This Sceptred Isle: The Twentieth Century, Vol 5: 1979-1999

I watched the Iron Lady this week and it got me thinking about growing up during the Thatcher years and how I was completely unaware of what was going on around me. I mean, I remember that the Falklands happened; I remember the poll tax riots and the miners' strike, but it was just ‘the news', when my dad would make us all be quiet so he could listen to it and I'd resent it and go and play Spectrum games in my room.

This is a whirlwind tour of a period spanning 20 years. There is very little depth at all - just the basic facts, can you show me where it hurts? But it has whetted my appetite to read Maggie's memoirs and try and understand just what was going on at the time. I've never really been very politically minded, even though in later years I have tried to be more so. This episode of the great Sceptred Isle series was very good at giving an overview of the time and was very easy to listen to. I should try more of them!