I think it's more of a attack on the two-faced deceptiveness that politicians usually exhibit, and the demand for "unpopular choices" is more of a demand for consistency in the face of opposition looking to score political points on a hot-button issue.

Interestingly, Thatcher was known for ignoring pre-election opinion polling statistics (she personally identified herself as a 'conviction politician') and instead pointing at her unbeaten election record. This stubbornness was in fact key to her downfall, and the rest is history.