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[Crowd cheering]
[# The Military Band of the Queen's
Regiment: "Soldiers of the Queen"]
[Cheering, fanfare continuing]
[Cheering grows louder]
[Cheering, fanfare fade]
- [Indian music playing]
- [Cash register beeping]
Yeah, mate, I said 30, you can't
expect to get away with it like that.
Make a better deal or it's off.
OK? Well, I'll see you tomorrow then,
ten o'clock, my place.
[Man] One forty-nine, please.
- How much is the milk?
- Forty-nine pence.
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
One pound, please. Thank you.
[Traffic humming]
Uh-uh. Too much.
Much too much butter.
I like butter.
Denis.
Mmm.
- Milk's gone up.
- Hm?
- 49p a pint.
- Good grief!
We'll have to economize.
I suppose we could always sell the car.
- [Laughs] Or take in paying guests.
- [Coughs]
- [Footsteps approach]
- [Muffled woman's voice]
Watch out. She's on the prowl.
[Voices murmuring]
Eat your egg.
- Goodness! There you are.
- Yes. Here we are.
[Woman whispering] How did this happen?
How could she possibly have got out?
It's very, very important
that the front door is left locked.
- Of course.
- Please, make it clear
- to whoever's on after you.
- [Guard] Dixon.
[Woman] I'm afraid I'm going to have
to phone the station about this.
- Anything could have happened.
- [Guard] I understand.
[Woman] Maria, she's starting to clear
her husband's cupboard, so...
- [Maria] Mm-hm.
- [Woman 1] I may need your help.
Can you bring up any cases
that you can find in the basement?
[Maria] Of course.
Mm!
Beautiful day.
- Mm...
- Oh, you've made a start.
Carol's coming soon,
I'll get some bags.
Anything you want to go to Mark,
I'll bring up a suitcase for it.
Uh-uh.
No, no, no, no. The grey.
- You sure?
- Mm...
[grunts]
Definitely the grey.
Righty oh. Boss knows best.
[Denis humming]
[Water running]
[Denis] Don't let her take
my paper away.
Oh, I haven't had a chance
to look at that yet, dear.
Sorry.
[Denis] Atta girl.
Ah! Damn!
- Damn it.
- Blot it.
- Blot it.
- Pardon?
[Stammers]
You're supposed to be looking after her.
[Denis] Now look what you've done.
Are they to keep
the loonies out or you in?
Hm...
I'll be off then.
Wear your scarf.
There is a chill out there.
Good morning, Lady Thatcher.
Are you all right?
- How are you feeling?
- I'm fine, thank you, Susie.
I've just been reading
about the bombings.
- Of course. Frightful.
- [Pop ringtone playing]
- [Phone beeps off]
- Sorry.
These are the books for you to sign.
I brought as many as I could find.
Shall we go through your appointments?
We said we'd go through them today.
Yes. Of course, dear. Today.
The invitation has come
from Downing Street
for the unveiling of your portrait.
I'll put that on the mantelpiece,
and there's an invitation
from Lord Armstrong
for lunch on the first Friday
of next month.
I said no, because you have
a concert that afternoon,
but if you'd like to...
It looks like a very
interesting program.
What are they playing?
Um, I think they said...
...Rodgers & Hammerstein.
Oh.
["Shall We Dance" playing]
[Margaret chuckles]
Oh...
- [music fades]
- [Chuckles, snorts] Silly man.
Oh, he hasn't got his scarf on.
[Distant booming]
[Distant booming]
- [air-raid sirens blaring]
- [distant booming]
- Did someone cover the butter?
- I'll go.
- Leave it!
- Margaret.
- [Plane rumbling]
- [Bombs exploding]
[Glassware rattling]
[Panting]
Good girl.
Tomorrow, no matter what they do,
it'll be business as usual.
[Woman] Two of the small beef,
Mr. Roberts.
[Man] What is the life blood
of any community?
It's business.
Not just big business,
but small businesses, like mine.
[Whispers] Margaret! Cups!
[Mr. Roberts]
We on this island are strong.
We're self-reliant. Sometimes,
we're plain bloody-minded.
But we also believe
in helping each other.
And I don't mean by state handouts.
[Girl] Margaret, do you want
to come to the pictures?
[Girl 2] She's not coming out,
she's got to study.
- Miss Hoity-Toity!
- [laughing]
[Mr. Roberts] Never run with the crowd,
Margaret. Go your own way.
[Echoing] Go your own way.
[Girls giggling]
[Mr. Roberts] Never run with the crowd.
Open it then.
I've got a place at Oxford.
[Cries softly]
Don't let me down, Margaret.
Mother!
My hands are still damp.
"Margaret Roberts."
Oh!
- [Woman softly] Tea.
- Margaret! Cups!
- [Murmuring voices]
- [girls giggling]
[Denis]
They're talking about you again.
Wha... What time is it?
Sun's not quite over the yardarm.
- It's time for tea.
- [Phone rings]
- [Sighs]
- Look, Margaret.
What have you got on your head?
Found it in the cupboard,
and thought, *** it,
it's Friday, why not fancy dress?
- You look ridiculous.
- [Foreign accent] Boss lady no like?
No, Denis, boss lady no like.
[Woman, hushed] She's made a start,
that's the main thing.
No, no, no. It's going fine.
But it's taken Carol eight years
to persuade her to let his things go.
[Quietly] Feet!
[Woman] Well, it's her pills.
You can never be sure she's taking them.
I think sometimes she hides them.
[Denis] Oh, rumbled!
[Woman] They give her about an hour's
clarity, then she slips again.
[Car door slams]
[Woman] Can I suggest you remove
the sticker from the back of your car?
- [Man] Sorry. It's always cash...
- [woman] Then take the sticker off!
I call that false advertising,
wouldn't you?
- I've got another...
- I would say keep the change,
but there isn't any change.
[Woman] Hello, June. Any news?
Look, I brought every single bag
I could find.
[Man on TV] He gave a speech recently,
trying to come up with a broad base...
Hello, Ma.
Bloody taxi driver
wouldn't take my card.
I said don't have a sticker saying
you take Visa and then insist on cash.
Oh! Can you believe it?
Rummaging around the bottom of my bag.
He didn't get a tip.
I didn't know that you were
dropping by today, dear.
Yes, you said yesterday,
we were going to start on Dad's things.
The cupboards,
then I was going to help you dress.
- You've got Michael and...
- Jacqueline.
- Coming for dinner tonight.
- Yes, of course.
We're having halibut.
[Newscaster] This is a major
catastrophe that has struck our capital.
- As you can see...
- Isn't it terrible?
They think it's al-Qaeda.
... are trying to get
all the people out of the building.
The Prime Minister and his senior staff
were due to be staying at the hotel,
- but checked out earlier.
- [Margaret] Denis!
It'll be fine.
Come get your head down.
- It's ten to three, for God's sake.
- [Margaret] Denis!
[Newscaster] At ten to three
this morning, an explosion
extensively damaged
the Grand Hotel in Brighton...
