Fortunate in her enemies

For some time now I’ve had an idea for a book bouncing around in my head and, after a trip to Bolton Library to gather some initial source material, I’ve started putting together the basic structure.

The provisional title for the book is ‘Fortunate in her enemies’, based on an oft-repeated quote about Margaret Thatcher. I’m not sure what the original source of the quote is, or indeed whether it came from one person, although it is sometimes attributed to Neil Kinnock.¹

Each chapter will be dedicated to discussing one of Thatcher’s ‘enemies’ - including the Labour leaders she faced across the floor of the Commons. The overall thesis is that whilst Thatcher was an astute politician, she was also lucky, and greatly assisted by the decisions of some of her inept opponents.

At this point I have no fixed ideas in mind with regards to publication, as I’m just trying to get the outline down on paper, although I would like to approach academic publishers once I have something to show.