A Conservative coup: The fall of Margaret Thatcher

by Alan Watkins

Book by Watkins, Alan

Genres: Politics, History

229 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1991

About the author

Alan Rhun Watkins (3 April 1933 – 8 May 2010) was for over 50 years a British political columnist in various London-based magazines and newspapers. He also wrote about wine and rugby.

Reviews

[Mark Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredible read! I have long had an antipathy towards Lady Thatcher and the Monetarist Experiment that reached it's zenith under her stewardship. Unfortunatley, I am surrounded by misguided individuals whom never tire in their pontification about how "The Iron Lady" 'rebuilt this Country', took on the Unions, and 'restructured the economy for the better'. In a mental schematic that is reminiscent of "Stockholm Syndrome", most of these advocates lost their jobs / trades / and marriages to the Thatcherite Revolution", these people seem content to believe that their economic and political castration was "a necessary step that we had to take as a Country". The increasing gulf between rich and poor, and the deletion of Manufacturing from the National repertoire is lost on these myopic souls. Thus, my embattled mindset prompted the involuntary reflex - action to rip the book from the shelf during a recent visit to the Library! Anything that I could store in my armoury against these individuals is most welcome!

The book began in a quite peculiar manner and not at all as I had expected. The writing style undermined any engagement with the text and I was forced to re-read sections in order to ensure that I had grasped the concepts fully. However, once I had adapted to the Author's style; the internal and external machinations of the Conservative Party and their culmination in the removal of Mrs Thatcher burst into life.

The dynamics of the principal protagonists were clearly explained within the braoder context of their sphere of operation. The historical precedents of Macmillan; Heath, and Home were neatly worked into the text to create the image of a political party that, despite it's dominance of the UK political landscape; was characterised by significant ideological divergences. Indeed, excluding the notable exception of the 1983 General Election; the differences within the Conservative Party were the only ideological differences of the era! This is particularly true once the perfidious leaderships of Neil Kinnock and John Smith smothered the Labour Party.

The most intriguing aspect of the book was the fallability of Mrs Thatcher herself. Despite the slanted history that has portrayed her as being "Iron", the book details her eccentricities; her intolerance towards any other opnion beyond her own, and how, despite proclaiming to be a latter-day Cromwellian protector of British identity and sovereignty in the face of a burgeoning Europe; effectively signed Britain up to ever-closer union with Europe a la Ted Heath.

The Author highlights how, once the urban myths are pushed to one side, the Iron Lady was the victim of the contrivance of the 1980's epoch. Bullish; arrogant, believing in the supremacy of "I" over "we", when the end came, it came from the Party that had ironically gained so much from the ascendancy of Mrs Thatcher. In this day and age of "Too Big To Fail" it is a salutary lesson in how even the greatest historical figures, no matter how misunderstood, often become so blinkered about the enemy without rather than the "enemy within" that they are forced to artificially forge a legacy long-after there chances to make a positive contribution have since passed.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Those who follow my blog know that I enjoy my politics so I thought this one would be great, charting the events that led to the downfall of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister and the tense leadership contest that followed. Sadly this book was not what I expected. I understand that there needs to be background but in this case we got way to much of it. We know the Tories are in-fighting over Europe but we didn't need the entire history of the European Union and ERM, a lot of which was very technical and dull. I get that we needed a background to the Poll Tax and other reasons that she fell out with key ministers over and some of it was interesting, but there seemed to be too much padding rather than just the information we needed.

I did like finding out the ministers on both sides who stood against the Poll Tax though, including Leon Brittan, Nigel Lawson, George Young, Ted Heath, Jack Straw and Tim Yeo. I just felt there was no tension to the whole downfall and contest, and the author bugged me by jumping about the timeframe which was confusion so the whole thing lacked cohesion. It was much more interesting to read about in Ken Clarke's memoirs.

[Richard Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book both witty and acerbic about the blessed Margaret and her downfall