Margaret Thatcher: The Honorary Jew - How Britain's Jews Helped Shape the Iron Lady and Her Beliefs

(Hardback, Annotated edition)

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One of the lesser-known aspects of Margaret Thatcher's premiership was the critical role played by Jews in sparking and sustaining her revolution. Was this chance, choice or simply a reflection of the fact that, as she herself said: 'I just wanted a Cabinet of clever, energetic people and frequently that turned out to be the same thing' In this book, the first to explore Mrs Thatcher's relationship with Britain's Jewish community, Robert Philpot shows that her regard did not come simply from her representing a constituency with more Jewish voters than any other, but stretched back to childhood. The author explores, too, how that relationship had a far-reaching impact on both her domestic and her Middle East policies. Based on archives, memoirs and interviews with everyone from former Cabinet ministers and advisors to constituency workers and political opponents, The Honorary Jew tells how Mrs Thatcher saw her own philosophical and political beliefs expressed in the values of Judaism.It tells, too, how, with the help of the Chief Rabbi, Immanuel Jakobovits, she fought the Church of England, and how her attachment to Israel led her to internal battles as a member of Edward Heath's government and, as Prime Minister, with the Arab-supporting Foreign Office, as well as her relationships with Israeli leaders as different as Golda Meir, Shimon Peres, and Menachem Begin.

Reviews

"Meticulously researched and skilfully written, this book delivers something that's very difficult to do these days - namely to provide a genuinely fresh perspective on one of Britain's, indeed the world's, most talked-about political icons." - Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London; "We all think we know about Maggie - and especially her relationship with the Jewish community and Israel. Robert Philpot's brilliantly readable book shows just how superficial the received wisdom is. Anyone who wants to understand what made Baroness Thatcher tick needs to read this." - Stephen Pollard , Editor of the Jewish Chronicle; "An original and important contribution to works on Thatcherism. This well-researched book is filled with fresh insights into the rapport the Prime Minister had with her circle of energetic Cabinet Ministers and No. 10 advisors from Jewish backgrounds. Philpot's revealing portraits of Keith Joseph, Nigel Lawson, Malcolm Rifkind, David Young, Alfred Sherman, Stephen Sherbourne and other key figures are particularly perceptive." - Jonathan Aitken

Author Bio

Robert Philpot is a freelance journalist and writer. His articles have appeared in The Jewish Chronicle, The Spectator, The New Statesman, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Standpoint, The Tablet and History Today. He is the former editor of Progress magazine and is now a contributing editor to it. He also previously served as a special adviser in the Northern Ireland Office and Cabinet Office.