Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #266756 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-12
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 3
• Binding: Audio CD

Synopsis
This collection of Margaret Thatcher's words contains extracts from her speeches over four decades and lasts for more than two and a half hours. The first CD contains more than 30 extracts, including "The Lady's Not for Turning", "No No No" and "Where there is discord...". The second CD contains longer extracts from three speeches, including her famous No Confidence Debate Speech in November 1990 when she famously declared "I'm enjoying this, I'm enjoying this...". The package includes a 16 page booklet explaining the context to each speech.

Customer Reviews

beyond admirable and impressive; often BREATHTAKINGLY MOVING
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First published in 1997, gathers fifty-nine of the Iron Lady's speeches, from her years as leader of the opposition, to her years as prime minister, to the time she stepped down in 1990, and through 1996.

Edited by Robin Harris, her trusted aide and adviser, a member of the prime minister's Policy Unit, director of the the Conservative Research Department, and a regular contributor to British, European and American publications. Neither the brief introductions to each speech nor the footnotes are ever verbose--providing backgrounds which only help in setting out its context.

Divided into The Opposition Years, The First Parliament, The Second Parliament, The Third Parliament, and After Downing Street, it is a most impressive selection from among Lady Thatcher's vast collection of speeches hitherto--the ones marking the most dramatic events of her time (the party conferences in opposition, the brief statement as she entered 10 Downing Street, after the IRA bombing, amid the Falklands crisis, the Libya debate, the Gulf Crisis, and the speeches to The European Union and The House of Lords)--intensely revealing her character and unshakeable beliefs.

Whether in admiration of Margaret Thatcher, or from a desire to study The Tories, or Britain, or great speeches, this is one book deserving of a place in one's study.
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Superb Record of a Superb Speaker.
Having read the Downing Street Years, this volume of Margaret Thatcher's speeches is a great collection of her official statements covering her election to Parliament to her Premiership and finally her dramatic downfall eleven and a half years later.

It is excellent as a researcher's guide to the politics of the 1980's, or just for the keen follower of Conservative politics. Covering a wide range of topics, it an exciting read and makes a companion volume to her memoirs. Most of her statements on the Argentine invasion were made in the Commons and so they make great reading in an historic setting. Always one for putting her views across in a forthright and eloquent manner this book takes the reader from the struggle of Opposition, to the defining of ideology with the many successes in between.

Harris wisely included the Bruges Speech made in 1988 which left a very strong impression on the Conservative Party and left no one in any doubt as to her position on Europe.

One of the reasons why Thatcher remained so popular with the party members must be her speeches at party conferences, these are all included to get an insight into the progress of events and policy. Her use of language, as shown by so many of her speeches reproduced in this volume, is first rate and compelled the electorate, party and MP's to keep her in the leadership of party and country for so long.

One of the great Parliamentary speakers of the age an excellent addition to any political bookshelf.

TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE
This is suitable to all listeners, regardless of age, political leaning, nationality or religion. The Lady talks incredibly well and is often entertaining. One thoroughly surprising aspect of these tapes is the amount of events that punctuated her time at number ten. There are great insights into the miners' strike, the Falkland Conflict, hyperinflation and a transition of power to John Major - a wholly different political animal. She's no Andrew Marr, but she really is a stunning political force who was quite simply without rival during her day - hence the power vacuum she left behind.

Educational, historically interesting and entertaining. Highly recommended.