What was Margaret Thatchers leadership style?
Interesting how many here seem to have not read the question and talk about her policies as PM and her ideology. The question is about her leadership style, presumably of government and party? Most opinions that have been voice since her time in office seem to concur that her leadership style was that of a very strict headmistress, i.e. you disobeyed her at your peril. I recall a tale about Mr Pimm, one of her ministers, went on question time and said he would prefer to have a majority of between 80 and 100 rather than one that was into 3 figures, Mrs. T sacked him outright for it. She also, for a brief time, issued a gagging order that secretaries of state weren’t to appear on panel shows especially question time. She also lead ideologically, set out her big ideas and made sure everyone close to her thought the same as she did. She was also a very determined, stubborn leader, “…you turn if you want to”, possibly her greatest strength and her greatest weakness, and ultimately, her un
One could draw a very good parallel between Thatcher of Britain and REagan of the U.S. Domestically, Thatcher’s very conservative, pro-business and anti-labor policies was probably best illustrated with the development of the coal-mining strike in 1984-85. These workers, primarily in coal mining towns and villages in Northern Britain and southern Wales, were concerned after Thatcher appointed Ian McGregor to head the state-owned coal board. McGregor earned a slash and burn reputation as he attempted to bring the British steel industry back to profitable status by cutting nearly half of the national workforce in that industry. His appointment along with long anticipated announced closings of 20 coal mines and a call for greater mechanized mining operations in remaining mines resulted in a national strike by union mine workers. Anticipating their strike, Thatcher had been hoarding large quantities of surplus coal, had converted energy plants to petroleum and had arranged for trucking coa
