Handbagged:Acomedicpeekintotherelationshipbetween
QueenElizabethII&PrimeMinisterMargaretThatcher
Handbagged
ASynopsis
Moira Buffini´s mischievous comedy speculates on a very provocative question: What
did the world´s most powerful women talk about behind closed doors? Of course no
one was actually privy to the meeting between the monarch and her prime minister,
but in Handbagged we have Moira Buffini´s perspective, which is fresh and engaging.
The play covers the eleven year period of Thatcher´s time as prime minister and we see
a younger “Liz” and “Mags” battle their delicate balance of power over their tea time
talks, with their older selves hovering near them ready to comment on the
conversations.
The play shows us a glimpse of the possible frustrations the Queen had, as being a
sovereign who was unable to make executive decisions, but could only advise the
Prime Minister. The play illustrates how difficult it could have been for the Queen
when faced with Thatcher and her unflinching ideas, harsh and uncaring values and her
belief that a Queen is just meant to shake hands and smile. Handbagged is about
human relationships, differing opinions and it also refers to events that have shaped
our society, our government and our attitude to politicians.
Task:ReadingPracticeandSynonyms
Synonyms
Findoneortwosynonymsforeachofthesechallengingwordsfromthesynopsis.
VocabWord
mischievous
provocative
privy
hovering
frustrations
sovereign
illustrates
unflinching
harsh
attitude
Synonym1
Synonym2
1
Answers:Vocab Synonym1
Word
mischievous
playful/funny
provocative
challenging/stimulating
privy
Ininformed/intheknow
hovering
waiting/lingering
frustrations
disappointments/defeats
sovereign
queen/ruler
illustrates
shows/explains
unflinching
steady/persistent
harsh
severe/cruel
attitude
outlook/position
PartII:TimelineofthePlay-1979to1990
WhatintheWorldwashappening?
Insertthemissingwords,andfindout!
FederalRepublicof
Germany
Wall
Tehran
Iraq
JohnMajor
Afghanistan
female
EastGermany
Auto-Immune
DeficiencySyndrome
Minister
Kohl
Israel
Britain
SouthAfrica
DianaSpencer
nucleararms
Synonym2
ill-behaved/bad
aggressive/offensive
awareof/inon
stayingclose/hanging
around
irritations/annoyances
monarch/potentate
proves/demonstrates
unwavering/fearless
abrasive/bitter
view/opinion
hungerstrike
Argentinian
apartheid
Beijing,China
TheUnitedStates
Premier
Europe
2
1979 Sovietinvasionof_____________
1979 CampDavidAgreementbrokerspeacebetweenEgyptand_______
1979 MargaretThatcher,first_________tobecomeBritishPrime_________
1980 IranianHostageCrisis-hostagesheldinUSEmbassyin__________
1980 RonaldReaganbecomesPresidentof___________________
1981 IrishRepublicanArmyprisonersgoon_________________inUKprison
PrinceCharlesmarriesLady________________,over700millionTV
1981 viewers
__________________________(AIDS)becomesmajorhealththreat
1981 throughoutworld
1982 BritainregainFalklandsIslandsafter______________occupation
1983 Helmut______becomesGermanChancellor
1983 ColoredsandAsiansallowedvotein______________,forthefirsttime
1984 Miners'Strikein________begins
MikhailGorbachevbecomesRussian________-Timeof"Glasnost"and
1985 "Perestroika"
Chernobylnuclearpowerstationexplodes,contaminatingmostof
1986 _______
