Thatcher's Secret

The following is taken from a photocopied newspaper cutting sent anoymously to a member of SFI. There is no date on it, but it carries the name Lynn Cochrane on the byeline. It has an authentic look about it, so we herebye publish it for all to see. Given her notorious hatred of Scots and all things Scottish, we feel it's the least we can do.

Thatcher's father 'groped girls'

The revered father of Margaret Thatcher, Alfred Roberts, was considered to be a pillar of society. He was, at various times in his illustrious career, mayor, alderman and Methodist lay preacher.
However, according to the distinguished political biographer Professor Bernard Crick, the grocer who inspired his daughter's Victorian values was also a notorious groper who sexually harassed the young female assistants in his shop.
Writing in the satirical magazine Punch, Prof Crick recounts a conversation with a contemporary of Alderman Roberts who described him as a "notorious toucher-up".
"Older teachers", she told Prof Crick, "all remembered their difficulty in trying, good women, to steer girls away from taking jobs at his shop."
"They were frightened to hint at the real reason: for his was a figure of real power in the town, both over public appointments and property deals, which he used and abused to the hilt."
A paragon of civic virtue, thrift and patriotism, the former Mayor of Grantham's influence on young Margaret totally eclipsed that of her mother. "I owe almost everything to my father," she famously declared on her arrival at Number 10 after her first election victory.
Prof Crick, emeritus professor of the University of London, learned of the allegations a few years later in the mid-1980's, when the then prime minister was promoting the Victorian values she had so admired in her father.
However, various newspapers, including the Daily Mirror, declined to publish the claims, which remained a secret until they appeared in the latest edition of Punch.
Although stories of Alderman Robert's alleged misconduct might not have been know nationally, they are well known in Grantham.
Speaking in yesterday's Independent on Sunday, one 74-year-old woman, who would not be named, said that she had been molested frequently by Alderman Roberts, when she was his 15-year-old shop worker.
She said: "He was a bad one. He came round and put his arms around me, feeling my breast. He used to put his tongue in my mouth. I got quite frightened. I didn't like it and I'd push him away. He'd say nothing and go, but then he would come back again, he used to chase other girls round the counter."
Peter Hadlow, 76, lived next door but one to the Roberts. He said the stories were common knowledge in Grantham. "But he [Alderman Roberts] was an alderman and so that sort of thing was hushed up. It was a question of who do you believe - a teenage girl, or Mr Roberts?"
Alderman Roberts died in a road accident in 1970. Lady Thatcher's office has said that she has no comment to make on the claims.

If anyone out there has the copy of Punch mentioned, we'd appreciate a scanned copy of the article, which you could e-mail to us at the usual address!

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