[newscaster 2]... Brighton, scene
of the Conservative Party conference.
[Newscaster]... the Prime Minister and
a number of her Cabinet were staying.
They escaped unhurt,
but it's reported that...
[newscaster 2] Five people have died,
many others are injured,
some critically.
[Newscaster 3] The IRA have claimed
responsibility.
We must release a statement,
offering our condolences.
I'm sure they've already...
We must never, ever, ever
give in to terrorists.
Is it warm in here?
Now, Ma, are we going long
or just below the knee tonight?
Oh, below the knee,
I should think.
No! Don't... Don't move those.
I haven't finished sorting.
I hear you went out today.
You mustn't go out on your own,
Mummy. We've talked about that.
There was no milk.
Call Robert, he'll get it
for you if June's not up.
I am not for the knacker's yet.
- [Denis] Now, take it easy, Margaret.
- No one's saying that.
If I can't go out to buy a pint of milk,
what is the world coming to?
Really, Carol.
Please don't fuss about it.
You've always been like this,
fuss, fuss, fuss.
You must find something better
to do with your time.
It's most unattractive in a woman.
When I was your age,
the last thing I wanted to do
was fuss around my mother.
Four down, nine letters.
Something B,
something T, something N...
Something, something, something.
Refusal to change course.
- Obstinate.
- [Laughs]
- [Carol] What?
- [Denis] I knew you'd get it.
Ob... I'll wear the pearls.
I'll wear the pearls.
[Sighs]
There they are.
My little twins.
Thank you, dear.
It's nearly all familiar faces:
- William, Michael and his lovely wife.
- Jacqueline.
And then there's Peter,
James R, James T,
and that very nice man
we met last year.
- I remember.
- He's bringing his new lady friend,
just to mix things up a bit,
because we're rather short of women,
but I'm sure we'll manage.
I've always preferred
the company of men.
[Men laughing]
- Ma?
- [Lively chattering]
[Chattering stops]
[Man] Ah, Miss Roberts. Hoping to be
chosen as our candidate for Parliament.
Well, I don't like coalitions,
I never have.
[Lively chattering]
[Chattering fades]
Start on the outside, work your way in.
[Man] Attlee has his sights set on
the steel industry, you mark my words.
[Man 2] They'll be nationalizing
the bloody air next.
Yes, hold your breath, sir.
That's government property.
Dreadful.
Was your father a political man,
too, Miss Roberts?
Oh, yes, to his core.
And Mayor of Grantham.
- And a grocer as well.
- [Margaret] Yes.
And did you help... in the...
- Oh, yes. It was a family business.
...shop?
A very good starting point
for the political life, I'm sure.
That and a degree from Oxford.
[Indistinct chattering]
No, don't. Whiskey, please.
[Chattering continues]
[Margaret] What I do think is
that a man should be encouraged
to stand on his own two feet.
Yes, we help people.
Of course we help people.
But for those that can do,
they must just get up and do.
And if something's wrong,
they shouldn't just whine about it,
they should get in there and do
something about it, change things.
With all due respect, Miss Roberts,
what may have served in Grantham...
Can serve very well
for the people of Dartyord, too.
- Really?
- I know much more than those
who have never lived
on a limited income.
Just like the man or woman
in the street,
when I am short one week,
I have to make economies the next.
Nothing like a slice
of fiscal responsibility.
[Margaret] A man might call it
fiscal responsibility,
a woman
might call it good housekeeping.
I'm not sure a home economics lesson
is quite what the Dartyord
constituents need.
They see industry being nationalized,
the unions on the up,
the pound on the slide.
Whoever can sort that lot out,
he's my man.
- Or woman?
- [Chuckles]
Ladies, shall we?
[Man] Miss Roberts, do join the ladies.
[Man] Well. That's told us!
[Laughter]
So, Margaret, how would you have dealt
with this if you'd been Prime Minister?
Where?
[Carol] The bombings, Mummy.
Today.
We were just talking about them.
No... yes.
We have always lived alongside evil.
But it has never been so patient,
so avid for carnage,
so eager to carry innocents
along with it into oblivion.
Hear, hear.
Western civilization
must root out this evil,
wherever it hides, or she risks defeat
at the hands of global terror
in a nuclear age. Unimaginable.
The Prime Minister made a very
good statement, I thought.
Yes. Clever man.
Quite a smoothie.
[Laughter]
Miss Thatcher, it's been such
a pleasure to meet you.
- You don't mind if I sit down.
- No, no.
I heard you speak at the conference
in Brighton in 1984,
just after the IRA
bombed the Grand Hotel.
You were remarkable.
I hope you appreciate
what an inspiration you've been
to women like myself.
Well, it used to be
about trying to do something.
You see. Now, it's about
trying to be someone.
- [Man clears throat]
- Mm. Anyway, I... thank you.
- Good night, Lady Thatcher.
- Good night to you.
[Man] I am so pleased to see
your mother looking so well.
- [Carol] Yes, doesn't she.
- [Man] She certainly does.
[Carol] William, great to see you,
thank you so much for coming.
[William] Thank you.
It was lovely, absolutely lovely.
- [Carol] Can I call you a taxi?
- [William] No, no...
OK, hold on to me, that's right.
Ah.
[Sighs] Better.
Do the clasp. I can't quite...
- OK.
- [Clears throat]
Yes.
- Oh, you have an eyelash.
- Oh?
- Make a wish.
- [Chuckles]
[Laughs]
Oh, I spoke to Dr. Michael today.
He's very good. Very expensive.
I know you're not due
to see him for another month,
but I've spoken to him
and he can fit you in tomorrow.
Just for a checkup.
Ma, please.
What does Mark think about it?
- Mark?
- Mm.
Tell him to come up.
I want to talk to him about this.
Mark's with Sarah and the children.
Well, tell him to come up and see me
after he's kissed them good night,
would you, Carol, darling?
He's not here, Mummy.
Mark lives in South Africa.
And you're not Prime Minister anymore.
And Dad is, uh...
Dad is dead.
You look exhausted, dear.
You really must try
to get some sleep.
[Clears throat]
Taxis will be few and far
between at this hour.
Righty oh. Night-night, Ma.
Sleep well.
Good night, dear.
- [orchestral music playing]
- [chorus singing]
[Woman singing "Casta Diva"]
[Radio announcer] Twenty-four-year-old
Miss Margaret Roberts lost her bid
to win a seat in Parliament today,
but she has put new life
into the Dartford
Conservative Association.
Winning candidate, Mr. Dodds,
had better watch out.
This bright young woman is on his tail.
[Chuckles]
- Eat.
- Oh. Disaster.
Hang on. Hang on.
Hang on.
You shaved thousands off their
majority. You did splendidly.
Not splendidly enough.
Ah, I see. Self-pity.
No one's saying
you don't need a safe seat.
You deserve a safe seat.
But it does not come unless
you learn to play the game a little.
- What game?
- You're a grocer's daughter.
- And proud of being...
- And in their eyes...
...a single grocer's daughter.
But if you were to become the wife
of a moderately successful businessman,
then you'd get to Parliament.
And I'd get to be the happiest man in...
...wherever they select you.
Margaret, will you marry me?
[Breath trembling]
Well?
Yes.
Yes!
- Oh...
- What?
I love you so much, but...
...I will never be one
of those women, Denis,
who stays silent and pretty
on the arm of her husband.
Or remote and alone in the kitchen,
doing the washing-up, for that matter.
We'll get a help for that.
No. One's life must matter, Denis.
Beyond all the cooking
and the cleaning and the children,
one's life must mean more than that.
I cannot die washing up a tea cup.
I mean it, Denis.
Say you understand.
That's why I want to marry you, my dear.
Oh. [cries softly]
[Laughs]
Now eat.
["Shall We Dance" playing]
- [Chuckling]
- [Music fades]
Oh!
Oh...
There we go.
There they are, my little twins.
[Seagulls crying]
[Margaret] Oh... Mark.
[Denis] Cornwall, wasn't it?
Bloody hell.
[Margaret laughs]
[Denis] Look at 'em, little imps.
You never really got golf,
did you? [laughs]
You look happy.
Yes, I do, don't I?
You're drinking too much.
Whatcha doing?
Not like you, looking back.
Don't want to dig around too deep, M,
don't know what you might find.
You can rewind it,
but you can't change it.
[Margaret] They grow up
so fast, don't they?
[Boy laughing]
[Margaret chuckles]
Mark.
Oh...
[man] Mr. Eric Deakins,
Labor, 13,437.
Mr. Ivan Spence, Liberal,
12,260.
- [Cheering]
- We won!
Mrs. Margaret Thatcher,
Conservative,
29,697.
I can now announce the new
Member of Parliament for Finchley,
- 1959...
- Come along, please!
... Mrs. Margaret Thatcher.
[Children shouting]
Please!
Mummy, don't go!
[Engine starts]
[Children shouting]
You promised! Hey! Mummy!
Wait, Mummy!
Please don't go!
[High heels clicking]
[Lively chattering]
[Chattering stops]
No.
- [Door creaking]
- [Man] Oh!
[Men's voices murmuring]
[Man] Mrs. Thatcher.
Excuse me. Sorry.
Mrs. Thatcher, Airey Neave.
Welcome to the madhouse.
Follow me.
[Speaker] The Honorable Lady,
the Member of Parliament for Finchley!
[Ioud arguing]
Order! Order!
The Right Honorable Lady,
the Secretary of State for Education.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Right Honorable Gentleman
knows very well that we had no choice
- but to close the schools.
- [Shouting]
- Shame!
- Disgrace!
Because his union paymasters
have called a strike deliberately
to cripple our economy.
[Arguing]
- Rubbish!
- Teachers cannot teach
when there is no heating,
no lighting in their classrooms.
And I ask the Right Honorable
Gentleman, whose fault is that?
[Shouting] Yours!
Methinks the Right Honorable
Lady doth screech too much.
[Laughter]
And if she wants us
to take her seriously,
she must learn to calm down!
[Laughter]
- Very good!
- If the Right Honorable Gentleman
could perhaps attend more closely
to what I am saying,
rather than how I am saying it,
he may receive a valuable
education in spite of himself!
[Laughter, murmuring]
Why has... Why has this
Conservative government failed?
- [Arguing]
- It hasn't failed.
[Man] Why has it forced
so many in the public sector
into taking strike action
to save their own jobs?
[Shouting]
Minister, the breakdown
in essential public services,
in transport, in electricity,
in sanitation,
is not the fault of the trade unions.
It's entirely the fault
of the trade unions.
But of this Conservative government
in which you so shamefully serve!
[Shouting]
[Indistinct conversation]
[Man] These power cuts will continue
unless we can reach a compromise.
The miners are asking
for a 35 percent increase in wages.
Obviously, we can't
go anywhere near that.
The unions are not our enemies
and never have been.
We want, and have always wanted,
the broadest consensus.
- Hear, hear.
- I'm sure we are all in agreement
that we must do nothing for the moment
that will further inflame
the current situation.
- Hear, hear, Prime Minister.
- The fact of the matter is,
it's absolutely crucial
that we are seen by the public
to be acting as conciliators
and not aggressors.
Hear, hear.
- Yes, Education Secretary.
- Yes, Prime Minister.
With the miners' union leader today
calling for the army to mutiny
in support of the strikes,
this seems the wrong time
for conciliation.
- [Groaning]
- [Prime Minister] Be patient.
They'll come back on
again in a moment.
- Anybody got a shilling?
- Ah, Boy Scout.
Be prepared.
Thank you, Margaret.
Oh! It lives.
Your thoughts are duly noted.
[Prime Minister echoing] Compromise,
compromise, compromise...
[Mr. Roberts]
We on this island are strong.
We're self-reliant.
Napoleon called us a nation
of shopkeepers.
He meant it as an insult,
but to me it's a compliment.
That's why he couldn't beat us,
that's why Hitler can't beat us.
We Conservatives believe
in giving people the freedom
and opportunity to fulfill their own
potential, especially the young.
There's no good in pretending we're
all equal, we're not all the same,
never have been, never will be.
We should encourage our children
to aspire to achieve more than we have,
for our children today
will be the leaders of tomorrow.
[Applause]
[Man on radio] It's 1974,
you'd think it was World War II.
Blackouts, no petrol. It's a mess.
Heath should resign now and make way
for someone who's not afraid
to tackle the unions.
[Carol] I swear, it's all gone
completely out of my head.
My driving instructor says
I should pass, but I feel
as if I've hardly had any lessons.
Which is ridiculous, isn't it?
- Maybe third time lucky.
- Right.
The only thing you should
remember is that everyone else
is either reckless or inept.
Usually both.
One must be brave if one
is to take the wheel.
- Right oh.
- Right, move.
Move to your right a little bit.
But if I move to the right, aren't
I on the wrong side of the road?
- Carol!
- Well, he's in the way!
- To the right. Move to the right!
- [Carol screams]
- [Tires screech]
- Hey! Look out!
So sorry! Terribly sorry!
[Laughing]
[Carol] Hey, look at me, driving!
Thanks, Ma, that was terrific!
I really feel like I've got
a handle on it now.
You should have seen us, Pa.
Are you trying to cook
your own breakfast?
- Denis!
- I can boil a bloody egg.
Mummy took me for a test drive.
We went absolutely everywhere.
All over the place.
- Yeah?
- I've decided. I'm going to run.
What for?
I'm going to run
for Leader of the Party.
- [Carol] Silly me!
- [Denis] Good luck!
[Carol] All the time I thought
I was having a driving lesson,
it was all about my mother,
just for a change!
- What's she on about?
- [Denis] Her driving test this morning!
- Oh, right. Of course.
- Are you saying you want
to be Prime Minister?
Oh! What I'm saying is that
someone must force the point,
someone must say the un-sayable.
None of these men have the guts.
- [Bell rings]
- The Prime Minister has been
very loyal to you, MT.