1987 RussiaandWestsignfirstofseveraltreatiestoreduce_____________
1988 EndofIran-____War
Pro-democracyprotestinTiananmenSquare,______,_____,brutally
1989 crushed
OverthrowofcommunistruleinPoland,Hungary,__________and
1989 Bulgaria
1989 Berlin_______demolished
1990 MargaretThatcherresigns-______________takesoverasBritishPM
1990 EastandWestGermanyuniteas_________________________
1990 NelsonMandelareleased-endof__________inSouthAfrica
3
ANSWERS
1979 Sovietinvasionof____Afghanistan_________
1979 CampDavidAgreementbrokerspeacebetweenEgyptand_Israel______
1979 MargaretThatcher,firstfemaletobecomeBritishPrimeMinister_______
1980 IranianHostageCrisis-hostagesheldinUSEmbassyinTehran________
1980 RonaldReaganbecomesPresidentoftheUnitedStates________
1981 IrishRepublicanArmyprisonersgoonhungerstrikeinUKprison
PrinceCharlesmarriesLadyDianaSpencer,over700millionTV
1981 viewers
AutoImmuneDeficiencySyndrome(AIDS)becomesmajorhealth
1981 threatthroughoutworld
1982 BritainregainFalklandsIslandsafterArgentinianoccupation
1983 HelmutKohlbecomesGermanChancellor
1983 ColoredsandAsiansallowedvoteinSouthAfrica,forthefirsttime
1984 Miners'StrikeinBritainbegins
MikhailGorbachevbecomesRussianPremier-Timeof"Glasnost"and
1985 "Perestroika"
Chernobylnuclearpowerstationexplodes,contaminatingmostof
1986 Europe
1987 RussiaandWestsignfirstofseveraltreatiestoreducenucleararms
1988 EndofIran-IraqWar
Pro-democracyprotestinTiananmenSquare,Beijing,China,brutally
1989 crushed
OverthrowofcommunistruleinPoland,Hungary,EastGermanyand
1989 Bulgaria
1989 BerlinWalldemolished
4
1990 MargaretThatcherresigns–JohnMajortakesoverasBritishPM
1990 EastandWestGermanyuniteasFederalRepublicofGermany
_______
_______
_____
nationa
lgeogra
phic.co
m.au/h
istory/t
1990 NelsonMandelareleased-endofapartheidinSouthAfrica
he-80s-timeline
lukemastin.com/history/by_date_8.html
PartIII:QueenElizabethII
Task:SpeakingPractice-WhichQueenisshe?
Haveyoufoundher?
Whatdoyouknowabout
theotherladies?
QueenElizabethI
QueenVictoria
TheQueenMother
Photocredits:BBC,BT.com,
music.org.za,santanderarte.tk,
matzav.com,GettyImages
5
VocabularyExercise:
Whichadjectives,verbs,andnounswouldyouusetodescribethesewomen?Tostart
youoff,we’vegivenyouafew.
QueenElizabethII
regal
sparkly
speaking
leader
PrimeMinisterMargaretThatcher
firstfemale
worldleader
invigorating serious
6
PartIII:TheQueenandherPrimeMinisters
Duringher64-yearreign,13primeministershaveservedQueenElizabethII.Many
relationshipswereformed--fromWinstonChurchill,to"IronLady"MargaretThatcher
--andsomeprovedmoredifficultthanothers.
Whilemostoftheirpoliticalandpersonalconversationsarekeptstrictlyconfidential,
memoirsandhistoricinteractionsprovideaninsightintotheirrelationships.
TakealookbackatthosewhohaveservedduringQueenElizabethII´sreign..
1. WINSTONCHURCHILL1951-1955
2. ANTHONYEDEN1955-1957
3. HAROLDMACMILLAN1957-1963
4. ALECDOUGLAS-HOME1963-1964
5. HAROLDWILSON1964-1970,1974-1976
6. EDWARDHEATH1970-1974
7. JAMESCALLAGHAN1976-1979
8. MARGARETTHATCHER1979-1990
9. JOHNMAJOR1990-1997
10. TONYBLAIR1997-2007
11. GORDONBROWN2007-2010
12. DAVIDCAMERON2010-2016
13. THERESAMAY2016-present
_________________________________________
•
CNN,updatedJuly14,2016
TheQueenchatswithMargaretThatcherattheNationalPortraitGalleryinLondonMay4,2000.
