Bel is thinking

I’ve been reading a lot of commentary about how Lady Thatcher’s visit today to 10 Downing Street is just a PR stunt by Gordon Brown.

That may be so, but there is also another issue.

Gordon Brown is no fool. There is no way he would have allowed himself to be seen anywhere near Lady Thatcher, a woman who has been demonised by so many in his party, if he did not believe that there was real political capital to be gained in doing so. Brown is an astute politician, with an eye for the votes; he recognises that Lady Thatcher still appeals to many, and not just those who are often described as ‘traditional Tories’.

Lady Thatcher also is no fool. No-one could accuse her of political naiveté. By going to visit Gordon Brown on the day that the Conservative Party launched that ridiculous green report, she may well have been sending David Cameron and his boys the following message: ‘keep wasting time on stupid ideas and you will never come anywhere near 10 Downing Street’.

Seeing Lady Thatcher in front of that famous black door will achieve something else: it will remind real conservatives how much time has passed since they last held office. Perhaps it will inspire them to want to win again. It has often been said that Tory MPs act as though they are not that interested in the party winning a General Election ever again.

More than anything else, the sight of Gordon Brown standing proudly beside Baroness Thatcher should send this message to David Cameron: ‘you know that Thatcherite legacy you’re so keen on trashing? Maybe time to think again.’