As good as Churchill?

On television, a few weeks ago, Michael Portillo (former British cabinet minister) said that Margaret Thatcher was the best prime minister the British had since Churchill. Mmm I wondered, can this be true? So I thought it would be worth examining those who held the office over the last 30 years.

James Callaghan became prime minister in 1976 following the retirement, on health grounds, of Harold Wilson. Callaghan (nicknamed ‘Sunny Jim’) was, to the casual observer, avuncular and one could not imagine him in a foul temper.

Callaghan led his Labour government until Margaret Thatcher won her first general election as Conservative leader in 1979. The British had to endure her condescending and uncompromising nature for over a decade as PM and, unsurprisingly, ‘Thatch’ divided political opinion, both inside and outside the UK. Politics was once again ideologically driven and, in turn, quite exciting.

In 1990, after being deposed as leader of her party, John Major succeeded Thatcher and also became PM. A nice man, he had virtually no charisma and this hung around his neck for the duration of his premiership. Even though everyone thought him dull, Major was far more accommodating in his attitude than ‘the grocer’s daughter’. But he never got the British media on his side and this contributed to the Conservatives losing the general election of 1997.

Labour had been out of power for over 18 years and Tony Blair was made PM (one of the youngest ever at 43). These days he’s now linked to the Iraq war, but his early years at the top, 1997-2001, were relatively trouble-free. However there was a ‘big beast’ waiting, impatiently, in the wings to replace Blair. Gordon Brown.

Brown had wanted to succeed John Smith following the latter’s death in May 1994. However Blair was chosen by the Labour party as leader and this angered Brown, who had expected the leadership come his way rather than Blair. This anger ran and ran for years. Finally in 2007 the one-eyed Chancellor of the Exchequer was crowned Labour leader and simultaneously prime minister.

Although not as heavily implicated in the Iraq war, as Blair, Brown had, indeed still has, little to offer as a communicator and this is a problem he’s never been able to resolve. However as British prime minister, despite an impressive start, Brown has become more and more unpopular. It’s doubtful that he’ll lead his party to a victorious fourth term in office (a general election is scheduled for next May) and his time as PM can only be described as disastrous. Despite his sincerity you could never say that Gordon Brown had the people on his side. He doesn’t seem to have time on his side either.

Each of the British political leaders had their advantages and disadvantages but I would struggle to say which of them was the best:

Callaghan – gentle but weak as a leader

Thatcher – right wing and uncompromising

Major – dull, though moderate in style

Blair – modern but too supine to right wing opinion

Brown – sincere, poor communicator and fails to inspire

The truth is that none of the five leaders, mentioned above, are fit to be compared to Churchill. Each of them has been divisive in some form. This differs sharply with the wartime leader, who brought people together and, that is why Michael Portillo is incorrect in his analysis.