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Diary: in affairs of the heart, the Lady was not for telling Diary: in affairs of the heart, the Lady was not for telling
(5 months later)
• Fascinating insights in the serialisation of Charles Moore's authorised biographical masterwork on Margaret Thatcher. Formally launched on Tuesday, this was the book she arranged for publication after her death. In Sunday's Telegraph we learned how she almost gave away the Falklands. But from the evidence of Saturday's first extract, we see that perhaps she wasn't the plain speaker commonly depicted. Among the discoveries, Moore found mention of her first boyfriend, an army cadet called Tony Bray. The affair doesn't appear to have been a sizzler in the modern sense; they went to dances and dinners and he gave her carnations. Then he stopped answering her letters. He found her a little worthy. The best bit was saved for the end of the serialisation. Asked by Moore about her early relationships, "she replied with the understandable untruth that she had had no boyfriends before Denis; and when later asked specifically about Tony, she acknowledged the circumstances described above but would not be drawn into any detail". So she sought to hoodwink her own authorised biographer. One wonders how much of that sort of thing went on.• Fascinating insights in the serialisation of Charles Moore's authorised biographical masterwork on Margaret Thatcher. Formally launched on Tuesday, this was the book she arranged for publication after her death. In Sunday's Telegraph we learned how she almost gave away the Falklands. But from the evidence of Saturday's first extract, we see that perhaps she wasn't the plain speaker commonly depicted. Among the discoveries, Moore found mention of her first boyfriend, an army cadet called Tony Bray. The affair doesn't appear to have been a sizzler in the modern sense; they went to dances and dinners and he gave her carnations. Then he stopped answering her letters. He found her a little worthy. The best bit was saved for the end of the serialisation. Asked by Moore about her early relationships, "she replied with the understandable untruth that she had had no boyfriends before Denis; and when later asked specifically about Tony, she acknowledged the circumstances described above but would not be drawn into any detail". So she sought to hoodwink her own authorised biographer. One wonders how much of that sort of thing went on.
• Luckily Moore can be quite the sharp cookie. He's derided as Lord Snooty, but he does like a racy tale. Thus we learned more on Monday of some who "harboured a romantic devotion which teetered on the edge of the sexual". Apparently Sir Hector (later Lord) Laing, the chairman of United Biscuits, "would send her notes which he requested be placed under her pillow. Brian Walden, the former MP turned television interviewer, reported Lord Owen as saying: "The whiff of that perfume, the sweet smell of whisky. By God, Brian, she's appealing beyond belief." As for the roué Alan Clark, "I don't want actual penetration," he once confided to her biographer. "Just a massive snog."• Luckily Moore can be quite the sharp cookie. He's derided as Lord Snooty, but he does like a racy tale. Thus we learned more on Monday of some who "harboured a romantic devotion which teetered on the edge of the sexual". Apparently Sir Hector (later Lord) Laing, the chairman of United Biscuits, "would send her notes which he requested be placed under her pillow. Brian Walden, the former MP turned television interviewer, reported Lord Owen as saying: "The whiff of that perfume, the sweet smell of whisky. By God, Brian, she's appealing beyond belief." As for the roué Alan Clark, "I don't want actual penetration," he once confided to her biographer. "Just a massive snog."
• Meanwhile, efforts by Boris Johnson, aided by his occasional lunch partner Rupert Murdoch, to position himself for the grand prize, take another step forward with his call for the hapless Dave to "do a Maggie" and outlaw militant strikes. And if Dave can't do it, Bozza hints to the Sun that he knows a man who will. "The idea that a strike can be called by a majority of those that vote, rather than a majority of all those balloted, is farcical," he said. "I'd urge the government to act with Thatcherite zeal and legislate against strikes supported by less than half of all union members." Dave had better listen. But for the record, Boris was re-elected last year on a turnout of 38.1%.• Meanwhile, efforts by Boris Johnson, aided by his occasional lunch partner Rupert Murdoch, to position himself for the grand prize, take another step forward with his call for the hapless Dave to "do a Maggie" and outlaw militant strikes. And if Dave can't do it, Bozza hints to the Sun that he knows a man who will. "The idea that a strike can be called by a majority of those that vote, rather than a majority of all those balloted, is farcical," he said. "I'd urge the government to act with Thatcherite zeal and legislate against strikes supported by less than half of all union members." Dave had better listen. But for the record, Boris was re-elected last year on a turnout of 38.1%.
• Still, he is marvellous, and so says everyone who visits London's newest, whackiest tourist attraction, the rising, twisting ArcellorMittal Orbit tower in the Olympic Park. Visitors are first corralled on to a minibus – where there is a commentary by Boris. Then when they get to the viewing platform there are interactive exhibits, the first of which is a big map of the park and three sets of binoculars. The idea? To "spot Boris", apparently. Works in North Korea.• Still, he is marvellous, and so says everyone who visits London's newest, whackiest tourist attraction, the rising, twisting ArcellorMittal Orbit tower in the Olympic Park. Visitors are first corralled on to a minibus – where there is a commentary by Boris. Then when they get to the viewing platform there are interactive exhibits, the first of which is a big map of the park and three sets of binoculars. The idea? To "spot Boris", apparently. Works in North Korea.
• As we peruse the latest Sunday Times Rich List – with Arsenal FC's Russian Alisher Usmanov ranked the wealthiest person alive in Britain and Ireland with a fortune of £13.3bn – the French do the same with their ministerial equivalent. Following the exposure of former socialist budget minister Jerome Cahuzac, caught with oodles offshore, ministers have been forced to make a clean breast of things. The web page to which they have been coming clean broke all government records, with two million views within days. One minister seemed most unhappy. "You end up being seen as either a rich bastard or a poor jerk," he told Le Parisien. One female minister, unmasked as a multimillionaire, was no happier. "Several ministers asked if I would adopt them," she said. "They might at least have asked me for marriage!"• As we peruse the latest Sunday Times Rich List – with Arsenal FC's Russian Alisher Usmanov ranked the wealthiest person alive in Britain and Ireland with a fortune of £13.3bn – the French do the same with their ministerial equivalent. Following the exposure of former socialist budget minister Jerome Cahuzac, caught with oodles offshore, ministers have been forced to make a clean breast of things. The web page to which they have been coming clean broke all government records, with two million views within days. One minister seemed most unhappy. "You end up being seen as either a rich bastard or a poor jerk," he told Le Parisien. One female minister, unmasked as a multimillionaire, was no happier. "Several ministers asked if I would adopt them," she said. "They might at least have asked me for marriage!"
• Thanks to the anti-racist activist Nick Lowles, who spotlights the English Defence League supporter seen in Brighton this weekend sporting a tattoo on his neck that misspells Britain. (Britian). And they believe they are the master race, tweets Nick. Quite!• Thanks to the anti-racist activist Nick Lowles, who spotlights the English Defence League supporter seen in Brighton this weekend sporting a tattoo on his neck that misspells Britain. (Britian). And they believe they are the master race, tweets Nick. Quite!
Twitter: hugh_muir Twitter: hugh_muir
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