{"title":"Series: The Prime Ministers","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to the 'The Prime Ministers' series, a compelling collection of Biography \u0026amp; Memoir books. This series offers an engaging glimpse into the lives of some of the most influential political figures who have shaped the course of history from behind the British political podium.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEach book in this series is a captivating biography that takes you through the political journey and personal experiences of a British Prime Minister. Whether you're intrigued by their leadership styles, decision-making processes, or personal triumphs and trials, these books offer a well-rounded exploration into their lives and careers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne notable entry in this collection is the biography of \u003cem\u003eMargaret Thatcher\u003c\/em\u003e, the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This book provides an insightful look into her formative years, her rise to power, and her time in office, shedding light on how she navigated the complexities of leading a nation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDive into 'The Prime Ministers' series to uncover the stories of these remarkable leaders, understand their legacies, and appreciate the indelible marks they've left on the pages of history.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"margaret-thatcher-by-iain-dale-9781800753587","title":"Margaret Thatcher","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIain Dale introduces Margaret Thatcher to a new generation and intelligently explodes some of the myths about her\u003c\/em\u003e Simon Heffer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMargaret Thatcher was a woman of tremendous paradoxes: a conviction politician who was also a pragmatist; someone who delighted in her tough reputation, yet could also be emotional, and even tearful, when confronted by personal or national tragedy. Her reputation as a cabinet leader was one of being quasi-dictatorial, yet she left her ministers to get on with their jobs - far more than any of her successors ever have. She was known as a classical laissez-faire liberal, yet she started out as a social conservative, and wasn't averse to state intervention when she felt it was warranted.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIain Dale's sparkling short biography of Margaret Thatcher brings her to life in all her paradoxes and contradictions and shows how her election in 1979 really was a turning point in British history. Dubbed the 'Iron Lady' by the Soviets, she was one of the few recent prime ministers to burnish an international reputation, fighting the Falklands war, playing a leading role in defeating Communism and winning the Cold War, and through her battles with the European Economic Community. Domestically, she ushered in a period of forty years of consensus on the limited role of the state, an industrial relations settlement and the dominance of the private sector in the economy - a settlement that is only now being seriously questioned.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA little over a decade after her death, \u003cem\u003eMargaret Thatcher\u003c\/em\u003e introduces her to new generations of readers who may not remember her premiership, but who are living with its consequences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46593604616428,"sku":"9781800753587","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/3635963482829.jpg?v=1751003961"},{"product_id":"harold-wilson-by-alan-johnson-9781800753327","title":"Harold Wilson","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHarold Wilson\u003c\/em\u003e was one of the most successful politicians of the twentieth century. Prime Minister from 1964-70, and again from 1974-76, he won four elections as well as a referendum on UK membership of the European Community. The achievements of the Wilson Era - from legalising homosexuality to protecting ethnic minorities, from women's rights to the Open University - radically improved ordinary people's lives for the better.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eHarold Wilson\u003c\/em\u003e, former Labour cabinet minister and bestselling author Alan Johnson presents a portrait of a truly twentieth-century man, whose 'white heat' speech proclaimed a scientific and technological revolution - and who was as much a part of the sixties as the Beatles and the Profumo scandal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46837834285292,"sku":"9781800753327","price":42.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/3633363482829.jpg?v=1758622572"},{"product_id":"winston-churchill-by-peter-caddick-adams-9781800753556","title":"Winston Churchill","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn his short new biography of \u003cem\u003eWinston Churchill\u003c\/em\u003e, author Peter Caddick-Adams writes that the recipe for Winston Churchill's success during his wartime premiership of 1940-45 can be found in the First World War. He argues that Britain's survival under Churchill was precisely because the nation, and its leaders, had undergone a \"dress rehearsal\" in 1914-18; conscription, rationing, convoys, air raids, mass production, women's uniformed services, coalitions and war cabinets. It had all happened before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChurchill, who himself had served in war cabinets during the earlier world war, understood the art of the possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46847336612076,"sku":"9781800753556","price":42.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/aa6ad1a4f60802d87e6b4442e5ff0451.jpg?v=1759187777"},{"product_id":"tony-blair-by-steve-richards-9781800754409","title":"Tony Blair","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'One of the shrewdest political commentators we have'\u003c\/em\u003e Andrew Marr\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWas Tony Blair a visionary, impatiently looking ahead, or a leader trapped by his past—Labour's vote-losing 1980s and the dominance of Margaret Thatcher? Was the party's move to the right under Blair necessary in order for them to win, or could they, after 18 years of Tory rule, have afforded to be more daring and more left wing than their leader wished to recognise?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn Steve Richards's short, provocative and highly engaging new biography, \u003cem\u003eTony Blair\u003c\/em\u003e, he argues that Blair was often the opposite of what we remember him being: perceived as a 'moderniser', he sought to strengthen the traditional institutions that partly define the UK, from the monarchy to the military; while to Margaret Thatcher's public appreciation he cemented her economic legacy rather than moved on from it. And, while he was viewed as messianic over Iraq, he was, in fact, being characteristically expedient, clinging to the orthodoxy in which the UK stands shoulder to shoulder with the US in war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut the UK in 2007 was undoubtedly a different country to the one it had been in 1997: from devolution, which played its part in establishing peace in Northern Ireland, to civil partnerships and a revived NHS, Blair left Britain in a much better place. While his legacy has been overshadowed by the Iraq war, \u003cem\u003eTony Blair\u003c\/em\u003e re-establishes a more rounded view of his time in office, and shows that the challenges facing Blair were the ones that still face Labour today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47341600506092,"sku":"9781800754409","price":37.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/3644183482829.jpg?v=1772193020"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/series-the-prime-ministers.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}