Tootsies

‘A bag of pound coins, you say?’
‘Waiter, there’s a greenfly in my soup!’
‘Drug squad! Open up!’
‘Oh no – your civil partner and my ex-husband!’
‘Nobby, Yuppy, Greedy, Thrifty, Crafty, Yobby and Needy.’
‘A state of true harmony can only be achieved when all Hugh Grant’s needs are satisfied.’
Health tourists must pay Sir: The extent of the use made by non-entitled patients from abroad (‘International Health Service’, 6 April) should come as no surprise. This increasing stream of information demonstrating the volume and variation will cause even louder gasps and shock. The NHS is the standard-bearer of the politics of equality and, like
Soon after Margaret Thatcher was elected leader of the Conservative party she came for lunch at The Spectator and our then proprietor, Henry Keswick, wanted to offer his congratulations — and his advice. It was time to crush the trades unions, he told her. ‘Mr Keswick,’ she replied. ‘You have spent the past 14 years
Home Margaret Thatcher, the prime minister from 1979 to 1990, died aged 87. She had suffered a stroke while reading in her room at the Ritz hotel, where she had been staying since being discharged from hospital at the end of 2012 after a minor operation. David Cameron, the Prime Minister, cancelled talks in Paris
As Isabel said yesterday, the standout speech in the Upper Chamber yesterday came from Norman Tebbit, who served for six years in Margaret Thatcher’s Cabinet, first as Secretary of State for Employment, then as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and finally as Chairman of the Conservative Party. Here’s the full audio of his
Cecil Parkinson: Underestimated – but unbowed Even among Mrs Thatcher’s original shadow Cabinet, there were those who simply did not believe that she would be capable of dealing with the problems of a declining country. To a man they were wrong. Each underestimated the determination of Margaret Thatcher. She did not regard the manifesto on which
In 1975, when Keith Joseph dropped out of the race for the Tory leadership and his campaign manager stepped into his place, almost no one took it seriously. She was ‘precisely the sort of candidate… who ought to be able to stand, and lose, harmlessly’ said the Economist. Only one publication in Britain backed her
One of the highlights of today’s Commons tributes to Margaret Thatcher was the contribution of Malcolm Rifkind, who served in Thatcher’s government throughout her time as Prime Minister. Here’s the full audio of his speech: listen to ‘Sir Malcolm Rifkind’s tribute to Margaret Thatcher, 10 Apr 13’ on Audioboo
listen to ‘Ed Miliband’s tribute to Margaret Thatcher, 10 Apr 13’ on Audioboo
listen to ‘David Cameron’s tribute to Margaret Thatcher, 10 Apr 13’ on Audioboo
This morning, Andrew Neil presented a Radio 4 special recalling how voters felt about Margaret Thatcher. Including opinions from her supporters and detractors, it’s a fascinating look into how she was perceived by the electorate throughout key moments in her premiership. Here is what people had to say: On her public perception: ‘She doesn’t convince