"THATCHER'S BRITAIN" (TERRY COLEMAN).   Term Paper ID:19984 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Critical review of reporter's one man's view of prime minister's impact through 1988.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Critical review of reporter's one man's view of prime minister's impact through 1988. Paper Introduction: This study will provide a book review of Terry Coleman's Thatcher's Britain. Coleman describes his book as "one man's view of Thatcher's Britain." It is "an idiosyncratic picture --- made up of many fragments --- of the parties, the politicians, the people whose votes they sought, and of the country as it revealed itself during the course of the campaign" (Coleman, 1988, foreword). Approaching the campaign and the politicians and people in 1987 in Great Britain from the viewpoint of a reporter, Coleman not unexpectedly gives us a realistic portrait. It is realistic in the sense that he certainly does not paint a rosy picture of the nation, but it is also somewhat hopeful in that he concludes that Thatcher might do some good for those in the nation who most need help. His conclusion, in fact, might fairly be said to be Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. To doubt thatshe could do anything for Britain, perhaps, for Coleman, would be to doubtthat anything at all could be done for the country. His conclusion, in fact, mightfairly be said to be the one unrealistic note in the book in that respect. No one of ordinary judgment canever doubt that she means what she says, but it can sound awfully strident. 1). . It is too much to expect an entirely objective work from a Britishwriter writing about his country in such turbulent times, but Coleman doeshis best. If one thinks things are fine in England, one will favorThatcher and find in Coleman some hope that Thatcher is the right leaderfor the nation. that the extraordinary energies of Mrs. Thatcher --- intolerant thoughthey are, and at times intolerable --- may be turned, in part, to the hugetask of making something of the lives of (poor) people. The first certainty was that demonstrated by Mrs.Thatcher as she began her campaign confident that Britain had been revivedand restored by her and now bore what she called a proud presence in theworld. Was ever so much dogma recanted in one day? . . It was awesome. What Coleman concludes from such observations is that Thatcher is notan exceptionally pleasant woman or leader, but she does have what it takesto help lead Britain out of the mess that the country is in. that if Jesus were to make his second coming .. Mrs. Thatcher would nail him to a cross" (Coleman, 1988, p. The authorhas been effective in painting a portrait which will force the reader toface his or her own preconceptions, misconceptions, biases, etc., inreading the book. It was not possible to doubt herintention to preserve what she believed herself to have achieved. . That afternoon shewas not on television . Perhaps he is simply trying to be hopeful, and the only hope tohim, with the Labourites as the alternative, was Thatcher. To bring up a family. Coleman is the recipient of severalnational awards for journalism. . For the rest, there was so much recantation that it becameembarrassing . However, more than mostother works, perhaps because he draws his data from interviews and behind-the-scenes observations, he presents a relatively objective portrait.Although he might come down on the side of Thatcher, it is not a Labour-hating view, and it is not one without criticism for Thatcher as well. That isall: but these are great things" (Coleman, 1988, pp. As a long-time political reporter and analyst, Coleman is certainlyqualified to write this book, and he admirably stays out of the way for themost part so that the reader can take in the accounts of the people and thepoliticians and make his or her own decisions about the reality of thesituation in the troubled nation. 185-186). But shewon't" (Coleman, 1988, p. A woman. It is realistic in the sense that hecertainly does not paint a rosy picture of the nation, but it is alsosomewhat hopeful in that he concludes that Thatcher might do some good forthose in the nation who most need help. Again, this is not an obvious bias by any means, butColeman seems to leave enough hints to allow the careful reader to concludethat he believes Thatcher to be a leader who at the very least has thecapacity to be effective and strong, even if she is not always able totranslate that capacity into reality. The second certainty was that shown by people in a derelict city .. 136-137). 19 . . . To be fair to Coleman,however, he does present a convincing argument as to Thatcher's toughnessand conviction, although it is to some degree based on hope that she can domore than she had done in the past. . To behonest, say she gets elected again, and she puts my sons in employment,then I tell you what, the next time she came up I'd vote for her. . . Approaching the campaign and the politicians and people in 1987 inGreat Britain from the viewpoint of a reporter, Coleman not unexpectedlygives us a realistic portrait. . . It is hardly a full portrait of the nation and itspolitics in 1987 and should be read in conjunction with other works whichprovide a more in-depth analysis of the issues and which provide a morecritical portrait of Thatcher. who were confident . The book is composed of such contradictionsand fragments, and Coleman is effective in juxtaposing contrary views so ittruly is left up to the reader to decide for herself or himself the truecondition of Great Britain. For example, Coleman notes that the Labour party's leader Kinnockrefused to compromise on the issue of nuclear disarmament: "That, then,remained the one policy with which Labour could be relied upon to hangitself. But she's never had to want. On the other hand, his last words seem to temper his hope, and,finally, he leaves it up to reader to decide. . It went on allday without ceasing" (Coleman, 1988, pp. One example of this attitude on the part of Coleman is hisdescription of a talk given by Thatcher. Was there ever such a mass confession (as at a majorLabour party rally)? The book is worthwhile, as long as the reader keeps in mind that itis one man's view. He prefaces the description bysaying, "What she gave in that room was a small demonstration of what sheis and why she is leader of her party . Thatcher's Britain. He does not pretend to seek to present a work without analysis orbiases or conclusions, but he is quite open about his inclinations when heexpresses them. He bases thisconclusion in part on the toughness and conviction of Thatcher herself, andin part on his critical observations with respect to the bumbling LabourParty and its leadership. It is difficult to imagine a morewellbalanced portrait of a nation at any one point in time. Dullwould he be of soul who did not burst out laughing. While Coleman certainly does his level best to walk a middle linebetween the parties and their leaders, trying to show the defects of theLabour Party and the failings of Thatcher in the eyes of the most hurtingin the nation, his book nevertheless, in subtle ways, seems to approve ofThatcher overall. If the readeris inclined, he or she will find too dark a picture of England; if he orshe is oppositely inclined, he will find too hopeful a picture. It is most readable, comprised as it is offascinating bits and pieces of the political reality of Britain at a veryturbulent time. First, he writes, "I hope .. Immediately thereafter, however, Coleman quotes a nurse as saying,"When (Thatcher) first came in, I thought it might do the country somegood. She said she was passionateabout the election. She didn't shout. For the reader who would complain that Coleman paints too rosy apicture of Thatcher and her policies and priorities and intentions, theargument might be fairly presented that Coleman more precisely is showingthe opposition party to be more incapable of effective leadership thanThatcher, whatever Thatcher's liabilities might be. He writes, for example, that the 1987 election "beganwith two certainties. . Her toughness is more likely to help than all (of the oppositionleader's) caring" (Coleman, 1988, p. London: Corgi.----------------------- 7 . . It is certainly not a rosy portrait, as hasbeen said, but it is a portrait full of life and ideas and energies, evenif a great deal of those energies are expressed in less than hopeful ways.Great Britain, in this portrait by Coleman, is not a happy place, butrather a place with profound and myriad problems which at the time of hiswriting appeared to some interviewees to be insoluble. Coleman does notpresent a black-and-white thesis but tries to present all sides of theThatcher question. If one sees Great Britain as being in dire straits, onewill focus on the despair in Coleman's book and will likely argue thatThatcher is one of the main problems of the country. This book will be evaluated in the same way that Thatcher herself isevaluated. . This is now a poorcountry. But [on the occasion being described] she spoke without a text,without notes, and she allowed herself gestures . (1988). Theauthor prefaces his book, after all, with the caveat that it is one man'sview. This study will provide a book review of Terry Coleman's Thatcher'sBritain. There are works which coincide with Coleman's view, and there areworks violently opposed to Thatcher and her policies, which in the UnitedStates were equated with the policies of Reagan. References Coleman, Terry. Coleman has done an excellent job of giving the readerprecisely the "one man's view" which he promised. 191). And who in his rightmind would buy a used political party from such creatures? Coleman describes his book as "one man's view of Thatcher's Britain."It is "an idiosyncratic picture --- made up of many fragments --- of theparties, the politicians, the people whose votes they sought, and of thecountry as it revealed itself during the course of the campaign" (Coleman,1988, foreword). Wereever so many wounds and sores freely exhibited? What she did have, and abundantly demonstrated as shespoke, was complete conviction . If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.