Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2012/January 2013 | Page 22

INTERVIEW

Above: Three Lords, 2000

People were dying, so we mounted a
massive public education campaign
with TV adverts, and sent leaflets
to every house in the country. I was
accused of scaring people, but I
preferred that rather than allowing it
to go on.
“We also introduced clean needle
exchanges. It was criticised but
brought down the level of new cases
of HIV Aids, and has been followed
around the world. It has been shown
to be a life saver.”
In 1987 Norman was switched
to Employment, and says: “I was
very lucky. Every month I was there
unemployment came down. I took
pride in getting rid of the old Dock
Work Regulation scheme, which was
gumming up ports. Since then port
areas have expanded.”
Norman talks openly about life under
Margaret Thatcher, explaining: “We
had a perfectly reasonable relationship.
I was a supporter of her from the
beginning, even though I didn’t vote
for her! But I found as the years went
by that she surro unded herself with
advisers rather than Ministers, and she
became more remote as far as Cabinet
Ministers were concerned. I was never
her opponent, but she had got out
of touch with the people who had
supported her, and the real turning
point was in 1987 when she won the
third election.
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Above: Norman and Fiona in 1979

Norman as a
graduate in 1961

“She thought she could do
everything, but turned to areas she
had not touched before like Poll Tax,
which did more than anything to bring
her down. She had been a radical PM
but also reasonably cautious, which
made her great. But she threw caution
to the wind, and by 1987 she told me
we were going to be unpopular in 18

months time - and we were!
“She was a great Prime Minister. Her
determination was formidable, and
the way she conducted business was
extremely good. She worked round
the clock, and I don’t think anyone
else could have done what she did in
the 1980s. It might sound corny but
it was an enormous privilege to have