is an extra holiday between Christmas and New Years' Day, the day the British government releases official records under the Thirty Year Rule. Since the world is saying "good riddance" to 2009, that means all documents from 1979 are 30 years old. Since that is also the year Margaret Lady Thatcher stormed into Downing Street, this year was particularly good for rummaging around in the files.

First under the heading of "how could the Brits elect Thatcher?" comes the January paper suggesting that troops be used to bury the dead because the gravediggers had gone on strike. Ponder that for a moment. During the "winter of discontent," even the dead could not be seen to. Labour clearly was not working. The idea of using Her Majesty's troops to dig graves got shelved for fear that violence between the strikers and the army would be too much to bear.

In May 1979, days after being elected, Mrs. Thatcher went to Japan for an economic summit with other leaders of the industrialized world. The Japanese offered "20 karate ladies" as her bodyguard. Mrs. T declined as she did not want special treatment. Since the other leaders were not going to have karate ladies, neither would she. That was the first time one might have seen her as the only man in the cabinet.

Later on, she raised racial issues that would make the British National Party proud to have her as a member. In those days, "boat people" were fleeing Communist Vietnam and seeking refuge in places like Hong Kong. Lord Carrington (Peter, the stamp collecting Foreign Minister), Home Secretary Willie Whitelaw and Mrs. T met to discuss the situation. Lord Carrington explained what he had seen at the refugee camps there and gave what the minutes call a "vivid account." He suggested 10,000 or so be admitted over the next two years. The Iron Lady answered, "with some exceptions there had been no humanitarian case for accepting 1.5 million immigrants from south Asia and elsewhere. It was essential to draw a line somewhere." Mr. Whitelaw noted that he had received several letters suggesting that letting the refugees in was the right thing to do. The Prime Minister replied "in her view all those who wrote letters in this sense should be invited to accept one into their homes." She also stated she had "less objection to refugees such as Rhodesians, Poles and Hungarians, since they could more easily be assimilated into British society." About 18 months earlier, she had told "World in Action," a TV news program, "People are really rather afraid that this country might be rather swamped by people with a different culture."

Also, there was the small matter of the assassination of Lord Louis Mountbatten (last Viceroy of India and the Queen's cousin) while on holiday in Ireland. The Tory government thought the Irish security people had done a particularly poor job of protecting him, allowing Republican terrorists to blow him to bits. She also had tough words for the Americans whom she felt were interfering in Irish affairs.

Most interesting, of course, are the documents felt too sensitive to be released despite turning 30. The Financial Times reported, "Files withheld include one on Sir Anthony Blunt, the Russian spy outed by Mrs Thatcher that year. Also held back are papers on Airey Neave's assassination by the Irish National Liberation Army and on Jeremy Thorpe, the Liberal party leader acquitted of plotting to murder a male model who claimed to have had a homosexual affair with him." And there was something most intriguing about the future of the monarchy. Maybe after 50 years for them.

© Copyright 2010 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.

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