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What Have We Learned from the Failure of British Socialism?
Collection StructureFiring Line broadcast records > Episode guide > What Have We Learned from the Failure of British Socialism?
Item Title What Have We Learned from the Failure of British Socialism?
Guest Thatcher, Margaret
Host Buckley, William F., Jr. (1925-2008)
Date CreatedJuly 25, 1977
Description

In Mrs. Thatcher's second appearance on Firing Line, two years before she would take up the reins of government, the conversation turns to the state of democracy in present-day Britain. We get even more of a feel than in her first appearance (#S199) of why she would become so admired, and so reviled: "For years now in British politics you have needed to use the word 'consensus.' ... It's a word you didn't use when I first came into politics. We had convictions, and we tried to persuade people that our convictions were the right ones, and it's no earthly good having convictions unless you have the will to translate those convictions into action. I understand that one time you interviewed Mr. Bukovsky. I was very impressed with one of his speeches. He put it marvelously. Back when he lived in Russia, where they had no freedom at all and one or two like him were determined to fight for it whatever it cost, the view he took was not 'Does my voice count?' The view he took was 'If not me, who? If not now, when?' Now that's the view that I want each democrat--and I use it in the ordinary sense, a believer in democracy--to take in Britain.' "

Language(s)
Country of Origin
Place RecordedLondon, England, United Kingdom
DimensionsDuration: 60 minutes
FormatMoving Image
Medium television programs
Aspect Ratio
4:3
Color
color
Soundtrack
sound
Hoover IDProgram S0288
Record Number80040.530
NotesVideo available through Amazon.
RightsCopyright held by Stanford University. This copy is provided for educational and research purposes only. No publication, further reproduction, or reuse of copies, beyond fair use, may be made without the express written permission of the Hoover Institution Library & Archives on behalf of Stanford University.
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