Word: thatcherism
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...prefers golf with his chums to affairs of state. He calls his wife "the boss," grouses about the "reptiles" of Fleet Street, and is addicted to a "tincture or two" before dinner. His name is Denis Thatcher, and he is the target of a long-running spoof in the British satirical magazine Private Eye in the form of letters to a fictional golfing pal named Bill. The missives tell of one man's travails living at 10 Downing Street with the British Prime Minister, who happens to be his wife...
...authors of the letters are Humorists John Wells and Richard Ingrams. They began writing the "Dear Bill" series soon after Mrs. Thatcher took office in 1979. The feature proved so popular that two years ago it was adapted into a stage farce, Anyone for Denis? The letters have also served to make the real-life Denis, 68, a semiretired businessman who does indeed play golf, a sympathetic figure in his difficult role as Britain's first First Gentleman...
Though friends say that the Private Eye satires make Denis seem more of a Milquetoast than he is, they have sometimes been so closely drawn that Thatcher aides suspected a spy on the premises. Denis' own opinions, quirks and quips are remarkably similar to those thought up by Wells and Ingrams. When asked at the start of Mrs. Thatcher's tour of the Far East last year if he would be wearing any particular hat, Denis shot back, "No hat, just my usual place half a step behind." Another time, commenting on his role in helping his wife...
Throughout the campaign, Denis has been a dutiful fixture at Maggie's appearances, nodding and applauding at the right moments, croaking, "Hear, hear," like a proud bullfrog each time she makes a point. A diligent Norwegian reporter counted 40 "Hear, hears" during a single Thatcher speech a few weeks ago in Yorkshire. Denis has a penchant for the blunt phrase. He routinely refers to trade unionists as "Luddites" and to antinuclear protesters as "Commies." As he once put it, "I don't pretend that I'm anything but an honest-to-God right-winger." After...
...which the real Mr. Thatcher might croak, "Hear, hear...