The Iron Lady

"Whoever won a battle under the banner 'I Stand for Consensus'?" - Margaret Thatcher Hugo Young's THE IRON LADY covers virtually all of Thatcher's political career, beginning with her election to Parliament as the Member from Finchley in 1959. (Trivia question: What was Thatcher's university degree? Answer: Chemistry) While the book certainly includes Margaret's ventures onto the world stage - the Falklands conflict being the foremost example - and her relationship with other political giants of the time, principally Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the bulk of THE IRON LADY is confined to the UK's domestic issues. And, except for one reference to an interview with the PM in which she announced that her underclothes came from Marks & Spencer, the tone of the narrative is humorless verging on dour. For this reason, I can't say I enjoyed the volume. My completion of it, simply out of a sense of duty and the desire to learn about one of the great figures of 20th century British politics, literally took weeks. It's a book one can easily put down for lighter fare without guilt or qualm. The material for this political bio was extensively researched. Therefore, I have to believe that the author, willing to spend so much time on the project, must at least respect, if not grudgingly admire, Thatcher's political achievements. I say "grudgingly" because it came across, at least to me, that Young didn't like his subject at all, a lack of personal affection shared, the author concludes, by the British electorate at large. My main complaint is that THE IRON LADY is too comprehensive. It dedicates more than an adequate amount of print to the personalities, careers, and philosophies of other figures in Margaret's political life, both before an during her administrations. As an example, there was one interminable section on an information-leakage scandal involving British defense contractor Westland and rival Cabinet Ministers Heseltine and Brittan that was mind-numbingly arcane. Young's purpose was, I gather, to make a point about Thatcher's deviousness. My point is that a hundred pages of the book could've, and should've, been lopped off. Regardless of its shortcomings, THE IRON LADY is, in the absence of more engaging versions, an excellent source of knowledge on its subject. It is, perhaps, compulsory reading for any student of Margaret Thatcher's three terms as British Prime minister, from 1979 to 1990, even though it leaves off (with an Epilogue) in 1989, when the book was published, the year before Thatcher relinquished leadership of Her Majesty's Government and the Conservative Party to John Major. (Major is given only two passing mentions near the end of the 564-page text.) So, a reluctant 4 stars up from 3.

There have been few women throughout history whose impact has been so great that they have caused an era to carry their name. In the case of Queen Elizabeth I, the Elizabethian Age was followed several hundred years later by the Victorian Age of Queen Victoria, only to give way in time to Margaret Thatcher and "Thatcherism."Margaret Thatcher was truly a unique politician--not simply for the fact that she became the first female to head a western democracy, but because she was truly skilled and resolved in the art of politics.Margaret Thatcher was born into politics. The child of an alderman, she served under Harold Macmillan and in the government of Edward Heath.Her view of government and her rise to power mirrored, in many ways, the acension of Ronald Reagan in the United States. And, indeed, theirs is considered on the of the closest political alliances in history. Her view of smaller government, whatever the readers point of view, clicked with what England needed after years of shifting towards a socialist system. She was keen on privatization and lowering taxes. Something, that although cases could be made either way, certainly worked for her in 1980's Great Britian.The book also points out her outspoken opposition to communism, thus earning her the title "iron lady." Young takes care to highlight her brilliance as a visionary, her willingness to restore British pride by refusing to give up the Falkands, and her resolve in not giving one inch of ground in her belief that the democratic, free enterprise system was superior.This is truly a great book for all who are interested in the end of the Cold War and for those who wish to study the conservative "revolution" that struck the West in the 1980's.

For Anglophiles and serious students of modern British politics and economics, this is almost surely the best full-length biography of Margaret Thatcher that has been written thus far. Young concisely summarises the major events in Thatcher's career and provides sharp analyses of her personality and policies (eg, the effect on her of her class background, her closeness to Britain's Jewish community, etc). One wishes that he had written more about the economy, but since Young (who recently died) was a political journalist, his focus is understandably on politics. Especially good are the thumbnail sketches of the other major figures of Thatcherism -- Norman Tebbit, Nigel Lawson, Lord Young, etc.