BRITAIN: I Quite Like Being Prime Minister

An assessment of Thatcher's first tough year in office

One year ago, Margaret Thatcher triumphantly moved into the Prime Minister's office at No. 10 Downing Street, promising "a new direction for Britain." She also cautioned: "It will not be easy." Right on both counts. Britain has undergone a sea change in government policies, and the British people, jolted by her stern conservative measures, consistently favor the Labor opposition in opinion polls. Last week TIME London Bureau Chief Bonnie Angelo cabled this assessment of Thatcher's first year in office:

Beyond the disapproving statistics there...

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