What do you think?
Rate this book
Margaret Thatcher:: A Portrait of the Iron Lady
When Margaret Thatcher donated $3m to the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, to establish the Thatcher Center, it was John Blundell who proposed the toast to her in front of the 500+ audience assembled to mark the occasion. This book is his 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 (BBC), 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 UK by the end of her terms as Prime Minister.
- GenresBiography
234 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2007
6 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 24, 2018
تاچر را دوست دارم و بیشک یکی از معدود سیاستمداران مورد علاقه من بوده و خواهد ماند.
نقطه ضعف کتاب این بود که سخنی از اشتباهات تاچر به میان نیاورده بود. بدون شک تاچر نیز با تمام خدمات مهمی که برای بریتانیای بیمار در دهه 70 میلادی به ارمغان آورد و تاثیرات شگرفی که بر جهان به جای گذاشت (که از آن به عنوان انقلاب تاچریسم یاد میشود) اشتباهاتی نیز در عرصه فعالیت خود داشته است که پرداختن به آنان چراغ راه آینده خواهد بود.
سیاستمداری به صلابت، جسارت، هوش و افکار او برای ایرانم آرزوست!
نقطه ضعف کتاب این بود که سخنی از اشتباهات تاچر به میان نیاورده بود. بدون شک تاچر نیز با تمام خدمات مهمی که برای بریتانیای بیمار در دهه 70 میلادی به ارمغان آورد و تاثیرات شگرفی که بر جهان به جای گذاشت (که از آن به عنوان انقلاب تاچریسم یاد میشود) اشتباهاتی نیز در عرصه فعالیت خود داشته است که پرداختن به آنان چراغ راه آینده خواهد بود.
سیاستمداری به صلابت، جسارت، هوش و افکار او برای ایرانم آرزوست!
December 7, 2010
~For book club 2010~
Ah politics. Many hate the sphere of government and distance themselves from it as much as possible. Most vote and end all their involvement there. Few chose to play the game, and even fewer do it for the right reasons.
Occasionally, one of the latter gets so much done, fixing so many problems and making such an impact for the public's good, that they find themselves in the pages of history, marked as a wonderful politician and loved by their country. Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of England, was one of those people. I thought that John Blundell's biography of her: Margaret Thatcher: A Portrait of the Iron Lady, was a good read on her and her life.
For one, I felt that most of the important moments and influences in her life were covered, and set the book down without any questions about who she was. Quite a good thing for a biography to do. However, I did wonder a little more about her home life - or whether she had much of one at all, with so much of her time spent in politics.
I did have questions about other things as well, mainly British politics. Sometimes I was quite lost in all the different positions and cabinets. The author did try to explain a little, but the book presumes that the reader has a basic knowledge of the system. I didn't have this. It would have helped, but in the end was probably not necessary for overall comprehension. As it was, I picked up as much as I could while I read, and in doing so learned a bit about the British political system while also learning about Margaret Thatcher.
The author obviously thinks that she was a wonderful politician, and reading his book about her I think I would have to agree. She was unwavering, and once she knew what had to be done she would do it. These are traits that are wonderful to have, especially in politics, because that way so much gets accomplished.
Was she perfect? No one is, and unfortunately her family probably suffered from her lack of presence in her house, due to her constant being away. (or at least that's what I gather from reading this book, maybe I'm wrong)
One thing I liked about this book was how it summarized everything in the last few chapters. There was a list of influential people in her life, major things she has accomplished in her political carrier and, perhaps my most favorite, a list of what John Blundell thought still needed to be done. I thought this was really interesting because it showed where we could take the lessons learned from Margaret Thatcher and apply them further. (Though of course it was things still needed to be done in England, I think American's could get information out of it as well)
Overall, Margaret Thatcher: A Portrait of the Iron Lady was just that. A good picture of a strong woman who's hard work has earned her a spot in history. Well deserved, I might add. If you want to learn about her, I would recommend you pick up John Blundell's book and find out more about this remarkable person.
Ah politics. Many hate the sphere of government and distance themselves from it as much as possible. Most vote and end all their involvement there. Few chose to play the game, and even fewer do it for the right reasons.
Occasionally, one of the latter gets so much done, fixing so many problems and making such an impact for the public's good, that they find themselves in the pages of history, marked as a wonderful politician and loved by their country. Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of England, was one of those people. I thought that John Blundell's biography of her: Margaret Thatcher: A Portrait of the Iron Lady, was a good read on her and her life.
For one, I felt that most of the important moments and influences in her life were covered, and set the book down without any questions about who she was. Quite a good thing for a biography to do. However, I did wonder a little more about her home life - or whether she had much of one at all, with so much of her time spent in politics.
I did have questions about other things as well, mainly British politics. Sometimes I was quite lost in all the different positions and cabinets. The author did try to explain a little, but the book presumes that the reader has a basic knowledge of the system. I didn't have this. It would have helped, but in the end was probably not necessary for overall comprehension. As it was, I picked up as much as I could while I read, and in doing so learned a bit about the British political system while also learning about Margaret Thatcher.
The author obviously thinks that she was a wonderful politician, and reading his book about her I think I would have to agree. She was unwavering, and once she knew what had to be done she would do it. These are traits that are wonderful to have, especially in politics, because that way so much gets accomplished.
Was she perfect? No one is, and unfortunately her family probably suffered from her lack of presence in her house, due to her constant being away. (or at least that's what I gather from reading this book, maybe I'm wrong)
One thing I liked about this book was how it summarized everything in the last few chapters. There was a list of influential people in her life, major things she has accomplished in her political carrier and, perhaps my most favorite, a list of what John Blundell thought still needed to be done. I thought this was really interesting because it showed where we could take the lessons learned from Margaret Thatcher and apply them further. (Though of course it was things still needed to be done in England, I think American's could get information out of it as well)
Overall, Margaret Thatcher: A Portrait of the Iron Lady was just that. A good picture of a strong woman who's hard work has earned her a spot in history. Well deserved, I might add. If you want to learn about her, I would recommend you pick up John Blundell's book and find out more about this remarkable person.
February 3, 2021
A very general round-up of Margaret Thatcher's personality and her political legacy, but this book is so biased that it reads like pure hagiography.
December 3, 2020
Ciekawa biografia poprzedzona wstępem Leszka Balcerowicza. Historia dojścia do władzy, a później 11 lat, które zmieniły Zjednoczone Królestwo z biedaka w jeden z najbogatszych krajów w Europie i na świecie. Thatcher zapoczątkowała prywatyzację i wspieranie biznesu, które trwa do dzisiaj i to nawet wtedy gdy u władzy jest jest przeciwnik czyli Partia Pracy. Biografia kończy się w momencie gdy Thatcher jeszcze żyje, ale już jest ciężko chora. Thatcher zmarła w 2013.
December 30, 2016
Giving it up on page 90.
I am giving it up because it is more about other people than it is of Margaret Thatcher. In majority of these instances, the descriptions of other people is not even required to paint the portrait of Mrs Thatcher.
I am giving it up because it is more about other people than it is of Margaret Thatcher. In majority of these instances, the descriptions of other people is not even required to paint the portrait of Mrs Thatcher.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews