In April 1988 Margaret Thatcher gave a speech announcing the UK’s entry into the single market. This week Theresa May gave one confirming its departure. The two speeches, which define each prime minister’s relationship with the EU, were very different.
May used the terms “Britain”, “British”, “United Kingdom” and “country” more often than she used the words “European Union”, “EU” or “Europe”. Thatcher did the opposite, referring to the European Community, “European Union” and “Europe” more than the terms “Britain”, “British” and “country” (Thatcher doesn’t refer to the “United Kingdom” in her speech at all). The next most common topic in both speeches was trade and business. But Thatcher mentioned these terms at 1.5 times the rate May did. Similarly, Thatcher mentioned the single market at four times the rate that May does.
Some phrases used by May hadn’t been invented in 1988, most notably “Brexit”, which May used seven times, and “Global Britain”, a sound bite she relied on 10 times.
The current prime minister also used the terms “friend/s”, “friendship” or “allies” 27 times and the terms “immigration”, “migration” and “migrants” a dozen times — terms Thatcher didn’t mention at all.
Lastly, like so many politicians nowadays, May insisted on something being “clear” on 14 occasions, something Margaret Thatcher deemed unnecessary in her speech 29 years earlier.
