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Maggie: Her Fatal Legacy
John Sergeant brings his mordant wit and keen understanding to bear on Margaret Thatcher's enduring - and, as he persuasively argues, baleful - legacy. Based on Sergeant's insights into the Westminster scene and his unique access to her closest colleagues, Maggie charts the course from her glory days to her downfall and beyond, showing how 'Mrs Thatcher's power to influence events did not end with her resignation'.
389 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 5, 2025
I was born in 1971 so a lot of my formative years were spent under Maggie Thatcher's premiership. At the time I cared little about it, other than through the wonderful Spitting Image, which was food for playground banter.
Having recently moved back to the UK after a long spell abroad, I find myself becoming interested to learn about the period that I lived through but knew so little about. Though I cared little about politics until, well, until now really, Maggie stands firm in my mind like an icon.
John Sergeant's book is engaging and entertaining. It is interesting to hear the point of view of one who was so close to the action with the luxury of hindsight. For the layman (and I consider myself such), the book is easy to follow, although I did benefit from a few visits to Wikipedia and YouTube to learn more about the workings of British politics and see news reel footage from the time.
I have no other benchmarks against which to gauge John Sergeant's opinion of the events, but when he does give his opinion, it is always well backed up well. He does a great job of relating the key events, not only of Maggie's time as PM, but of her rise to become leader of the Conservative Party and her influence on her successors and her party; in a word, her legacy.
For those who do have a strong opinion of Margaret Thatcher, and I know that there are a lot of you out there, I think that this book will help to show the other side of the story, whatever side you happen to be on. But for those such as I without much of an opinion, you'll find this a highly informative book that gives a broad overview of Margaret Thatcher but it may leave you still wondering what to think. That's where I am anyway. I'm contemplating reading her memoirs, although I do like John Sergeant's book for its apparent lack of ideological bias and I could really use some more books like this one.
In short, I enjoyed this a lot and could listen to it again quite easily.
8 September 2025
And listen to it again I did! I listened this time on the back of having just listened to Iain Dale's book Margaret Thatcher: The Prime Ministers Series. I've also ordered Charles Moore's three-volume set of biographies, beginning with Margaret Thatcher: The Authorized Biography, Volume 1: From Grantham to the Falklands and am looking forward to diving into those.
Sergeant's book stands up well and I'd love it if he were to write a follow up looking at the Blair years.
Review for my Substack
John Sergeant was a BBC political correspondent while I was growing up. His book on Thatcher was my first book on my shiny new Audible account in 2008, when I’d just moved back to Scotland after many years overseas. I suppose it marks the beginning of my interest in recent British political history in general, and of Margaret Thatcher in particular, an interest that clearly has continued to the present day.
As a political correspondent during Thatcher’s leadership of the Conservative Party, Sergeant was well placed to record the events of the day. He does so with no small amount of self-deprecation and humour, making his book both fun and informative. I was inspired to listen to it again after finishing Iain Dale’s book, and it added some meat to the bones.
Having recently moved back to the UK after a long spell abroad, I find myself becoming interested to learn about the period that I lived through but knew so little about. Though I cared little about politics until, well, until now really, Maggie stands firm in my mind like an icon.
John Sergeant's book is engaging and entertaining. It is interesting to hear the point of view of one who was so close to the action with the luxury of hindsight. For the layman (and I consider myself such), the book is easy to follow, although I did benefit from a few visits to Wikipedia and YouTube to learn more about the workings of British politics and see news reel footage from the time.
I have no other benchmarks against which to gauge John Sergeant's opinion of the events, but when he does give his opinion, it is always well backed up well. He does a great job of relating the key events, not only of Maggie's time as PM, but of her rise to become leader of the Conservative Party and her influence on her successors and her party; in a word, her legacy.
For those who do have a strong opinion of Margaret Thatcher, and I know that there are a lot of you out there, I think that this book will help to show the other side of the story, whatever side you happen to be on. But for those such as I without much of an opinion, you'll find this a highly informative book that gives a broad overview of Margaret Thatcher but it may leave you still wondering what to think. That's where I am anyway. I'm contemplating reading her memoirs, although I do like John Sergeant's book for its apparent lack of ideological bias and I could really use some more books like this one.
In short, I enjoyed this a lot and could listen to it again quite easily.
8 September 2025
And listen to it again I did! I listened this time on the back of having just listened to Iain Dale's book Margaret Thatcher: The Prime Ministers Series. I've also ordered Charles Moore's three-volume set of biographies, beginning with Margaret Thatcher: The Authorized Biography, Volume 1: From Grantham to the Falklands and am looking forward to diving into those.