But he's weak,
and he's weakened the party.
One must know when to go.
You're shaking. Here, let me...
I can do it!
Goodness me!
What is the matter
with everyone this morning?
I've told you what the matter is.
The business is a bit rocky
at the moment
and the doctor says I need a rest.
Do you need a rest?
Oh, God.
We both know it's highly unlikely
that I would ever be elected leader.
I'll never be elected leader.
But I will run. I will run.
Just to nip at their heels and make them
reaffirm the principles on which
- the Conservative Party must stand.
- [Toaster pops]
There's so much to do.
You're insufferable,
Margaret, do you know that?
Denis, you married someone
who is committed to public service,
you knew that.
- And it is my duty...
- Don't call it duty.
It's ambition that's gotten
you this far. Ambition.
And the rest of us, me, the children,
we can all go to hell!
Don't worry about me, I'll be fine!
Where did you go?
- South Africa.
- Yes.
[Denis] How many days passed
before you realized I'd gone?
Probably had to ask
the cleaning woman where I was.
When did I lose track of everyone?
- Too busy climbing the greasy pole, MT.
- How did I?
[Man on TV] Mrs. Thatcher,
I understand you recently visited
- the United States of America.
- Oh, oh...
What is it you took away
from your visit which may be of value,
- here in Great Britain?
- That's rather easy to answer.
They are unafraid of success.
We in Great Britain and in Europe
are formed mostly by our history.
They, on the other hand,
are formed by their philosophy.
Not by what has been,
but by what can be.
Oh, we have a great deal that
we can learn from them, yes.
Oh, yes!
Well...
Uh...
For a start, that hat has got to go.
And the pearls.
In fact,
I think all hats may have to go.
You look and sound like
a privileged Conservative wife,
and we've already got her vote.
You've got lovely hair,
but we need to do something
with it, to make it more...
- Important.
- Yes. Give it more impact.
But the main thing is your voice.
It's too high,
and it has no authority.
Methinks the lady
doth screech too much.
People don't want to be harangued
by a woman or hectored.
Persuaded, yes. That "Oh, yes,"
at the end of the interview,
that's authoritative,
that's the voice of a leader.
Quite.
It's all very well to talk
about changing my voice, Mr. Reece,
but for some of my colleagues to imagine
me as their leader...
...would be like imagining,
I don't know,
being led into battle
by their chambermaid.
It's my background and my sex.
No matter how I've tried,
and I have tried, to fit in,
I know I will never be
truly one of them.
If I may say so, I think
that's your trump card.
You're flying in the face of everything
the Tories have been thus far.
It's really terribly exciting.
One simply has
to maximize your appeal,
bring out all your qualities,
and make you look, and sound,
like the leader that you could be.
You've got it in you
to go the whole distance.
Absolutely.
What... Prime Minister?
Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no.
In Britain?
There will be no
female Prime Minister here,
not in my lifetime. No.
And I told Airey, I don't
expect to win the leadership,
but I am going to run,
just to shake up the party.
Respectfully, Margaret, I disagree.
If you want to change this party,
lead it.
If you want to change
the country, lead it.
What we're talking
about here today is surface.
What's crucial is
that you hold your course,
and stay true to who you are.
Never be anything
other than yourself.
Leave us to do the rest.
Gentlemen, I am in your hands.
I may be persuaded
to surrender the hat.
But the pearls were a gift from my
husband on the birth of our twins,
and, um,
they are absolutely non-negotiable.
And... [vocalizing]
[Vocalizing]
Good, I think we can lose
the handbag, Mrs. Thatcher. Yes?
And hands down by side.
- [Vocalizing] Right up.
- [Vocalizing]
[Both vocalizing]
Because this isn't about the voice,
it's about belief.
The very core. So a nice deep breath
and really fill out against my hands.
[Both vocalizing]
You're calling Mr. Thatcher,
how would you do that?
- Denis.
- Yes, I want authority.
- I want conviction, I want...
- Denis.
That's right, one more time,
and breathing in. And...
Denis.
- Yes, M!
- Sorry. No, no, no.
[Margaret] You are the backbone
of our nation!
Small firms like
Loveday's Ice Cream.
- So nice to meet you, ladies.
- Nice to meet you.
I'll just have a small one,
because I'm watching my figure.
Whoo! That's for you, young man!
[Margaret] I passionately
believe that it's the growth
of small businesses
into larger ones
that is critical for Britain's future.
Well, it has to be something icy
on a stick for Denis.
That's the only way
that we will produce jobs,
real jobs, jobs that sustain.
The Trade Union Movement
was founded to protect workers.
Now it persecutes them.
It stops them from working.
It is killing jobs and it is bringing
this country to its knees.
I say enough.
It's time to get up.
It's time to go to work.
It's time to put the "Great"
back into Great Britain!
[Man] The incompetence
of the Labor government...
- [vocalizing]
...continue to misinform
and spend in this incessant
and blasé manner.
- We have paid the price...
- Mrs. Thatcher, they're ready for you.
- Thank you.
- Give 'em hell.
- [Applause]
- You look magnificent.
Next stop, Prime Minister.
- Oh, Airey...
- Let's go.
[Man] The new leader
of the Conservative Party,
- Margaret Thatcher!
- [Cheering, whistling]
[Applause fades]
[Sniffles] Hm...
- [Airey] Good night, Margaret.
- Oh...
My money's on the filly to win.
[Laughs] Oh...
Thanks, Airey. Good night.
- [Ioud booming]
- [Debris clattering]
No!
No, no! No! Airey!
Airey!
[No audible dialogue]
[Newscaster] The Irish National
Liberation Army has claimed
responsibility
for the death of MP Airey Neave,
Margaret Thatcher's spokesman
on Northern Ireland.
[Airey] If you want
to change the party, lead it.
If you want to change
the country, lead it.
You've got it in you
to go the whole distance.
- [Up-tempo music plays]
- Now, as the test draws near,
- I ask your help.
- [Applause]
That together we can shake off
the shackles of Socialism
and restore to greatness this
country that we love...
And the only way is
for the Conservative Party to win!
[Applause]
[Newscaster] Is she gonna get there?
Watch those blocks rise...
Go, Maggie!
[Newscaster] It's Friday the 4th
of May, an historic day for Britain,
a Conservative government
led by Mrs. Thatcher is set to lead...
[newscaster 2] Mrs. Bandaranaike
in Sri Lanka, Mrs. Gandhi in India,
but never in the West has there
ever been a woman Prime Minister.
[Newscaster 3] The place that she has
now secured in British history,
as the first woman ever to be
invited to form a government.
The bonus of one of the most
famous addresses in the world,
Number 10 Downing Street.
This is it.
Steady the buffs, old girl.
- Good afternoon.
- Congratulations, Prime Minister.
- [Cheering]
- I should just like to say
that I take very seriously
the trust placed in me
by the British people today,
and I will work hard every day
to live up to that responsibility.
And now, I should like to share with you
a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.
Where there is discord,
may we bring harmony.
