Alright, let’s get into this. Robin Harris’ Not for Turning: The Life of Margaret Thatcher came out in 2013, yeah? Written by one of her former speechwriters—a bloke who supposedly knew her “mind” better than most. Harris paints her as this iron-clad visionary, a leader who “saved Britain” by smashing unions, privatising industries, and gutting communities. But let’s not mince words: this book is a bloody slog. I forced myself through it, thinking maybe I’d finally understand why she did what she did. Spoiler: I’m still clueless. Was it ideology? Spite? A deep, unshakeable loathing for working-class blokes in overalls? Who knows. Harris doesn’t either—he’s too busy polishing her legacy like a shrine. 😤
The book’s framed as this “definitive” take on Thatcher, written by someone inside her circle. Harris argues she was a “true conservative,” a radical who dragged Britain into modernity. Modernity? Is that what we’re calling it? Let’s get real. Thatcher didn’t modernise squat. She ripped the heart out of manufacturing, coal, steel—industries that kept towns alive—and replaced them with… what? Banking? Speculation? A service economy built on debt and desperation? How’s that working out now, eh? We’re a nation of call centres and Deliveroo riders, reliant on imports while our infrastructure crumbles. Conservative? Don’t make me laugh. True conservatism respects heritage, community, stewardship. Thatcherism was a wrecking ball. 👊
Harris drones on about her “principles,” her refusal to compromise. Principles? She sold off council houses to buy votes, then left millions stranded in poverty when the jobs vanished. Where’s the principle in that? Communities collapsed. Families broke. Men who’d worked honest jobs their whole lives were tossed aside like rubbish. My grandad worked in a mill—closed in ’82. Never worked again. Died bitter. Thatcher didn’t “save” him. She broke him. And Harris has the gall to call that leadership? It’s a betrayal, mate. A betrayal of the people she was meant to serve.
And don’t get me started on the “Christian values” angle. Thatcher supposedly rooted her policies in faith? Please. Christ fed the poor, healed the sick. Thatcher privatised utilities, cut social spending, and let hospitals rot. Where’s the Gospel in that? Harris tries to spin her Methodism as a driving force, but it’s hollow. Faith without works is dead, right? She preached self-reliance while her policies trapped entire regions in dependency. Now we’ve got food banks in every town—food banks—while the City of London hoards wealth. Is that Christian? Is that conservatism? Or is it just greed wrapped in a Union Jack? 😡
The book’s timing’s sucks too. Published post-2008 crash, when the cracks in her “economic miracle” were plain as day. Harris glosses over it, though. No mention of how deregulation led to the mess we’re still cleaning up. No accountability. Just hero-worship. Meanwhile, towns like Manchester—proud, industrious—were left to rot. Factories shuttered, pubs boarded up, generations stripped of purpose. Thatcher didn’t “rescue” us. She created a vacuum, filled by cheap imports and zero-hour contracts. Now we’re paying the price: insecure work, inflated housing, kids with no future. But sure, let’s toast her “legacy.” 🙄
And Harris’ style? Dry as toast. He’s got all the warmth of a spreadsheet, rattling off policy wins without a shred of human empathy. Thousands jobless? Collateral damage. Communities shattered? Necessary sacrifice. There’s no grappling with the moral cost. No acknowledgment that conservatism—real conservatism—should protect people, not exploit them. Thatcher’s fans claim she “stood firm.” Stood firm against whom? Miners? Factory workers? Nurses? Working folk just trying to survive? What’s courageous about bullying the vulnerable?
Worst part? The book’s blind to the hypocrisy. Thatcher preached “traditional values” while eroding the very institutions that held society together. Marriage rates plummeted, addiction soared, families fractured—all under her watch. But hey, at least the stock market boomed! Harris shrugs it off, like these are just “unfortunate side effects.” Unfortunate? They’re a direct result of her ideology. You can’t gut livelihoods, destabilise communities, and then act shocked when society unravels.
And where’s the faith in all this? As a Protestant, I’ll say it straight: salvation’s through Christ alone, not some twisted mix of Ayn Rand and austerity. Thatcher’s brand of “Christianity” feels more like Catholic works-righteousness—a transactional faith where the rich are blessed and the poor deserve their lot. Nah. That’s not the Gospel. Christ didn’t die so hedge fund managers could buy yachts. He died for the least of us. Thatcher forgot that. So did Harris.
What’s wild is how this still stings. Decades later, and we’re living with her choices. Our high streets are charity shops and vape stores. Our kids move away because there’s no work. Our energy’s controlled by foreign firms. And Harris wants us to applaud? To call this “progress”? It’s a con. A bloody con. Thatcher didn’t conserve anything. She burned it down.
So why read this book? Maybe to understand the delusion. To see how smart people twist history to fit a narrative. But don’t expect answers. Harris offers excuses, not insight. Thatcher’s motives? Still a mystery. Maybe she just hated us. Maybe she thought we were lazy. Or maybe she was so blinded by ideology she couldn’t see the carnage. Either way, this book’s a mirror—reflecting the arrogance of power, the cost of dogma. And it’s grim.
What do you reckon? Am I off base? Too harsh? Or does this hit a nerve? Let’s chat—but first, I need a brew. This stuff’s maddening. ☕🔥
