Subtitles section Play video Print subtitles In the spring of 1979, in the wake of Britain's "Winter of Discontent," Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party won a landslide victory. The Iron Lady took the helm of a fading Britain, the sick man of Europe as it had come to be known, but she refused to accept that decay was inevitable and that the job of the British government was to manage decline. Britain, should believed, could do better. THATCHER: "Some socialists seem to be believe people should be numbers in a state computer. We believe they should be individuals. We're all unequal. No one, thank heavens, is quite like anyone else, however much the socialists may pretend otherwise. And we believe that everyone has the right to be unequal. But to us every human being is equally important." NARRATOR: And while she had no shortage of critics, SILLARS: "The Prime Minister is aware that I detest every single one of her domestic policies, and I have never hidden that fact." THATCHER: "I think the Honorable Gentleman knows that I have the same contempt for his socialist policies of that the the people of east Europe, who have experienced them, have for theirs." NARRATOR: She was secure in her faith that her conservative vision was right. THATCHER: "One of the great debates of our time is about how much of your money should be spent by the state, and how much you should keep to spend on your family. If the state wishes to spend more, it can do so only by borrowing your savings, or by taxing you more. And it's no good thinking someone else will pay. That someone else is you." NARRATOR: She knew what Ronald Reagan knew. That free markets and a free people are the best defense against tyranny and that peace comes through strength, not accommodation. THATCHER: "Mr. Speaker, wars are not caused by the build-up of weapons. They are caused when an aggressor believes he can achieve his objectives at an acceptable price." NARRATOR: America now stands at a crossroads One path leads to deficits, decreasing influence and decline. The other a renewed American dream we all want. THATCHER: "Mr. Chairman, people want to live in peace, real lasting peace. The peace that comes from independence of the state and being able to run your own life, spend your own money, and make your own choices. And, above all, the peace of a country which is properly defended against any potential adversary." NARRATOR: As we take stock of our choices, the legacy of Britain's Iron Lady remains a steadfast guide.
B1 UK thatcher narrator britain peace iron unequal The Real Legacy of Margaret Thatcher, Britain's Iron Lady 2222 190 Zenn posted on 2013/04/08 More Share Save Report Video vocabulary