Where there is error,
may we bring truth.
Where there is doubt,
may we bring faith.
And where there is despair,
may we bring hope.
- Shoulders back, tummies in!
- [Laughter]
- [Speaks indistinctly]
- Thank you, Michael.
- [Laughs]
- [Man] Look this way, please.
Three, two, one.
[Carol] Robert, could you bring the car
around? She's been ready for ages.
[Muttering]
I am perfectly healthy.
No need for any of this.
Just let them look
under the bonnet, MT.
Make sure everything is hunky dory.
Oh, really, this is
becoming quite tiresome.
- What is?
- You.
I was on my own
for 24 years before I met you,
and I can manage perfectly well
without you now.
So will you please go away,
and stop bothering me?
Just look straight ahead,
straight at me, that's it.
- Are you noticing night sweats?
- No.
- Hallucinations?
- No.
- Sleep?
- Yes. I sleep.
Four, five hours a night.
So you wake early?
And I stay up late. I always have.
We just want to keep
abreast of it, that's all.
Yes. Of course.
Grief is a very natural state.
My husband has
been gone for years.
Cancer.
Carol says you've decided to let his
things go. Probably a good thing.
Yes. It was my idea. To Oxfam.
Perfectly good stuff.
People can use these things.
Hm...
Still, it must be a bit disorientating.
- You are bound to be feeling...
- What?
What am I "bound to be feeling"?
People don't think anymore.
They feel.
"How are you feeling?"
"Oh, I don't feel comfortable."
"Oh, I'm so sorry,
we, the group, we're feeling..."
[clears throat] Do you know,
one of the great problems of our age
is that we are governed by people
who care more about feelings
than they do about thoughts and ideas?
Now, thoughts and ideas,
that interests me.
Ask me what I am thinking.
What are you thinking, Margaret?
Watch your thoughts,
for they become words.
Watch your words,
for they become actions.
Watch your actions,
for they become habits.
Watch your habits,
for they become your character.
And watch your character,
for it becomes your destiny.
What we think, we become.
My father always said that.
And I think I am fine.
[Buzzer sounds]
But I do so appreciate
your kind concern.
[Buzzer sounds]
Oh, do please answer that.
It might be someone
who needs you.
I'll give Carol a quick ring,
let her know we're back,
and then I'll put your
electric blanket on.
[Denis] Steady, steady, steady!
Damn. Fore!
What about that medicine man, eh?
Ah. Cold supper.
Standards are slipping, Margaret.
You really gave it to that
quack, didn't you, darling?
Just like the old days.
Hallucinations, my eye!
How dare he? But then, you give us
all the runaround, don't you?
I know you can hear me, sweetheart,
so there's no use pretending you can't.
Enough. Denis, enough!
Dismissed!
She does it in the end. Kills him.
I don't know why you're
being so scratchy.
It's not as if you've
got anyone else to talk to.
[Margaret] "When the Himalayan peasant
meets the he-bear in his pride..."
It's a marvel to me that you can still
quote whole chunks of Kipling,
but try remembering the name
of that woman who just made you
that god-awful cold collation.
No? Come on, you can do it.
Month of the year.
One syllable.
Rhymes with moon.
- June.
- June! Bingo!
Knew you'd get there in the end.
"When the Himalayan peasant
meets the he-bear in his pride,
he shouts to scare the monster,
who will often turn aside."
- [TV playing loudly]
- "But the she-bear, thus accosted,
rends the peasant tooth and nail,
for the female of the species
is more deadly than the male."
- [Classical music plays loudly]
- "When Nag, the basking cobra,
hears the careless foot of man..."
[continues indistinctly]
[Whirring loudly]
[Radio plays loudly]
[Whirring loudly]
[Cacophony blaring]
If I can't hear you, I can't see you.
If I can't see you, you're not here.
And if you're not here,
I'm not going mad.
I will not go mad.
[Echoing] I won't go mad...
I will not go mad...
I will not go mad. I will not.
[Newscaster] Baroness Thatcher made
an apparently routine visit
to her doctors today.
Although rarely seen in public,
Britain's longest-serving
Prime Minister of the twentieth century,
remains a controversial figure.
Almost lovingly dubbed
by the Soviets "The Iron Lady,"
she is credited,
with her friend Ronald Reagan,
with a decisive role
in the ending of the Cold War.
- Margaret...
- Her supporters claim she transformed
the British economy and reversed
the country's post-war decline.
- I am so sorry.
- Her detractors blame
her savage public spending cuts
and sweeping privatization of...
- [TV stops playing]
- [Classical music playing loudly]
- [Music stops]
- [Machines whirring]
- [Whirring stops]
- I... don't recognize myself.
Hm...
[Denis] Am I out of the doghouse yet?
Oh. They're unveiling
that portrait of me
at Number 10 next month.
Mm.
Yes, it's... the invitation,
it's on the mantelpiece.
So it'll be Churchill,
Lloyd George and me.
- Just the three of us.
- [Chuckles]
I said I didn't want any big fuss...
- No.
...but they insisted.
Lovely little article in The Telegraph.
"The Woman Who Changed
the Face of History."
Huh...
[man] Less than two years ago,
the Prime Minister quoted St. Francis...
[laughter]
Yes, and talked about bringing faith,
- hope, and harmony to this country.
- [loud arguing]
Mm... Denis?
[Whimpers]
- [Glass shattering]
- [Angry shouting]
[Ioud arguing]
Can the Right Honorable Lady deny
that having brought about the highest
level of unemployment since 1934...
- [arguing]
...the biggest fall in total output
in steel and coal production
in one year since 1931...
[Ioud arguing]
...and the biggest collapse
in industrial production since 1921?!
- [Clamoring]
- Order! Order!
Can she also accept
that her free-market economics,
designed to create
a growing middle class,
ensures that the rich get richer
and the poor are irrelevant?!
[Protesters] Out! Out! Out!
Maggie! Maggie! Maggie!
- Out! Out! Out!
- Look at me!
Look at me!
You're supposed to be a mother!
You're not a mother,
you're a monster!
[Echoing] You're a monster!
[Man] May we have a word,
Prime Minister?
Yes, but in order
to arrive at the palace on time,
Geoffrey and I are will be walking out
of that door in 15 minutes.
- As you can see...
- I know you're running late, Margaret,
but we have to address
this situation
in the light of tomorrow's
blistering press coverage.
Blistering! The knives are out.
Your draft budget has
been leaked, Geoffrey.
They are baying for our blood.
Michael, we can't possibly buckle
at the first sign of difficulty.
- No one is saying we have to buckle.
- But is this really the time
to be making these spending cuts
in the middle of one
of the deepest recessions
this country has ever experienced?
- We need a plan of action, Margaret.
- Absolutely. A strategy.
- We must be armed.
- Agreed.
There's a perception, Margaret,
rightly or wrongly,
that we are now completely
out of touch with the country.
Really.
How much is a pack of Lurpak?
- Lurpak?
- [Margaret] Butter, Francis.
Forty-two pence.
Anchor butter is 40 pence.
