Customer Reviews

The Downing Street Years

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The Downing Street Years" is an interesting, informative, enlightening and fascinating account of Margaret Thatcher as the Prime Minister of Great Britain for 11 years. Lady Thatcher was clearly a brilliant politician with a sharp intellect who has left an enduring legacy and indelible mark in British and world politics. Readers can get an insight on how she made certain decisions.

My political views are very different from hers but I greatly admire her achievements for Britain. She had the courage, perseverance and decisiveness to stand up for her beliefs and not just to please some people. Her rise to power in a male dominated society and Conservative Party is nothing short of remarkable. Things to her were in clear black or white, no grey areas, which generated either intense loyalty or deep seated dislike of the lady. She was truly an "Iron Lady".

In her memoirs, the reader will learn how she dealt with various significant events during her tenure in office such as the Falklands War, the USSR, the Miners Strike, and the privatization of nationalized industries, her encounters and opinions on various world leaders as well as how she won three elections (1979, 1983 and 1987). Her close friendship with Ronald Reagan played a significant role in the collapse of the USSR. She also reveals the challenges she often encountered in politics including betrayals and dealing with government officials steeped in bureaucracy.

This is excellent reading for executives and politicians of all political persuasions.

Mrs. Thatcher's memoirs of her decade-plus as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom are a very illuminating look at the 1980s, which were perhaps the most critical decade for Britain - and the rest of the Western world - since the Second World War. This is a massive, 800-plus page tome. But if you're interested in recent British history, or in the 1980s or the late Cold War, this book will reward your time and effort. Mrs. Thatcher may have been controversial - loved by many and hated by nearly as many - but one thing you can't accuse her of is failure to lead.

All of the important events of her tenure as PM are covered. Some of it is tedious - such as minute details about tax policies, for example. (Though these do, however, illustrate Mrs. Thatcher's impressive ability to understand the complexities of important issues.) But the wonderful thing about this book is that it's organized simultaneously chronologically and topically, which means you can skip over parts you're not interested in and go ahead to something else. (I admit I did this more than once.)

I particularly liked the parts dealing with the Falkland Islands War and those dealing with the Cold War. In the case of the former, I've read several military accounts of the conflict, but Mrs. Thatcher's detailed chronicling of the diplomatic aspects added greatly to my understanding of it. It was amazing how much the US, in the form of Secretary of State Al Haig, meddled in it to try to achieve "compromise," despite the fact that Argentina was clearly the aggressor.

The parts on the last phases of the Cold War were the strongest parts of the book. It's neat to get an insider's account of all the personalities and the diplomatic wrangling. Mrs. Thatcher was the Churchill of her time - she was instrumental in using real leadership skills to help hold together an alliance against aggressive dictatorships. The combination of her leadership with that of Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II, and Mikhail Gorbachev - the first Soviet leader who seemed to genuinely have good intentions, despite his continuing belief in communism - was a major factor in bringing about the end of the Cold War. I believe that as time goes by, Mrs. Thatcher will only be more vindicated, both for her contributions to the West's Cold War victory, and for starting the process of revitalizing Britain. (A former professor of mine who specialized in modern Britain and was - of course - a dedicated left-winger always gave Mrs. Thatcher a lot of credit for making some tough decisions that had positive long-term effects on the British economy; in fact, my professor even said that the prosperity Britain enjoyed in the `90s probably had more to do with Thatcher than with Blair. Coming from a leftist, that's saying something!)

Yes, this book is biased and one-sided; Mrs. Thatcher, atypically for a European leader, speaks (and writes) in a very straightforward, tell-it-like-it-is, here's-what-I-think-and-why-I'm-right fashion. (She almost seems like an American, with a habit like that!) But remember, these are memoirs. Memoirs, especially by former political leaders, are ALWAYS biased; they're not meant to be objective. Instead, they're meant to be one person's account, one person's case. If you keep that in mind, this is a very good book - huge and dense, perhaps, but worth the effort if the subject matter interests you.