7
WhileThatcherandtheQueenweretheclosestinage,Thatcherkepttheirencounters
strictlyprofessional,formalandfamouslystiff.The"IronLady,"asshebecameknown,
reportedlyhadatenserelationshipwiththemonarchduringtheirtraditionalweekly
meetings.ThatcheralsoviewedherannualvisitstotheroyalhomeinBalmoral,
Scotlandasinterruptingherwork.Butdespitethis,Thatcherissaidtohavebeen
incrediblyrespectfuloftheQueenandeventuallybecameherlongestservingprime
minister.
PartIII:QueenElizabethII–Videos
TheQueen'srelationshipwiththekeyPrimeMinisters-3:04minutes
ReportbyLouiseHulland,TheRoyalFamilyChannel
https://youtu.be/8_2vZE9dinY
Top10FactsAboutQueenElizabethII–8:28minutes
TheQueenoftheUKhasbeenreigningforover6decadesmakingmanyfeelthather
timewillnevercometoanend.InallthoseyearstheQueenhaslivedquiteanintriguing
life,findoutsomeinterestingfactsyoumaynothaveknown.
https://youtu.be/oUkRu9A9wNI
PublishedonDec25,2016–7:50minutes
QueenElizabethIIdeliversherannualChristmasmessagefromBuckinghamPalace.
Thethemeofthisyear'smessageisinspiration.
https://youtu.be/ouieLx4VryU
PartIV:PrimeMinisterMargaretThatcher
“Inpolitics,ifyouwantanythingsaid,aska
man.Ifyouwantanythingdone,aska
woman.”
—MargaretThatcher
TheIronLady
“Her substance is ferrous metal of the highest quality
Of exceptional tensile strength
Resistant to wear and tear
Usable for all national purposes”
- Enoch Powell
QUICKFACTS
biography.com/people/margaret-thatcher-9504796#synopsis
8
NAME
MargaretThatcher
OCCUPATION
PrimeMinister(ConservativeParty)
BIRTHDATE
October13,1925
EDUCATION
OxfordUniversitySomervilleCollege(Chemistry),GranthamGirls'HighSchool
PLACEOFBIRTH
Lincolnshire,UnitedKingdom
AKA
BaronessThatcherofKesteven
MargaretThatcher
MargaretRoberts
BaronessThatcher
NICKNAME
"IronLady"
MAIDENNAME
MargaretHildaRoberts
Alwaysacontroversialfigure,shehasbeendescribedasoneofthegreatestandmost
influentialpoliticiansinBritishhistory,evenasargumentsoverThatcherismpersist.1
Onmovinginto10DowningStreet,Thatcherintroducedaseriesofpoliticaland
economicinitiativesintendedtoreversehighunemploymentandBritain'sstrugglesin
thewakeoftheWinterofDiscontent2andanongoingrecession.3Herpolitical
philosophyandeconomicpoliciesemphasizedderegulation(particularlyofthe
financialsector),flexiblelabormarkets,theprivatizationofstate-ownedcompanies,
andreducingthepowerandinfluenceoftradeunions.Thatcher'spopularityduringher
firstyearsinofficewanedamidrecessionandhighunemployment,untilvictoryinthe
1982FalklandsWarandtherecoveringeconomybroughtaresurgenceofsupport,
resultinginherre-electionin1983.
AsPrimeMinister,ThatchermetweeklywithQueenElizabethIItodiscussgovernment
business,andtheirrelationshipcameunderclosescrutiny.BiographerJohn
Campbellsaystheirrelationswere"punctiliouslycorrectbuttherewaslittlelovelost
oneitherside".TheQueen'spresssecretaryleakedanonymousrumorsofarift,which
wereofficiallydeniedbythePalace.CampbellconcludesthatThatcherhad"analmost
mysticalreverencefortheinstitutionofthemonarchy...Yetatthesametimeshewas
tryingtomodernizethecountryandsweepawaymanyofthevaluesandpractices
whichthemonarchyperpetuated".4Thatcherlaterwrote:"IalwaysfoundtheQueen's
attitudetowardstheworkoftheGovernmentabsolutelycorrect...storiesofclashes
between'twopowerfulwomen'werejusttoogoodnottomakeup."5
Thatcherwasre-electedforathirdtermin1987.Duringthisperiodhersupportfor
aCommunityCharge(referredtoasthe"polltax")waswidelyunpopular,andher
viewsontheEuropeanCommunitywerenotsharedbyothersinherCabinet.She
resignedasPrimeMinisterandpartyleaderinNovember1990,afterMichael
Heseltinelaunchedachallengetoherleadership.AfterretiringfromtheCommonsin
9
1992,shewasgivenalifepeerageasBaronessThatcher,whichentitledhertositin
theHouseofLords.Afteraseriesofsmallstrokesin2002,shewasadvisedtowithdraw
frompublicspeaking.Despitethis,shemanagedtopre-recordaeulogytohergreat
friendandpoliticalcomrade,RonaldReaganpriortohisdeath,whichwasbroadcast
athisfuneralin2004.In2013,shediedofanotherstrokeinLondon,attheageof87.