Flora margarine,
still the cheapest, at 38p.
I can assure you
I am not out of touch.
[Hushed] Grocer's daughter. [chuckles]
- [girls giggling]
- Sorry. I didn't hear you.
- What did you say?
- Nothing, Prime Minister. Nothing.
No, no, please.
Don't try to hide you opinions.
Goodness me, I'd much rather you were
open and straightforward about them,
instead of continuously and damagingly
leaking them to the press.
Well?
- Well...
- People can't pay their mortgages.
The manufacturing industry
is practically on its knees.
Honest, hard-working, decent
people are losing their homes.
- It's terribly shameful.
- The point is, Prime Minister,
we must moderate the pace...
If we even have a hope
of winning the next election.
Ah. Worried about our careers, are we?
- Really.
- That's quite absurd.
[Margaret] Gentlemen, if we don't cut
spending, we will be bankrupt.
Yes, the medicine is harsh,
but the patient requires it
in order to live.
Should we withhold the medicine?
No. We are not wrong.
We did not seek election
and win in order to manage
the decline of a great nation.
The people of this country
chose us because they believe
we can restore the health
of the British economy,
and we will do just that.
Barring a failure of nerve.
Anything else?
- Prime Minister.
- Prime Minister.
You have saved the day once again,
Crawfie. You're an angel.
You can't just
close down a conversation
because it's not
what you wish to hear.
Oh, Geoffrey, I don't expect everyone
to just sit there and agree with me.
But what kind of leader am I
if I don't try to get my own way,
do what I know to be right?
Yes. But, Margaret...
...one must be careful not to test
one's colleagues' loyalties too far.
[Men murmuring]
[Angry shouting]
[Newscaster]
We are now one split nation,
with a huge gulf dividing
the employed from the unemployed.
[Man] The Thatcher plan is
to break the Trade Union Movement.
[Margaret] There must be closures
of uneconomic coal mines.
We seek only an efficient industry.
[Woman] The miners are being starved
back to work, the need is desperate!
[Whistle blowing]
[Margaret] There are those
who would say hold back,
there are those
who would make us retreat,
but we shall never give in to them.
We shall never waver, not for a second,
in our determination to see
this country prosper once again.
[Chanting]
[Newscaster] A car bomb has exploded
outside Harrods department store,
killing six people and injuring 71.
[Newscaster 2] Eleven soldiers died
today when two bombs were detonated
during military parades
in Hyde Park and Regent's Park.
Seven horses also died in the blast.
[Newscaster 3]
The IRA have claimed responsibility.
- [Siren wails]
- [Shouting]
- [Gunfire]
- [Applause]
And now,
it must be business as usual.
[Denis] Come on, love, come to bed.
I don't know why you do this
to yourself every year.
It's a speech at conference,
not the Magna Carta.
[Margaret reciting quietly]
[Denis] Time to call it a day, darling.
It's ten to three, for God's sake.
[Margaret] Oh, I know, I'm coming, DT.
- Come on...
- Nearly there.
[Gasps]
[Margaret wheezes] Denis!
- [Debris clattering]
- [Metal groaning]
Denis!
[Coughing]
Oh, there you are.
Are you all right?
[Margaret coughing]
[Wheezing] My shoes!
[Sirens wailing]
[Margaret] That's
when I thought I'd lost you.
[Phone rings]
[Moans]
Mark?
Hello, darling.
Oh... No. No, I'm fine.
I... I'm very well.
How... How is, uh...
...Sarah?
Yes, and the children?
Oh.
Oh, you can't.
That's a pity.
Well, I was hoping to see you.
Yes. Oh, no, that's fine.
Really, darling. That's fine.
Of course. Another time.
Yes, darling.
Yes. I can't wait. Lovely.
Yes.
Mark?
Mm...
Oh. Oh, dear.
[Sighs]
["I Whistle a Happy Tune"
from the King and I playing]
That was Mark.
Not able to come.
[Denis] That boy's always going AWOL.
Well, it costs him a great deal
to fly everyone up here.
There you go, making excuses for him.
Now look where it's got you.
Did you know that Yul Brynner
was a gypsy from Vladivostok?
Yes. Yes, he moved
to Paris when he was 14.
And he played the King of Siam
4,625 times
on the London and Broadway stages.
- What are you doing?
- One likes to make an effort.
- A snifter?
- You're dead, Denis.
- Well, if I'm dead, who you talking to?
- ["Shall We Dance" playing]
- Shall we dance?
- Oh.
[Music continuing]
[Margaret giggling]
Oh! [chuckles]
[Laughing]
[Distant rumbling]
[Panting]
- [Bell tolling]
- [newscaster] The Falkland Islands,
the British colony
in the South Atlantic, has fallen.
Argentina claims its marines
went ashore
as a spearhead this morning
to capture key targets,
including the capital, Port Stanley.
Gentlemen, the Argentinean junta,
which is a fascist gang,
has invaded our sovereign territory.
This cannot be tolerated.
May I make plain
my negotiating position:
I will not negotiate
with criminals or thugs.
The Falkland Islands
belong to Britain,
and I want them back.
Gentlemen, I need you to tell me today
if that is possible.
Possible... just, Prime Minister.
We can have a task force ready
to sail in 48 hours.
- Forty-eight hours. But?
- But...
We have a very narrow weather window.
We can't fight in winter down there,
nobody can.
If we are going, we have to go now.
Why were the islands left
without any naval protection?
[Man] In the last round of defense cuts,
we judged the risk of invasion
to be small.
- [Margaret] Did we?
- And if you remember, Prime Minister,
you agreed that we should reduce
the naval presence in the area
to an absolute minimum.
Margaret, the cost of sending 28,000 men
and a hundred ships 12,000 miles,
almost to Argentina,
will be absolutely crippling.
I don't think we should be worrying
about money at this point, Geoffrey.
We can't afford to go to war.
[Officer's voice echoing]
We have to go now.
[Echoes] Now.
[Margaret] The government
has now decided
that a large task force will sail,
as soon as all preparations
are complete.
- [voices exclaiming]
- [man] Prime Minister,
we do still have three weeks
before our ships reach the islands.
[Man 2] All we're saying is
that we shouldn't give up
on trying to find a diplomatic solution.
[Man] The US Secretary of State
has arrived, Prime Minister.
[Man] So you are proposing
to go to war over these islands.
They are thousands of miles away,
a handful of citizens,
politically and economically
insignificant, if you'll excuse me.
Just like Hawaii... I imagine.
- I'm sorry?
- 1941,
when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
Did America go, cap in hand,
and ask Tojo for a peaceful
negotiation of terms?
Did she turn her back
on her own citizens there
because the islands were thousands
of miles away
from the mainland United States?
No! No! No!
We will stand on principle,
or we will not stand at all.
But, Margaret, with all due respect,
when one has been to war...
With all due respect, sir,
I have done battle
every single day of my life,
and many men have
underestimated me before.
This lot seem bound to do the same,
but they will rue the day.
Now, shall I be mother?