This first volume of memoirs by Margaret Thatcher frankly recalls the former British prime minister's dealings with U.S. presidents, the Falkland War, and her election victories in 1979, 1983 and 1987. She also details the back-stabbing and eye-gouging that the British call politics. It may be a little less corrupt than politics in some other countries I could name, but it sure ain't an arena for the feint of heart. There were never any gray areas with Thatcher. The British either worshipped the ground she walked on, or detested her every word. There was nothing in the middle, because Thatcher was not given to taken the middle course. 'There's nothing I like more than a lively discussion' she would say. What she meant, of course, was that she loved a damn good arguement! This first part of her autobiography is as outspoken as she was. She pulls no punches, and her unequivocal opinions about world events she participated in and world leaders she encountered leave you wondering how she survived eleven years as Britain's Prime Minister. But would we expect anything else from Thatcher as she explains and defends her controversial policies, which caused the dismemberment of socialism and Britain's resurgence as a world power after many years of liberal misrule.

I can't help but like Margaret Thatcher, even though much of what she stood for abrades my own values and sense of what is right and wrong. If for nothing else than her iron-hard, Churchillian stance against the IRA in the 1980's---thus in the face of no British pullout from Northern Ireland sparing the Republic in the south from dealing with the fighting in Ulster---she rates all right in my eyes. She rose to power in her own party in a time when even in matriarchal Great Britain women were not supposed to be able to make it to the top. She also orchestrated the defeat of the entrenched if unpopular Labour Party in the 1970's by taking the minds and souls of her countrymen back to more glorious times of Empire. If there is any doubt that so many parallels can be drawn between her and her contemporary US counterpart Ronald Reagan, then consider how expertly she used one-liners and power slogans in her own campaigns and political battles. ("Labour Is Not Working" a popular banner of the late-70's is probably the best and most clever tool her party employed.)

In this memoir of the Downing Street years, Thatcher does only one thing wrong in my view and that's how she drifts too often into self-congratulation. I mean, that's the only way I can say it. Instead of sticking to facts and letting society and history be her jury, she appears perfectly content to do it herself. If "humility is truth" maybe in a way her take on herself is a virtue, I don't know, but to me, it came off as a slight faux pas.

The Prime Minister a reader meets in these topic-by-topic discussions of events germane to her lengthy time in office (she outlasted two US Presidents and nearly a third) is a capable, tough, self-confident personage who was probably the best and most fitting person to lead her nation at that moment.

These remarkable insights provide a first hand account of what it was like to be a Britich Prime Minister. Wets (i.e. wimps) are not tolerated. These tapes and the companion ones, The Path to Power, are essential leadership training in perseverance, decisiveness, political bargaining and priority setting. The account of the Falklands armada is quite splendid. All aspiring executives and politicians can gain tremendous ideas from these tapes and the companion books. Even those with more left wing leanings will respect Lady Thatcher who reports on tricky subordinates, loyal supporters and above all her close relationship with husband. These tapes deserve a much broader audience and greater marketing.

Being an autobiography dealing with a limited subset of the subject's years, the usual biographical information regarding early life, influences and inspirations are regrettably missing, though still covered in other works for those justifiably hungry for such ('Path to Power', by Thatcher', and John Campbell's biographies of the lady).

Personality issues within the government and international arena are given generous page-time, and do actually provide useful context and justification for actions and decisions taken by Thatcher throughout her premiership, as well as providing insights into the character and personalities of various world leaders. One particular insight of note for myself was the efforts enacted by US Secretary of State Alexander Haig in trying to forge a diplomatic solution to the Falklands invasion: I'd always considered Haig as something of a dyed-in-the-wool reactionary, but his actions and earnest efforts in this instance spoke far louder than words.

Discussions of economic minutiae, raining with acronyms specific to the British political and economic environments (including a very creative instance of public service-speak for budget deficits), aren't very effective at holding a reader's interest, but readers are encouraged to press on nonetheless, as disparate economic matters are blessedly interspersed with chapters on social, international, domestic and European issues of sufficient consciousness-boosting contrast.

Social matters are given adequate page-time, though I would have liked some additional context for several of such, especially comments regarding Thatcher's belief in removing provisions for no-fault divorce. Her almost-throwaway justification for such a view seemed to be vested in the belief that a woman (as if only a woman would want a divorce) should choose to depend more on her more-accountable husband than on less-accountable state welfare, seeming to follow on from the lady's views on moving dependence to more accountable service providers, susceptible to market forces, rather than governments. The two views seem more aligned in ideology than practicality, with no case evidence given to justify the lady's view on fault-based divorce.