___________________________________________
biography.com,MargaretThatcher
TheWinterofDiscontentreferstothewinterof1978–79intheUnitedKingdom,duringwhichtherewerewidespreadstrikesby
publicsectortradeunionsdemandinglargerpayrises,followingtheongoingpaycapsoftheLabourPartygovernmentledbyJames
CallaghanagainstTradesUnionCongressoppositiontocontrolinflation,duringthecoldestwinterfor16years.
3Inherforewordtothe1979Conservativepartymanifesto,Thatcherwroteof"afeelingofhelplessness,thataoncegreatnation
hassomehowfallenbehind".Thatcher,Margaret(1979)."ConservativePartyManifesto1979".Foreword.
4Campbell,MargaretThatcher:TheIronLady2:464
5Thatcher(1993),p.18.
1
2
PartIV:PrimeMinisterMargaretThatcher–Videos
WhatisTHATCHERISM?WhatdoesTHATCHERISMmean?THATCHERISMmeaning-
THATCHERISMpronunciation-THATCHERISMdefinition-THATCHERISMexplanation
-HowtopronounceTHATCHERISM?–5:03minutes
https://youtu.be/2eSgN21wmZE
Source:Wikipedia.orgarticle,adaptedunderhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/...license.
Transcript:
Thatcherismdescribestheconvictionpolitics,economic,socialpolicyandpoliticalstyleoftheBritishConservative
PartypoliticianMargaretThatcher,whowasleaderofherpartyfrom1975to1990.Ithasalsobeenusedtodescribe
thebeliefsoftheBritishgovernmentunderThatcherasPrimeMinisterfrom1979to1990,andbeyondintothe
governmentsofJohnMajor,TonyBlairandDavidCameron.Anexponent1orsupporterofThatcherismisregardedas
aThatcherite.
Thatcherismrepresentedasystematic,decisiverejectionandreversalofthepost-warconsensus,wherebythemajor
politicalpartieslargelyagreedonthecentralthemesofKeynesianism2,thewelfarestate,nationalisedindustry,and
closeregulationoftheeconomy.Therewasonemajorexception:theNationalHealthService,whichwaswidely
popular.ShepromisedBritonsin1982,theNHSis"safeinourhands."
BoththeexacttermsofwhatmakesupThatcherismaswellasitsspecificlegacy3intermsofBritishhistoryoverthe
pastdecadesarecontroversial.Intermsofideology,ThatcherismhasbeendescribedbyNigelLawson,Thatcher's
ChancelloroftheExchequerfrom1983to1989,asapoliticalplatformemphasisingfreemarketswithrestrained
governmentspendingandtaxcutscoupledwithBritishnationalismbothathomeandabroad.TheDailyTelegraph
statedinApril2008thattheprogrammeofthenextnon-conservativeBritishgovernment,TonyBlair's
administrationwithanemphasison'NewLabour',basicallyacceptedthecentralreformmeasuresofThatcherism
suchasderegulation,privatisationofkeynationalindustries,maintainingaflexiblelabourmarket,marginalising4the
tradeunions,andcentralisingpowerfromlocalauthoritiestocentralgovernment.
