John Campbell - The Iron Lady

jIn Statecraft (2002) she did assert that Libya was ‘clearly behind’ the Lockerbie bombing. 70

kThe censored words are presumably something like ‘to meet Mrs Thatcher’s view’. But then why censor them? One can only guess that they are less complimentary than that – something like ‘Mrs Thatcher’s obsession’.

l‘Fleet Street’, of course, ceased to be located in Fleet Street during the 1980s, largely as a result of Rupert Murdoch’s removal of News International to Wapping in 1985, which was followed by practically all the rest of the national press. But the name is still useful, and it was still correct at the start of the decade.

mColette Bowe is the one leading participant in the Westland drama who has not yet published her account of these events; but she has placed it in a bank for ultimate disclosure.

nMrs Thatcher’s personal result in Finchley was very little changed from 1983:

oMuch of the material relating to Bush’s dealings with Chancellor Kohl has been declassified, however, confirming the accuracy of what appears in A World Transformed . Only a few disparaging remarks by Kohl about Mrs Thatcher are omitted.

pThe Americans were not even worried about helping Saddam acquire a nuclear capacity. In April 1989 Iraqi scientists attended an advanced thermonuclear seminar in Portland, Oregon. 48

qIf her definition of ‘not letting Britain down’ was backing America in every eventuality, Blair did her proud in 2003 by aligning Britain unswervingly behind George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq, in defiance of most of his party, public opinion and the United Nations. She herself at the height of her relationship with Ronald Reagan was never obedient to American leadership.

rOn the specific question of Iraq she wrote, ‘There will be no peace and security in the region until Saddam is toppled.’ She was hesitant about attacking him unless he could be shown to have been involved in the atrocities of 11 September. ‘But if he was, he must be made to pay the price.’ 62