Tea, Al, how do you take your tea?
Black or white?
[Indistinct chattering]
The Argentinean ship
the General Belgrano and her escorts
are pursuing course 273 degrees
towards the Argentinean mainland.
We are tracking them
with our submarine HMS Conqueror.
Is this ship a threat?
[Man] Both of these ships are carrying
Exocet missiles, Prime Minister.
Just yesterday,
they launched, then aborted,
an attack inside the exclusion zone.
There is a risk they could try it again.
The Belgrano is sailing
directly away from the islands.
Can it really be regarded
as a threat?
She's been changing course continually.
There's a strong possibility
that they'll attempt a pincer movement
on our carrier group.
I advise that we engage them.
Hit the Belgrano as a warning to the
others, send them all back to port.
It'll play badly internationally.
We'll be seen as aggressors.
This will be an escalation,
Prime Minister.
If there is to be an escalation,
it's better that we start it.
It is steaming away, Prime Minister.
[Margaret] Sink it.
[Newscaster] HMS Sheffield,
a Type 42 destroyer,
was attacked and hit late this afternoon
by an Argentine missile.
It is seen as retaliation
for the sinking of the General Belgrano,
in which over 300
Argentinean sailors died.
Prime Minister. The latest casualty
figures from the Sheffield.
- [Newscast continues indistinctly]
- I must write to them.
Prime Minister?
The families.
I must write to them.
[Newscaster]
A Type 21 frigate, HMS Ardent,
was hit by bombs and rockets.
[Newscaster 2] Antelope went the way
of the other two British ships
- lost so far...
- Foreign Secretary.
I've just been briefed by Admiral
Fieldhouse. He told me, bluntly,
that if the Argentineans are prepared
and willing to risk their aircraft,
they have enough Exocet missiles
to cripple most of our fleet.
President Reagan and President Belaunde
of Peru have some new proposals...
... new proposals for the peace plan.
Peace plan?
There will be no appeasement.
This is a war.
It's a war they started,
but by God, we will finish it.
Shall I tell you
what I'm going to write
to every single one of these families,
these heartbroken families?
I'm going to tell them
that no British soldier will die
in vain... for the Falklands.
[Man] Lieutenant Colonel Jones.
Captain Wood. Captain Dench.
[Margaret] As the only Prime Minister
in the history of our country
who is also a mother
with a son of my own,
I can imagine your agony,
and your grief.
[Man] Prime Minister,
we have secured the beachhead.
[Newscaster] The Argentinean troops are
demoralized and ill-equipped.
[Newscaster 2]
The paratroops have taken Goose Green.
[Newscaster]
Shortly after dark last night,
our forces surrounding Port Stanley
carried out what the Commander in Chief
has described
as a brilliant surprise night attack.
- [Rapid gunfire]
- [Helicopter whirring]
- [Gunfire over radio]
- [Radio clicks off]
Thatcher, bed.
[Newscaster] From their new
positions, our forces can see
large numbers
of Argentine soldiers retreating
and streaming back into Port Stanley.
Our forces are moving forward
to exploit their success.
[Cheering]
[Band playing "Soldiers of the Queen"]
[Sobbing]
[Laughing]
- Well done, Margaret.
- Congratulations.
[Margaret] We congratulate
the men and women
of our armed forces
for their skill, bravery,
and loyalty to this country.
We were faced with an act
of unprovoked aggression,
and we responded
as we have responded in times past:
With unity, strength, and courage...
- [uttering agreement]
...sure in the knowledge
that though much is sacrificed,
in the end,
right will prevail over wrong.
[All] Hear, hear!
And I put it to the Right
Honorable Gentleman opposite
that this is not a day for him to carp,
find fault, demand inquiries.
They will happen,
I can assure him of that,
for we have nothing to hide.
No. This is a day
to put differences aside,
to hold one's head high
and take pride in being British.
[All] Hear, hear!
Well done, Prime Minister.
[Cheering continuing]
[Tooting loudly]
Gotcha!
Well, that paid off, old girl!
Your ratings have soared,
from the most hated Prime Minister
of all time to the nation's darling.
The world at your feet,
and Britain was back in business.
[# Notsensibles: "I'm in Love
with Margaret Thatcher"]
[Lively chattering]
[Song continuing]
[Newscaster] The Berlin Wall has
fallen. The gates have been opened!
The police are making no attempt...
[continues indistinctly]
I don't agree.
I don't agree in any measure.
Prime Minister, the question of the
European single currency will come up.
I don't think the country is
ready for it yet.
[Geoffrey] But we cannot bury
our heads in the sand...
[newscaster] A lot of Conservative
MP's and Ministers are saying
that there must be a change
in that style of management,
that Mrs. Thatcher must listen more,
and on occasion, give in.
[Man] The point is, Prime Minister,
I don't think we can sell
the idea of a tax
that asks everyone
to pay the same.
[Margaret] Our policies
may be unpopular,
but they are the right policies.
[Man] Prime Minister, I just don't think
we can ask the poorest of the poor
to pay the same amount of tax
as a multi-millionaire.
There you go again! Why not?
- Because...
- Because people, on the whole,
think that the tax
is manifestly unfair.
Nonsense. Errant nonsense.
This is a simple proposition.
If you live in this country,
you must pay for the privilege.
Something, anything.
If you pay nothing, you care nothing.
What do you care
where you throw your rubbish?
Your council estate is a mess,
your town, graffiti, what do you care?
It's not your problem,
it's somebody else's problem.
It's the government's problem.
Your problem, some of you,
is that you haven't got
the courage for this fight.
No, you haven't had
to fight hard for anything.
It's all been given to you,
and you feel guilty about it.
Well, may I say, on behalf of those
who have had to fight their way up,
and who don't feel guilty about it,
we resent those slackers
who take, take, take,
and contribute nothing
to the community.
And I see the same thing,
the same cowardice
in our fight within the European Union,
cowardice,
for the sovereignty of Britain,
the integrity of the pound!
Some of you... want to make concessions.
Some of you want to make concessions.
I hear, some of you,
agree with the latest French proposals.
Well, why don't you get
on a boat to Calais? Hm?
Why don't you put on a beret,
and pay 85 percent of your income
to the French government!
Right.
What can we realistically hope
to achieve by the end of session,
Lord President? And why have we
not made more progress to date?
What is that?
Is that the timetable?
- I haven't seen that.
- It is, Prime Minister.
- May I see it?
- Yes, yes, of course.
The wording is sloppy here.
- And here.
- [Chuckles]
- If you say so.
- I do say so.
- It's merely a first draft.
- [Laughs]
This is ridiculous. There are
two "T's" in "committee."
Two "T's." Geoffrey,
this is shameful. Shameful!
I can't even rely on you...
for a simple timetable.
Are you unwell?
Yes, you are unwell.
Give me your pencil.
Give it to me!
If this is the best you can do,
I had better send you to hospital,
and I shall do your job as well
as my own and everyone else's.
Gentlemen, as the Lord President has
chosen to come to Cabinet unprepared...