Thatcherismattemptstopromotelowinflation,thesmallstate,andfreemarketsthroughtightcontrolofthemoney
10
supply,privatisationandconstraints5onthelabourmovement.ItisoftencomparedwithReaganomics6intheUnited
States,EconomicRationalisminAustraliaandRogernomics7inNewZealandandasakeypartoftheworldwide
economicliberalmovement.NigelLawson,Thatcher'sChancelloroftheExchequerfrom1983to1989,listedthe
Thatcheriteidealsas"freemarkets,financialdiscipline,firmcontroloverpublicexpenditure,taxcuts,nationalism,
'Victorianvalues'(oftheSamuelSmilesself-helpvariety),privatisationandadash8ofpopulism".
Thatcherismisthusoftencomparedtoneoliberalism9.MiltonFriedmansaidthat"thethingthatpeopledonot
recogniseisthatMargaretThatcherisnotintermsofbeliefaTory.Sheisanineteenth-centuryLiberal."Thatcher
herselfstatedin1983:"IwouldnotmindbettingthatifMrGladstonewerealivetodayhewouldapplytojointhe
ConservativeParty".Inthe1996KeithJosephmemoriallectureThatcherarguedthat"ThekindofConservatism
whichheandI...favouredwouldbebestdescribedas'liberal',intheold-fashionedsense.AndImeantheliberalism
ofMrGladstone,notofthelatterdaycollectivists".However,ThatcheroncetoldFriedrichHayek:"Iknowyouwant
metobecomeaWhig;no,IamaTory".Hayekbelieved"shehasfeltthisveryclearly".
ButtherelationshipbetweenThatcherismandliberalismiscomplicated.Thatcher'sformerDefenceSecretaryJohn
Nottclaimedthat"itisacompletemisreadingofherbeliefstodepictherasanineteenth-centuryLiberal".AsEllen
MeiksinsWoodhasargued,ThatcheritecapitalismwascompatiblewithtraditionalBritishpoliticalinstitutions.As
PrimeMinister,ThatcherdidnotchallengeancientinstitutionssuchasthemonarchyortheHouseofLords,butsome
ofthemostrecentadditions:suchasthetradeunions.Indeed,manyleadingThatcherites,includingThatcherherself,
wentontojointheHouseofLords:anhonourwhichGladstone,forinstance,haddeclined.
ThinkerscloselyassociatedwithThatcherismincludeKeithJoseph,EnochPowell,FriedrichHayekandMilton
Friedman.InaninterviewwithSimonHefferin1996Thatcherstatedthatthetwogreatestinfluencesonheras
ConservativeleaderhadbeenJosephandPowell,whowereboth"verygreatmen".
MargaretThatcherBiography–3:45minutes
https://youtu.be/BxFkgmAuSQ0
AllcontentiseitherinthepublicdomainorlicensedpursuanttoaCreativeCommonsAttributionLicense
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
Attribution:
http://cloudbiography.com/attribution...
PartV:Miner’sStrikeof1984
11
MINER’SSTRIKEQUICKFACTFILE
12March,1984-Minersstrikeoverthreatenedpitclosures.
9April,1984-Dozensofminersarrestedinpicketlineviolence
29May,1984-MajorclashbetweenpoliceandminersatOrgreave.
3March,1985-TheNUMexecutivenarrowlyvoteforareturntowork.
2002-ArthurScargillretiresasNUMPresident
TheMiners'StrikewasoneofthehardestfoughtindustrialdisputesinBritishhistory.
ItsbattlegroundsweretheoldminingareasincludingtheNottsandDerbyshire
coalfields.Thousandsofcoalminerscameoutinprotestagainstproposedpitclosures
andjoblosses.
Welookbackatthekeyeventsofthestrike,andinvestigatewhathappenedtothe
minerswhentheEastMidlandpitsfinallyclosed.
TheMiners'StrikemarkedthebeginningoftheendforBritain'scoalindustry.
Onceanimportantpartoftheeconomy,coalwasnolongeraforcetobereckonedwith.
AftertheSecondWorldWarcoalhadbeen“king”intheNottinghamshire,Derbyshire
andLeicestershirecoalfields.
