Bob Carr recalls Margaret Thatcher's 'racism' " (She said) that if we allowed too much of it we'd see the natives of the land, the European settlers, overtaken by migrants," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Mr Carr said the comments reminded him that, despite Baroness Thatcher's achievements, "there was an old fashioned quality to her that was entirely out of touch and probably explained why her party removed her in the early 90s." When Baroness Thatcher made the comments Mr Carr's wife was standing close by and he said he was so astonished "I don't think I could think of an appropriate reply." Mr Carr, a Labour politician who is also the former head of the state of New South Wales, said the conversation between the two took place during her retirement. He said that he disagreed with Baroness Thatcher over scores of issues, but that he still respected her boldness and political leadership. "She deserves credit for that, and that should be uppermost in our thoughts today," he said.