Margaret Thatcher's ten-year grip on power never depended much on the affection of her countrymen. She won three successive general elections by sheer force of character, the clarity of her goals and a lack of plausible opposition. As the Thatcher revolution rolled on, she acquired an almost mythic invincibility; popularity seemed to matter little as long as voters believed her to be the most trustworthy manager of the national interest.
That confidence in Thatcher's competence, however, has been ebbing fast in recent months. For the first time, there is a growing sense that the Iron Lady has finally worn out her...
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