7 The oratory of Margaret Thatcher
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Peter Dorey
Abstract
Margaret Thatcher was undoubtedly one of the most charismatic and controversial party leaders and Prime Ministers in British political history. Two particular characteristics strongly impacted upon her oratorical style and rhetoric: her personal background (the grocer’s daughter from provincial Grantham), and her ideological beliefs (albeit often presented by her as ‘common sense’) or particular interpretation of Conservative philosophy. In terms of ethos, Thatcher was readily able to invoke her lower-middle class family background to establish a connection with her audience. This in turn underpinned much of her pathos, whereby Thatcher’s speeches established a sense of shared identity and common experience with her audience, in terms of belief in the importance of ‘family values’, hard work, individual liberty, personal responsibility, sobriety and thrift. Thatcher also appealed to a much wider audience by virtue of her logos, whereby she was adept at using both philosophical premises and empirical examples to attack her political opponents, while also reducing political choices to a series of binary opposites.
Abstract
Margaret Thatcher was undoubtedly one of the most charismatic and controversial party leaders and Prime Ministers in British political history. Two particular characteristics strongly impacted upon her oratorical style and rhetoric: her personal background (the grocer’s daughter from provincial Grantham), and her ideological beliefs (albeit often presented by her as ‘common sense’) or particular interpretation of Conservative philosophy. In terms of ethos, Thatcher was readily able to invoke her lower-middle class family background to establish a connection with her audience. This in turn underpinned much of her pathos, whereby Thatcher’s speeches established a sense of shared identity and common experience with her audience, in terms of belief in the importance of ‘family values’, hard work, individual liberty, personal responsibility, sobriety and thrift. Thatcher also appealed to a much wider audience by virtue of her logos, whereby she was adept at using both philosophical premises and empirical examples to attack her political opponents, while also reducing political choices to a series of binary opposites.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- Notes on contributors vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- List of abbreviations x
- Introduction 1
- 1 The oratory of Stanley Baldwin 14
- 2 The oratory of Winston Churchill 30
- 3 The oratory of Harold Macmillan 47
- 4 The oratory of Iain Macleod 62
- 5 The oratory of Enoch Powell 74
- 6 The oratory of Keith Joseph 87
- 7 The oratory of Margaret Thatcher 103
- 8 The oratory of Michael Heseltine 121
- 9 The oratory of John Major 137
- 10 The oratory of William Hague 150
- 11 The oratory of Boris Johnson 166
- 12 The oratory of David Cameron 182
- Conclusion 198
- Appendix 205
- Bibliography 208
- Index 226
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- Notes on contributors vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- List of abbreviations x
- Introduction 1
- 1 The oratory of Stanley Baldwin 14
- 2 The oratory of Winston Churchill 30
- 3 The oratory of Harold Macmillan 47
- 4 The oratory of Iain Macleod 62
- 5 The oratory of Enoch Powell 74
- 6 The oratory of Keith Joseph 87
- 7 The oratory of Margaret Thatcher 103
- 8 The oratory of Michael Heseltine 121
- 9 The oratory of John Major 137
- 10 The oratory of William Hague 150
- 11 The oratory of Boris Johnson 166
- 12 The oratory of David Cameron 182
- Conclusion 198
- Appendix 205
- Bibliography 208
- Index 226
