Ragnhild Vestli

Margaret Thatcher 1990-2002: Her Active Political Involvement to Promote Euroscepticism and to Influence the Politics of the Conservative Party Ragnhild Vestli

On 28 November 1990, having been Britain's Prime Minister for 11 years, Margaret Thatcher found herself as a backbencher in the House of Commons. She had been in politics since 1959 and did not intend to retire. This book is about Thatcher and her political engagement in the years 1990-2002. Dissatisfaction with her successor John Major and increasing Euroscepticism dominated her speeches and interviews. A lot of Conservative MPs supported her and rebelled in the House of Commons. Thatcher publicly endorsed the Eurosceptic candidates in the leadership campaigns both in 1997 and 2001. It has been claimed that the EU-issue nearly destroyed the Conservative Party. Her voluminous books contained memoirs, criticism and controversial ideas. Different right-wing think- tanks and several Conservative organisations were inspired by Thatcher's thoughts. This book highlights her attempts to influence British politics and how she was supported by right-wing newspapers to achieve publicity and partly set the political agenda. The target group for the book constitutes students, scholars and others who study history, social sciences or politics.