Monday, July 7, 2002
Beneath the parapet - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER – Sir Denis Thatcher, Bt, who died a couple of weeks ago and was buried late last week, was the husband of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. The Baroness Thatcher, a formidable politician on her own, has always said that her political career would have gone nowhere without him. In her memoir, The Downing Street Years, Lady Thatcher wrote that Sir Denis was "always a powerful personality," who still allowed for his wife's public toughness to shine, with his steady presence behind the scenes. She would go on to write of Sir Denis: "What a man. What a husband. What a friend."
A retired oil executive by the time his wife became prime minister in 1979, Sir Denis has been the only man, thus far, to have served as consort to a British prime minister. Even though he was dignified and modest, he was thrust into the spotlight. For watchers of the Baroness Thatcher's political career, invariably watchers of British political history, the death of Sir Denis sheds some light on the mystique behind Lady Thatcher's premiership. Often more ballsy than her male counterparts, of whom lily livered lackeys were dubbed hopelessly "wet," it was curious to see the relationship had between Sir Denis and his wife. It was interesting how in political life she had no need for anyone else's advice, even from those in the highest level of the British government and civil service, yet she would inevitably turn to Sir Denis. Was Sir Denis so influential on his wife's politics? Was their relationship both personal and political, as the Clinton's would have you believe theirs is?
Clearly, from anecdotes I've read over the years, both from their daughter Carol's biography of Sir Denis, Below The Parapet, as well as Lady Thatcher's two volumes of memoirs, and documentaries of the sort, this was a unique partnership rooted in tradition, yet modern if only she was a woman in political life. He was husband to a visibly strong woman, whose political moxie has often been equated to that far more masculine than most male politicians. And even though she had been a full-time cabinet minister, she would be known to leave the office early so as to pick up bacon for Denis' breakfast the next morning.
One of the more revealing stories that appeared after Sir Denis's death was a report that appeared two weeks ago in the Sunday Telegraph. It was an interview with Cynthia Crawford, Lady Thatcher's firmest friend and personal assistant. She spoke about Sir Denis's death and the scene in the hospital room: "I was holding Lady Thatcher's hand, and she was holding Sir Denis's hand when he died. There were no final words." According to Crawford, who has been affectionately known to the Thatcher family as ‘Crawfie,' Lady Thatcher took her husband's death "very hard," yet "very quietly." "Distraught with grief," Lady Thatcher had lost her "absolute soulmate."
Sir Denis Thatcher was often regarded as Lady Thatcher's colourful husband who dwelled in the background to his wife and her powerful counterparts. In the process he downed many a gin and tonics, and scotch's, without ice mind you, as it "diluted the alcohol." (One interesting shot I saw, was one of Sir Denis standing behind the first President Bush, during a photo call, juggling a scotch in one hand and a cigarette drooping from his lip.) He had his opinions and often would share them. When Sarah, The Duchess of York complained to Sir Denis about the "awful press" she was getting, he curtly replied: "Ma'am, has it occurred to you to keep your mouth shut?"
For his contribution to the country, as consort to its first female prime minister, upon Mrs. Thatcher's resignation from the government, he was created a hereditary baronet, the first since 1964, when Sir Alec Douglas-Home was so honoured, and the only since. Their son Mark, will inherit the baronetcy.
Sir Denis was a great fan of cricket. Certainly, as Cynthia Crawford attested he had "terrific innings with a very straight bat." Often he would talk about his personal philosophy in sporting terms. Over a decade ago, Lady Thatcher wrote about the lines she thought, "which for me best summed up his character and convictions . . . on sport and ethics and contained these line: ‘The desire to win is born in most of us. The will to win is a matter of training. The manner of winning is a matter of honour."
Sir Denis was 88.
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An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .