The Foreign Politics of Opposition: Margaret Thatcher and the Transatlantic Relationship before Power.

As Leader of the Opposition, Margaret Thatcher undertook visits across the Atlantic, establishing an international profile and formulating a political narrative that would offer a new economic approach to the British electorate. This article will use Thatcher's visits to the America/USA as a case study of how domestic Opposition leaders can establish an international profile. It will examine how Thatcher's transatlantic trips were conducted and reported; how Thatcher negotiated the politics of meeting foreign leaders; and, finally, it will assess how far Thatcher could go as an Opposition leader in staking out her own position without undermining unwritten diplomatic codes. The article concludes that Thatcher's transatlantic trips were a successful case in point for Opposition Leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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