Wholecommunitieswerebuiltontheblackstuff,andthearea'smanypitvillageswere
renownedfortheirclose-knitspirit.
BeforetheMiners'Strike,theEastMidlandsboastedaround30workingmines.
Justafewyearslatermostofthosemineshadclosedwiththelossoftensofthousands
ofminingjobs.
Today,onlythreeminesremain-allinNottinghamshire.
Sowherediditallgowrong?
The1984Miners'Strikewasalastattemptbytheminingunionstostopmining
closuresandthelossofjobs.
InMarch1984morethan187,000minerscameoutonstrikewhentheNationalCoal
Boardannouncedthat20pitsinEnglandwouldhavetoclosewiththelossof20,000
jobs.
12
Itwasthestartofoneofthemostconfrontationalstrikeseverseen,marredbypicket
lineviolenceandclashesbetweenpoliceandminers.
MinersinNottinghamshire,DerbyshireandLeicestershireeventuallycameouton
strike.Butsomeminerscontinuedtoworkandwerebrandedas"scabs"bytheir
colleagueswhentheycrossedpicketlines.
TheGovernmentbrandedthestrikingminersas"theenemywithin".
Whenthestrikeended12monthslater,itwasestimatedthatthetotalcosthadbeen£3
billion.Over11,000peoplehadbeenarrested,andaround5,000minersstoodtrialfora
varietyofoffences.
Manyofthethreatenedclosurestookplacein1992.Miningcommunitiesthroughout
thecountrywerescarred,andmanyneverfullyrecovered.
ItwastheendoftheindustrythathadoncebeenthebackboneofindustrialBritain.In
1984therewere170collieriesinBritain,employingmorethan190,000people.
Todaytherearefewerthan20collieries(coalmines),employingaworkforceofaround
5,000.
Thereisnoofficialrecordofwhathappenedtothethousandsofminerswhowere
forcedtoleavetheindustryoverthelast20years.
Howevera1994studybytheCoalfieldCommunitiesCampaign,basedonasurveyof
900ex-miners,paintedadepressingpicture.
Itfoundthatmorethan50%ofex-minerswerestilloutofworkmorethanayearafter
leavingthepit.
PartV:Assassinationattemptof1984
Many historians have speculated that the assassination attempt on Margaret Thatcher and the
Conservative Party was a direct result of the Miner’s strike, increased police violence, and
general policies of the Tory government.
The Brighton hotel bombing was a Provisional Irish
Republican Army (IRA) assassination attempt
against the top tier of the British government in
1984. It missed its main targets but killed five
others.
It occurred on 12 October 1984 at the Grand
Hotel in Brighton, England.
A long-delay time bomb was planted in the hotel by
IRA member Patrick Magee, with the purpose of killing
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet,
who were staying at the hotel for the Conservative
Party conference. Although Thatcher narrowly escaped
injury, five people were killed including a sitting
13
Conservative MP, and 31 were injured.
MargaretThatcherbeganthenextsessionoftheconferenceat9:30amthefollowing
morning,as scheduled. She dropped from her speech most of her planned attacks on
the Labour Party and said the bombing was "an attempt to cripple Her Majesty's democratically
elected Government":
That is the scale of the outrage in which we have all shared, and the fact that we are gathered
here now—shocked, but composed and determined—is a sign not only that this attack has
failed, but that all attempts to destroy democracy by terrorism will fail.”
One of her biographers wrote that Thatcher's "coolness, in the immediate aftermath of the
attack and in the hours after it, won universal admiration. Her defiance was another Churchillian
moment in her premiership which seemed to encapsulate both her own steely character and the
British public's stoical refusal to submit to terrorism".
Immediately afterwards, her popularity soared almost to the level it had been during
the Falklands War. The Saturday after the bombing, Thatcher said to her constituents: "We
suffered a tragedy not one of us could have thought would happen in our country. And we
picked ourselves up and sorted ourselves out as all good British people do, and I thought, let us
stand together for we are British! They were trying to destroy the fundamental freedom that is
the birth-right of every British citizen, freedom, justice and democracy."
___________________________________________
bbc.co.uk/insideout/eastmidlands/series5/miners_strike_coal
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton_hotel_bombing
theguardian.com/politics/margaretthatcher
Photocredits:Photofusion/Rex,PA,TheGuardian
PartVI:ThatcherWordsearchandSentencepractice
14
Now,practicewritingsentencesforsomeofthesevocabwords.Pleasefeelfreetouse
thevocabwordsinthepast,present,orfuturetenseinyoursentences.
1. Assassination:Tokillsomeone,suchasafamousorimportantpersonusuallyforpolitical
reasons
1a._________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Privatization:ThiswordmorecommonlyenteredthemodernlexiconafterThatchersoldoff
majorBritishassetssuchasBPandpublicutilities.
2a.__________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Thatcherism:Atermusedtodescribeherownbrandofeconomicpolicy—controlling
inflation,forgettingunemploymentandlettingthefreemarketreign.
3a.___________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Balmoral:OneofQueenElizabeth’sresidencesinScotland,whereshemetwithPMThatcher
onseveraloccasions.
15
5. IronLady:AnicknamethatbecameassociatedwithThatcher’suncompromisingpolitics
andleadershipstyle.
6. Wets:TheWetsiswhatshecalledtheTory-leftsinsideherowncabinet.
7. Picketing:Tostandormarchinapublicplaceinordertoprotestsomethingortoprevent
otherworkersfromgoingtoworkduringastrike
8. Monarchy:Aformofgovernmentinwhichacountryisruledbyakingorqueen
8a.__________________________________________________________________________________________
9. Abhor:Todislike(someoneorsomething)verymuch
9a.__________________________________________________________________________________________
10. “Taxes”referstothePolltax:AflattaximposedfirstinScotlandin1989,theninEngland
andWalesin1990.Thepropernamefortheschemewasacommunitycharge.Riotsensued.
Theimplementationofthiswidelyunpopulartaxcausedsocialunrestandissaidtohaveled
toherdownfall.
10a.________________________________________________________________________________________
11. Handbagged:PeoplewhocrossedThatcherwouldreceivea“handbagging,”atermcritics
usedtodescribehowshecouldpubliclydressdownafoe,likebeingpubliclywhackedwith
oneofhertrademarkblackhandbags.
12. Thwart:Preventsomeonefromaccomplishingsomething,oppose
12a._______________________________________________________________________________________
13. Invigorate:Givestrengthorenergytosomeoneorsomething
13a.________________________________________________________________________________________
14. Coronation:Aceremonyinwhichacrownisplacedontheheadofanewkingorqueen
15. Strife:Angryorbitterdisagreementoverfundamentalissues;conflict
16. Immigration:Tomovefromyourhomecountrytoanewcountrytolive
16a.__________________________________________________________________________________________
17. Query:Aquestion,especiallyoneexpressingdoubtorrequestinginformation
18. U-Turn:Thisderivedfromhercomment,“Youturnifyouwantto.Thelady’snotfor
turning.”
19. Yob:Slangforarude,noisy,aggressiveyouth
19a.__________________________________________________________________________________________
16
Quick to answer Questions Regarding The Play
1. What is the Common Wealth?
2. Who were the Common Countries in 1979, and how many are there now?
3. Who is Philip?
4. What is wrong about the Prime Minsiter´s curtsey?
5. Margaret Thatcher talks about being a Scientist, a pioneer in research chemistry. What
did she help to invent?
6. What kind of relationships do they have with their mother´s. What do they say in the play
that makes this clear?
7. Why does the Queen ask: Will you be bringing any pets to Number Ten?
8. Who is Crawfie?
9. Who is Bobo?
10. What is Thatcher worried about-why do Crawfie and Bobo need to talk to each other?
11. They mention Rhodesia in the play, what is Rhodesia no known as?
12. The Queen: “Margaret put on a large pair of dark glasses I said, 'What
on earth are those for?”
