There Is No Alternative: Why Margaret Thatcher Matters

In this fascinating book, author Dr. Claire Berlinski puts Margaret Thatcher under the microscope. Starting with a quick examination of her youthful experiences, she then moves onto an in-depth study of Mrs. Thatcher as she moved through her political career. The author quotes extensively from people whom she worked with, and against. She explains what Margaret Thatcher did and why, and examined what it tells about Mrs. Thatcher the woman. I must say that I found this to be an absolutely fascinating look at Mrs. Thatcher. I think that the author did a great job of really giving the reader an understanding of what made the Iron Lady tick - what she thought of women, socialism, supporters and detractors. In many ways this is a biography of the great woman, but it is so much more than that. So, let me just say that if you want to really understand Margaret Thatcher, then you really must get this excellent book. I highly recommend it!

Anyone interested in the future of conservatism ought to read this well-written book. Thatcher is both loved and loathed, and both for good reason. Taking power in Britain at a time when the country was an absolute basket case, the grocer's daughter realized that extreme measures were needed in order to pull Britain off the downward path of socialism and liberate the considerable entrepreneurial energies of its people. She ultimately succeeded, but not without causing dislocations and fundamental changes that, by contrast, make Ronald Reagan's strides forward to "morning in America" look like a cakewalk. Her imperious personality only made her drastic policies seem all the more drastic. There is an important lesson to be learned here: any really profound change away from socialism and towards capitalism will make permanent enemies, so any politician who seeks to make such changes must either be able to ignore the critics or transcend them. Berlinski interviews both allies and adversaries of Thatcher, including an interesting visit with some former miners whose lives were changed forever in the wake of the failed miners' strike of 1984. Berlinski's sympathies obviously lie with Thatcher, but she gives Thatcher's enemies a fair chance to be heard. I happen to agree with Berlinski's summation that while current geopolitical issues (radical Islamic terrorism, which Thatcher frankly failed to recognize as a big threat) may seem to have little to do with the Cold War milieu in which Thatcher operated, the eternal appeal of the secular religion of socialism (especially when it forms an "unholy alliance" of expediency with Islamic enemies of the West, as detailed by David Horowitz and others) will always make Thatcher's ideas and experiences relevant. This is a thought-provoking book with a very important message.

This somewhat chatty book does an excellent job of capturing England's malaise that brought Thatcher to power when the social engineering failures became clear to all. It succinctly catches Thatcher's rise to the top of Disraeli's greasy pole amidst the defeatism and appeasement within her own political party. Her drive, will and determination in tackling England's internal problems resulted in her place on the world stage, along with Reagan and Gorbachev. The book also provides views into the mindsets of the class-driven elite of the time, as well as the unions and their fiery leader, who for a while ruled England through the blunt power of labor strikes that paralyzed a nation. The book's ten chapters are very well researched, and the use of long transcripts from interviews of the players catches the mood and self doubts, along with the elation of successes, of the times. The vibrant and prosperous England that we know today is a result of the Thatcher's iron willed policies, reflected by no less than their wholesale adoption by her political successors.

Thatcher fought against the trade unions that had paralyzed Great Britain in the 1970's. Trade unions sought to get their way through strikes. Garbage remained uncollected, the coal miners attempted to seize control of the coal supply, etc. This book gives details behind this struggle against trade unions, which Thatcher ultimately won. Her victory resurrected the economy of Great Britain. As the US creeps ever closer to the situation that prevailed in 1970's Great Britain, one could do worse than read this book and get some insight into how it can be stopped.

Ms. Berlinski has written an excellent biography of one of the 20th Century's most important and intriguing political figures. She focuses on five main themes: the struggles of Great Britain in the 1970's prior to her election; the Falklands' conflict; Thatcher's relationship with (male) politicians; the miner's strike and her political downfall. The author uses transcripts of interviews she conducted with former cabinet officials, advisors and political adversaries of Mrs. Thatcher. The book is also footnoted, so that the reader can get more information from the sources used. Not only were there interviews with politicians and government officials, but there were also interviews with people affected by Mrs. Thatcher's policies. For example, the author interviews wealthy Britons in the banking and restaurant businesses who have profited greatly from England's economic resurgence. Moreover, she interviews three former coal miners who lost their job when Thatcher defeated the union and basically ended Britain's inefficient coal industry. From this biography, I was able to understand why Thatcher matters. She resurrected the pride of Great Britain, which had struggled with socialism, strikes and inefficiency for decades. Britain's economy is now the largest in Europe. Moreover, she restored Britain's standing in the world by reclaiming the Falkland Islands and along with the US, helping to defeat communism.