Analysis of Brudges Speech by Margret Thatcher

We shall also look at it in the perspective of the relationship between Britain and European Union. It will be analyzed from Margret Thatcher’s point of view taking into account her actions, acts and words as portrayed in her speech. The research paper also intends to look at different time in the leadership of Britain. These are the periods before, during and after Thatcher was a Prime minister of United Kingdom. The focus of this research will be the VAT battle, the Single European Act and her country joining the European Monetary Union. In April 1975 April, Margret Thatcher gave a speech during the Conservative campaign to make Britain to remain in Europe Union. To emphasize the need to remain in European Union she says “…neither my foot nor Mr.

Benn nor anyone else will ever be able to take us out of Europe, for Europe is where we are and we have always been…” she noted that there was peace all over Europe because of the combine efforts of the nations that make up European Union. Before her term as Britain premier, Thatcher was fully in support of the European Union. She elucidated some of the benefits which Britain has had as a result of European Union. In her speech she says that the region has had a lot of help from the Union. These include grants that have made funded so many economic sectors. Thatcher is only claiming of the advantage that the nation has had from the European Community.

When her speech is analyzed keenly, we see no need for Britain to leave Britain. Though she only sheds light on the positive side, we know that there are also reasons why Britain wanted to terminate its membership in European Community. She campaigned for a “yes” in the 1975 referendum that led to validation of the membership of her country to European Union which was by then known as European Economic Community. She also advocated and fully supported Single European market. The Single European market was then put in place in in middle 1980s. Her views were shared widely in this internal market since her own appointee Lord Cockfield was made the Commissioner of the SEM. In the later discussion we shall see how this turned out to be a frustration to Thatcher.

She won this through annual budget rebate though it damaged her relationship with other countries like French. She wanted change especially in the agricultural policy of the European Union. This is what she said in her Brudges speech “. if we cannot reform those community policies which are patently wrong or ineffective and which are rightly causing public disquiet, than we shall not get the public support for the Community’s future development” According to her, the Agricultural policy was overspending most of the EU budget. She said that if the policies are not reformed then there was no need to support plans for such policies. The treaty for the single market was authored by Thatcher who suggested that the power of enterprise should be given to the market (Troitino, p143).

From her speech, we get that deregulation is the best way to achieve market liberty in and out of the free trade area. This is because a market was capable of regulating itself enhances competition effectively (Menkhoff, p253). This is what can speed up the economic growth among the member states. Her point is real. The institutions acted contrary to her expectations. Instead of deregulations of the market, it was in fact regulated and finished national distortion (Moss, p154). Thatcher wanted the sovereignty of nations to be maintained. It also increased the number of civil servants against the will of Thatcher. In her 1988 speech, she is cited as a lady who was who articulated her vision of Europe. The Single European Act (SEA) came into force in 1987 after it was signed into law in 1986 tabling amendments to the European Economic Commission (EEC).

It prepared the member states to integration of European Union that was to be completed in the year 1990 (Glaesner, p296). Its main idea was to integrate countries of Europe from common market to what came to be known as single market (Gamble, p9). This was achieved through having putting in place the decision structure where they increased the qualification of the majority voting and at the same time reducing voting under unanimity. Before the reign of Margret Thatcher, there was European Economic Community that enhanced market integration among the member states. The government was split over the decision to join the ERM or not. Thatcher finally agreed that she will allow her country to join the ERM in the year 1990. This was the just one year before she left the office of the prime minister.

At the same time, the then President of EEC Jacques Delors had advised the European parliament to embrace democracy among the member states. This shows that Thatcher is a focused leader who makes decision in the midst of controversy. He said that the union will control 80% of the legislations in the twelve-member states. These were her words “the basic framework is there: the Treaty of Rome itself was intended as a character for economic liberty…. but that is not how it has always been read, still less applied”. The period after Thatcher’s Resignation Major troubles came up after resignation of Thatcher in 1990. In 2002, she changed her mind on SEA. She foresaw the consequence of this as British joining the Euro.

She did not take it likely that it was going to be the historical end of the pound. Thatcher was also opposed to this because she saw it as deviation from economic deviation and introduction to political integration. Another incidence that Margret Thatcher opposed the relationship between her country and the EEC was issue concerning the frontier control. Thatcher was a proponent of Single European Act. During premiership, she also supported the Single Act of 1986. She was later frustrated with the SEA. After resignation she regretted the impact that the European Union had created to the economy. However, she was no longer powerful to reverse the situation since she was out of power. The speech by Margret Thatcher dwelt on three critical points.