Sergeant's book stands up well and I'd love it if he were to write a follow up looking at the Blair years.
Review for my Substack
John Sergeant was a BBC political correspondent while I was growing up. His book on Thatcher was my first book on my shiny new Audible account in 2008, when I’d just moved back to Scotland after many years overseas. I suppose it marks the beginning of my interest in recent British political history in general, and of Margaret Thatcher in particular, an interest that clearly has continued to the present day.
As a political correspondent during Thatcher’s leadership of the Conservative Party, Sergeant was well placed to record the events of the day. He does so with no small amount of self-deprecation and humour, making his book both fun and informative. I was inspired to listen to it again after finishing Iain Dale’s book, and it added some meat to the bones.
August 3, 2013
A biting analysis of Maggie Thatcher's lasting political legacy on British politics. Of particular note is the 'behind the scenes' damage done to the Conservative Party after her resignation from office and the analysis that, due to the intricacies of Conservative Party selection processes, the Thatcherite cohort of MPs will be making an increasing contribution to party direction.
August 27, 2018
If anything, it's funny.
I felt the conclusion had been written first and the rest of the diatribe later. As a broadcaster who was more often than not waiting on the doorstep, having seen and heard things before the rest of the unassuming public, you can be forgiven for thinking you know more than others. And that is Serjeant's view point.
Criticism galore from anyone and everyone he comes in to contact with about 'Maggie'.
As I said, if anything, it's funny. Don't hold your breath for anything else.
I felt the conclusion had been written first and the rest of the diatribe later. As a broadcaster who was more often than not waiting on the doorstep, having seen and heard things before the rest of the unassuming public, you can be forgiven for thinking you know more than others. And that is Serjeant's view point.
Criticism galore from anyone and everyone he comes in to contact with about 'Maggie'.
As I said, if anything, it's funny. Don't hold your breath for anything else.
October 31, 2022
The first third of this book covers Thatcher’s eleven years as Prime Minster - the remainder concentrates on her inability out of office to stand back from politics as her anti-Europe views became more pronounced. Her stance was particularly damaging to John Major’s premiership as she supported the Tory rebels on the Maastricht bill and her interventions against Ken Clarke in Tory leadership elections were telling.
March 17, 2015
I picked this book up, thinking it would pass the next twenty minutes. I couldn’t put it down! Only a British voter would be so gripped by this story of dysfunctional dealings at Westminster.
Sergeant is a respected commentator on Westminster and reported on the Thatcher years and on John Major’s time in office. His focus here is on Thatcher as an influence behind the scenes when she was no longer in power - and even when she was no longer in parliament. As an insight into a significant politician it provides a more balanced appraisal than Thatcher is usually awarded. He gives reasons for saying that she was much more pragmatic than is generally thought - in relation to Britain’s dealings with Europe, for example. But, out of office, she seems to have fought for policies and tactics that she espoused but which did not suit a changing climate. The result was that Major himself was undermined and the Conservative party was split even further than would have been the case. (There has always been a division in the party over Britain’s role in Europe.)
This insider’s view is well worth reading.
QUOTES
“Home,” she once confessed, “is what you come to when you haven’t anything better to do. “
(On a trip to the USA after leaving office)
“Dressed in imperial purple, she waved to the crowds ... “We thank you so much,” she intoned regally.”
Sergeant is a respected commentator on Westminster and reported on the Thatcher years and on John Major’s time in office. His focus here is on Thatcher as an influence behind the scenes when she was no longer in power - and even when she was no longer in parliament. As an insight into a significant politician it provides a more balanced appraisal than Thatcher is usually awarded. He gives reasons for saying that she was much more pragmatic than is generally thought - in relation to Britain’s dealings with Europe, for example. But, out of office, she seems to have fought for policies and tactics that she espoused but which did not suit a changing climate. The result was that Major himself was undermined and the Conservative party was split even further than would have been the case. (There has always been a division in the party over Britain’s role in Europe.)
This insider’s view is well worth reading.
QUOTES
“Home,” she once confessed, “is what you come to when you haven’t anything better to do. “
(On a trip to the USA after leaving office)
“Dressed in imperial purple, she waved to the crowds ... “We thank you so much,” she intoned regally.”
September 1, 2015
Interesting read and nice to understand more post-premiership. It would probably have been more interesting were I British.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews