All successful politicians have The Moment. An instant where national events, the public mood and their political instincts move decisively into alignment.
People often cite the Falklands as such an occasion for Margaret Thatcher. But they’re wrong. Her real turning point came a year earlier, during the 1981 IRA hunger strike crisis.
Thatcher, still a relatively new and untried leader, faced unprecedented pressure internationally, domestically and within her own Cabinet to bow to the prisoners’ demands. She refused.
On the day of Bobby Sands’ death, she went to the House of Commons to deliver what many thought would be a speech of capitulation.
To provide well-rounded coverage and a breadth of insight across various events, we rely on contributions from several staff writers, each bringing their own area of expertise to our publication.
