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Margaret Thatcher A Portrait of the Iron Lady

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  • Publisher:
    Algora Publishing, 2008
    Note: This book was purchased with support from the Government of Canada's Social Development Partnerships Program - Disability Component.

Details:

  • Author: Blundell, John
    Date:
    Created
    2008
    Summary:

    This book is John Blundell's personal portrait of Margaret Thatcher, the woman who was the pivotal point of the rescue of a country, a woman who woke up her nation and made it once again a world leader. It is not only the story of her life but also an examination of the ideas, interests and circumstances surrounding key events. The author illustrates Thatcher's decisive style in handling potentially explosive issues, her sang-froid and her charm through numerous vignettes and quotes. He relates the facts of Margaret Thatcher's terms in power and explains how policy reforms and political perspectives that are now taken for granted in Britain had to be fought for. The transformation she brought to the United Kingdom was stunning on many fronts. Pre-Thatcher, Blundell says, a sclerotic, union-dominated economy was typified by surly service, poor products and a "craven" business class. Post-Thatcher, even the British Broadcasting Corporation (B.B.C.), an exemplar of what Americans call the "liberal media," extended its coverage of the private business sector quite considerably. Such is the emphasis on the values of capitalism in today's society. Service and product quality have been improved many times over. The choice and level of quality and service that had so impressed the author on his first visits to the U.S. in 1974 was becoming commonplace in the U.K. by the end of her terms as prime minister. When Margaret Thatcher donated three million dollars to the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. to establish the Thatcher Center, it was John Blundell who proposed the toast to her in front of an audience of more than 500 assembled to mark the occasion. As the Iron Lady said, herself, John is very well placed to explain to Americans the beliefs and principles which underpinned what became known as "Thatcherism."

    Original Publisher: New York, Algora Publishing
    Language(s): English
    ISBN: 9780875866321