13. Why was Thatcher wearing these glasses?
14. The Queen makes a joke about the interval. What does she say?
15. What happened shortly after returning to England from Lusaka?
16. What was the Shadow 5? And what happened to it?
17. What did Margeret Thatcher not do after the incident that upset the Queen?
18. What was Ronald Reagan doing before becoming President of the United States?
19. What happened to Ronals Reagan in March 1981
20. What other famous event happened in 1981, that is mentioned in the play?
21. The actors argue about the Belgrano? What was it?
22. Who said she wants to make Britain great again? Who does this remind us of today?
23. Why did the wives of the striking coalminers give their husbands carnations?
17
24. Who doesn´t want to have an interval? Why not?
After Interval:
25. We met several new historically based characters. One of them is Rupert Murdoch, a
name still known today. Who is he?
26. What nickname does he have in the play for Princess Diana?
27. What happened at the Coservative Party Conference in Brighton?
28. What do we learn, happens to Indira Gandhi?
29. What do our leading ladies find most disturbing about the attack?
ANSWERS
30. What did The Queen want Britain to do regarding Apartheid in South Africa?
What is the Common Wealth? The Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of
52 member states that are mostly former territories of the British Empire
Who is Philip? The Queen´s husband
What is wrong about the Prime Minsiter´s curtsey? It was over the top, she bowed too low.
Margaret Thatcher talks about being a Scientist, a pioneer in research chemistry. What did
she help to invent? She helped to make Mr Whippy ice-cream fluffy
What kind of relationships do they have with their mother´s. What do they say in the play
that makes this clear? Thatcher remarks that after the age of 15 she had nothing to say to
her mother, The Queen mention it is difficult to get her mother off the phone.
Why does the Queen ask: Will you be bringing any pets to Number Ten? She was hoping that
they could at least talk about dogs, that they would have something in common.
Who is Crawfie? She was Thatcher´s Lady.in-waiting
Who is Bobo? She was the Queen´s Lady in Waiting
What is Thatcher worried about-why do Crawfie and Bobo need to talk to each other? She is
worried that they will have outfits that are clashing with each other´s or too similar
They mention Rhodesia in the play, what is Rhodesia no known as? Zimbabwe
The Queen: “Margaret put on a large pair of dark glasses I said, 'What
on earth are those for?”
Why was Thatcher wearing these glasses? She was worried that people would throw acid in
her face.
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The Queen makes a joke about the interval. What does she say? She says it is sometimes the
best part of the play.
What happened shortly after returning to England from Lusaka? The IRA made a guerilla
roadside bomb attack against the British Army in 1979.
What was the Shadow 5? And what happened to it? The Shadow 5 was a boat belonging to a
cousin of Prince Philip, that was also bombed, and the whole family was killed.
What did Margeret Thatcher not do after the incident that upset the Queen? She didn´t phone
her
What was Ronald Reagan doing before becoming President of the United States? He was a
Hollywood actor
What happened to Ronald Reagan in March 1981. He was shot in an attempted assassination
What other famous event happened in 1981, that is mentioned in the play? The Royal
Wedding of Charles and Diana
The actors argue about the Belgrano? What was it? The Belgrano, was an Argentinian ship.
It was outside the two-hundred-mile military exclusion zone and it was
heading away from the Falklands but it was attacked under Thatchers orders
Who said she wants to make Britain great again? Who does this remind us of today?
Thatcher says it and it is reminds of Donald Trump wanting to make America great again.
Why did the wives of the striking coalminers give their husbands carnations? The carnations
symbolise heroism.
Who doesn´t want to have an interval? Why not? Thatcher doesn´t want an interval because
“there is too much to do” and she doesn´t want to waste time.
After Interval:
We met several new historically based characters. One of them is Rupert Murdoch, a name
still known today. Who is he? He is an Australian-born Interbational media mogul
What nickname does he have in the play for Princess Diana? The Princess of Sales
What happened at the Conservative Party Conference in Brighton? It was bombed
What do we learn, happens to Indira Gandhi? She was viciously assissinated
What do our leading ladies find most disturbing about the attack? Her personal bodyguards
were the murderers
What did The Queen want Britain to do regarding Apartheid in South Africa? She wanted to
impose sanctions against South Africa
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