Margaret Thatcher - Dr Martin Holmes

It is often remarked that Margaret Thatcher was both Britain’s most liked and most loathed Prime Minister and there is much truth to this. But what kept her winning elections were the uncommitted voters who gave her the benefit of the doubt especially when the alternative was Labour under Michael Foot or Neil Kinnock. Thatcher won 3 elections but whether this was because of, or despite, her free market ideology has long been debated. Initially thought to be a domestic policy Prime Minister Thatcher became a strong advocate for British interests abroad as witnessed by the Falklands War and disputes over European integration. Trusted by Reagan and Gorbachev she played an important role in the ending of the Cold War. In the end it was the blunder of the Community Charge (poll tax) that unravelled her Premiership as her cabinet colleagues overthrew her in November 1990. This talk assesses her…