On the Kindle edition, despite aid in photograph selection being applauded within the book's acknowledgments, no photo pages have been included

This book is one of the most interesting political autobiographies I have read (and I've read many of them). I must confess that interest was intensified due to the fact that I worked in the House of Commons during her tenure in office, and indeed worked during the 1987 General Election for two Conservative Members of Parliament (David Amess of Basildon and David Evennett of Erith & Crayford--yes, I know, you've never heard of either of them).
This is actually the first volume of Margaret Thatcher's books to be published; the prequel is 'The Path to Power' and there is a follow-up, 'The Collected Speeches', but for those interested, 'The Downing Street Years' is the book to have.

It begins with the 1979 General Election, and carries forward to her resignation as Prime Minister a decade later. In this volume are her perspectives on all the various Cabinet intrigues, shuffles and reshuffles; her attempts to find civil servants and other helpers who were not of the old guard but of a new mentality, often asking, 'Is he one of us?' by which she meant, not is he a Conservative, but rather, will he get something accomplished, is he a do-er?

Thatcher's perspectives on the various scandals and inter-Cabinet fighting makes for interesting reading -- she is candid in her likes and dislikes among her Cabinet colleagues. Her final row with Geoffrey Howe, who delivered a scathing speech in the HoC that mostly prompted the leadership crisis, is enlightening. (I've not seen his version, if one exists--it would be good to compare the two sides.) She was very disappointed at the end when she thought she had the continued support of the party, but each of her ministers and 'friends' told her in turn that while he supported her, others would not. She saw the writing on the wall, and after having won the first ballot for party leadership but not by a sufficient majority to avoid a second ballot, she resigned in favour of John Major (whose autobiography, recently issued, is also well worth reading, particularly for his comments about how Thatcher tried to maintain a controlling influence over him from behind the office).

You might be tempted, if you're not really into politics and not reading this for scholarly purposes, to skim over various minor issues that are gone into great detail. Historians are appreciative, but I seriously ask myself how many non-political scientists and historians will read through all the detail of what are now minor bits of history?

In all, a brilliant career, the first woman head of government in a major Western democracy, and well worth reading on the whole.

Margaret Thatcher rose to power as the Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1979 after many years of liberal party dominance in the United Kingdom. She was bright, bold, unafraid to speak her mind- and she made both strong friends and enemies during her multi-term rule. Sharing views similar to President Ronald Reagan, the two bonded during their many meetings as they charted the course not only of their own countries, but the Free World at a dangerous time. The Russians were still very much in power around the world at the time and the Cold War was raging. Russia had recently invaded Afghanistan along with giving support to the Contras in Nicaragua and covert support to many militant/Marxist groups around the world. Thatcher and Reagan were at times standing shoulder to shoulder against these trends, opposing Communism, fighting terrorists and thwarting hostile activities around the globe.

Thatcher is a strong woman- whether you agree with her policies or not. She has many of the qualities Reagan had- an unwavering commitment to what she thinks is right and just for all people, despite whether it is popular at the moment in opinion polls. She was called "The Iron Lady" for her steadfast commitment to her policies- and she wore the phrase as a badge of honor. I saw Margaret Thatcher speak at a leadership conference in the mid-1990's and the room was filled to capacity. I am sure there were many in the room who disagreed with her policies- but as with Reagan, she is simply too important and interesting a politician to ignore. In her memoir "The Downing Street Years" Thatcher goes through her personal decision-making processes for many critical events of her tenure- including the controversial action against militants in the Falkland Islands, an insurrection which the British shut down quickly with force. Reagan actually disagreed with her decision at the time- but he respected her nonetheless. Thatcher discusses many critical decisions she had to make to improve conditions in Great Britain, including privatising Britsh Petroleul (BP), taking people "off the dole" and cutting the power of labor groups whose efforts were strangling economic growth.

Margaret Thatcher is an important figure in the history of England and the world for her policies which helped thwart Communism, spread human rights and improve economic conditions in Great Britain. She will be remembered as a principled politician, a strategic thinker and a wonderful breath of fresh air on an often troubled world stage.

-Gene Pisasale
Author, "Lafayette's Gold- The Lost Brandywine treasure" and
"Vineyard Days"

Margaret Thatcher is an incredible person and her tale of her time as prime minister is fascinating. She kept detailed notes throughout her premiership and can recall the events that informed her decision making in great detail.

Whatever your opinions on her politics, she definitely knew where she wanted to take Britain and how to get there (if only more leaders were willing to stand up for their beliefs regardless of political correctness) and it's well worth the time it takes to read.

The strongest part of the book was that about the Cold War We are given an insider's account of all the personalities and the diplomatic wrangling. Mrs. Thatcher was the Churchill of her time.