...I shall have to close the meeting.
[Clears throat]
Good morning.
[Members muttering]
[Crowd chanting] Can't pay! Won't pay!
Can't pay! Won't pay!
[Rock music plays]
[Angry shouting]
Geoffrey.
My letter of resignation.
Our differences, I'm afraid,
cannot be reconciled.
[Geoffrey] I have done
what I believe to be right
for my party and my country.
The time has come for others to consider
their own response
to the tragic conflict of loyalties
with which I have myself wrestled...
[Minister] Geoffrey's speech in
the House of Commons was devastating.
[Minister 2] He just couldn't take
any more of the bullying.
[Minister 3]
He was almost inviting someone
to challenge her for leadership
of the party.
[Minister 4] She behaved appallingly.
I wouldn't have spoken
to my gamekeeper like that.
[Minister 5]
I don't think she can survive this.
I'm here to announce my decision
to put my name forward
as leader of the Conservative Party.
I have nothing but admiration
for our Prime Minister,
Margaret Thatcher,
but I believe our party
and our country need a new leader.
- [newscaster] It's extraordinary...
- I'm the Prime Minister.
... make it possible
for Conservative MPs to depose
- a sitting Prime Minister.
- Sweetie.
He already has open support.
As Conservative MPs gather
in Westminster to decide
who they will back
in the leadership contest,
the Prime Minister said
she would not be diverted
from critical international affairs.
Tonight in Paris, Mrs. Thatcher
is among 34 world leaders
who came here to celebrate
the end of the Cold War
and to herald the start of a peaceful
new age of East-West cooperation.
There's a general feeling
that Mrs. Thatcher
is going to win on the first ballot.
"We're going to put it
to bed tomorrow night,"
is how one of her
campaign staff puts it.
[Denis over phone] M, I think you should
come home and defend yourself, old girl.
Heseltine is campaigning ferociously.
[Margaret over phone] I do think
my time is better spent
seeing an end to the Cold War.
Don't you?
After all this time,
they know what I stand for.
Will she, or will she not,
be in the job tomorrow?
- [overlapping newscasts]
- [man] Margaret, they can't touch you.
[Lively chattering]
[Newscaster] Mrs. Thatcher
has failed to win enough votes
to secure an outright win
in the leadership contest
and must now decide whether to put her
name forward for the second round.
[Newscaster 2] As Mrs. Thatcher
leaves Paris for London to make
her last-ditch attempt to pull together
support for her leadership,
the ship may have sailed.
[Laughter]
[Margaret] Treachery!
[Minister 1] We will never win another
election led by that woman.
[Minister 2]
We need a leader who listens.
[Minister 3] This isn't about her,
it's about the party.
[Minister 4]
One must know when to go.
[Minister 5] The question is,
how does anyone put it to her?
If you were to stand, I, of course,
would vote for you, Prime Minister.
Prime Minister, I, of course,
would vote for you...
But I don't think you can win.
The loyalty of all of my colleagues...
It was the people who put me here.
The loyalty of all of my colleagues
cannot be counted upon.
It's up to them to tell me when to go.
Margaret, you can't
let them do this to you.
Please, boss.
They'll destroy you.
Throw in the towel now, love.
Don't let those ***
see you humiliated.
You just won't win, darling.
Not this time.
- [Sniffles]
- Oh, Denis.
I am the Prime Minister.
- [loud arguing]
- [Speaker] Order! Order!
[Margaret] The Right Honorable
Gentleman is afraid.
[Man] This is their naked
strategy of closing
some coal mines and then selling off...
[Margaret] They believe in striking,
I believe in working!
[Man] This is the woman who's
watched ten men on hunger strike
starve themselves to death
and never flinched!
[Margaret] Despicable and cowardly.
- [man] Cynical Falklands war...
- [man 2] More homeowners,
- more shareowners, more savings...
- [man 3] Showing to the bankers...
- [overlapping speakers]
- [loud arguing]
- [Margaret] Yes, yes, yes!
- [arguing continuing]
I offer my resignation
after 11 and a half
extraordinary years...
... proud to have left Britain
in a much better state
than when we took office.
[Woman singing "Casta Diva"]
[Margaret] What's this then?
A radio.
How useful.
[Opera continuing]
Steady, MT.
[Opera continuing]
- [Reporters clamoring]
- [Man] Mrs. Thatcher!
[Clamoring fades]
[Denis] The greatest
Prime Minister since Churchill
deposed by a bunch
of spineless pygmies!
[Margaret] All those years
of taking the tough decisions.
Does any of it matter now?
[Denis] It's all been turned to mush!
- Hm?
- By these fools!
These lily-livered pinkos!
- These inept placaters.
- [Laughs]
Very good! These vacillators.
- Vacillators! Poll takers.
- Popularity seekers.
[Margaret] So busy taking
the pulse of the public!
- Weak! Weak! Weak!
- These weak, weak...
- All of them, weak!
...weak men!
Don't they know
if you take the tough decisions...
...yes, people will hate you today,
but they'll thank you for generations.
Or forget you entirely
and chuck you out with the rubbish.
Oh!
[Margaret] All I wanted was
to make a difference in the world.
[Denis] And you did, love, you did.
Yes... Oh...
[Margaret] All I wanted was for my
children to grow up well and be happy,
happier than I was, certainly.
[Laughs]
He kept all this.
[Chuckles] Oh, yes.
[Laughs]
[Margaret] And I wanted you
to be happy, of course.
Were you happy, Denis?
[Softly] Tell me the truth.
[Frenetic orchestral music plays]
Denis?
Denis?
Denis?
Here's your bag.
All packed, sorted.
Denis, wait.
Where are your shoes?
You... You can't go without your shoes.
- Not yet.
- Steady.
Yes. Steady.
- Steady the buffs.
- Steady the buffs.
No. Not yet!
Denis! Wait!
I don't...
I said I don't want you to go yet.
Denis! Please!
Not... Don't... No.
I'm not...
I don't want to be on my own.
[Denis] You're gonna be fine
on your own, love.
You always have been.
[Margaret gasping] Denis...
[gasping] No, no, no!
[Whimpers]
- [Knocking]
- [Carol] Mummy.
- [Groans]
- Good God!
- Mum, are you all right?
- Yes.
- What have you been doing?
- [Groaning]
Mummy, you should have called
for help, silly old sausage.
Have you not even been in your bed
properly? You've done all this?
Yes, it's all sorted. Finished.
Yes, well, don't worry about that.
June and I can crack on with it.
I was just going to get dressed.
Shall I call someone,
see if anyone can come and do your hair?
No... You do it.
[Carol] Right, I'm off, June.
Susie's going to drive me.
- Just loading the car.
- [June] OK. Bye!
Oh, let me do that, Margaret.
No, dear, it's all right. I'll do it.
[June] Carol said you might go
to the House of Lords today?
- No, no. I'm not going anywhere.
- [Water running]
[Children shouting playfully]
[Engine puttering]
[Birds singing]
[Clears throat]
[Piano playing classical prelude]