Any suggestions? Student doing a 5000 word report on Thatcher.

Each year, sixth form students are given the option of completing an ‘EPQ’. This involves choosing any subject area they like and writing a 5000 word report on it (or creating an artefact of some kind and writing a 1000 word report). One student has chosen ‘How did Thatcher destroy the working class in 1970s and 1980s Britain?’ As the librarian, I will be helping students with research. As an aside, the school is in a very different catchment area to the one where I grew up and always returns Conservatives at elections (except this time when they voted in a Labour Councillor).

Does anyone have any suggestions of good places to find quality information, suitable to be referenced in an A-level assignment?

Thank you!

 

Minor point, but might it be a good idea to change the title - she was only initially elected in May 1979...

 

Only the one word required, it rhymes with shirt front.

 

Just give them a thesaurus open at the word hinted at in the above post and work from there

 

She was Secretary of State for Education and Science from 1970 though and became the milk snatcher in 1971.

 

The book 'The enemy within.' By Seumas Milne. Available at amazon. Quite cheap options . Not read it. But was recommended to me once. The way she used insiders to discredit the unions. Destroy the miners and the rest will follow.

 

I’ve a few words for her but I’m not putting them in print on here…..

 

Copy and pasted 5k times

 

Ex miner and local historian Dave Cherry produced a documentary showing the strike from the miners viewpoint
https://www.barnsleychronicle.com/article/21693/filmmaker-to-debut-new-documentary

 

Plenty of good online articles and sources both for and against the argument made. Some interesting opinion pieces too, such as this one:
https://www.independent.co.uk/voice...-the-truth-is-less-clear-cut-8565767.html?amp

 

Lol' you beat everybody to it' i wonder how many were gunna put exactly that..

 

Thatcher worked as a food scientist at J. Lyons and Co. where she was part of a team that found a method to increase the amount of air injected into ice cream so that it could be manufactured with fewer ingredients at a lower cost. The breakthrough led to the production of soft-serve ice cream, which was dished out from trucks across Great Britain under the brand Mr. Whippy.

It went downhill rapidly from there.

 

10 Things You May Not Know About Margaret Thatcher - HISTORY

Margaret Thatcher (spartacus-educational.com)

Margaret Thatcher: 20 ways that she changed Britain | Margaret Thatcher | The Guardian

Margaret Thatcher's legacy is one of devastation (politicshome.com)

Economic impact of Margaret Thatcher - Economics Help

Some key documents | Margaret Thatcher Foundation (need to wash my hands after linking this one )

 

Nooo! You just ruined Mr Whippy for me!

 

I'm really sorry.

 

Also, change it to Social change in the UK, from 1979 to 1991.and she didn't destroy the working class,as they still exist. The student might find it easier to successfully complete the HPQ,if they focus the question onto social or industrial or economic policies.
Not having a go JD,it's just that with H&EPQs, it helps from past experience to have a linear thread. There is so much that could be covered,the student might get bogged down or keep going off on tangents.
Once the student settles on a title, it ought to become easier for them. Who,what,where,why? Will provide a great store of information. As you know,an introductory question will require a conclusion,streamlining the question will help them write their conclusion and give at least two points of view.
It's an interesting subject they have chosen,and the responses in this thread already,demonstrate strong polarised opinions. I wonder why they chose her as a topic and used language such as the working class, it's not a term often used by 6th Form students. There's a lot of research material for them to use,once they narrow their question down. The conclusion could demonstrate a objective view before coming to a unequivocal final opinion.
I think you will enjoy the next academic year, working with this student,unless they are unwilling to take onboard your suggestions.

 

Will it extend to her covering up the murdered souls at Hillsborough?

 

Could just repeat the word 5000 times.

 

Thanks Kettlewell! They definitely need to refine their question. At the moment it is only their ‘working title’ but I’m surprised their supervisor approved it in its current form. Around 90% of the titles are unsuitable at the moment though so I guess the supervisors have been told not to focus too much on the specific title yet until they complete their preliminary research. When they come to me for assistance, I tend to ask targeted questions to help them them really think about the topic. At the start of the session they only think in general terms but by the end they have a clearer idea. I can’t wait until this student comes along to the library.

 

Thatchers Secret War: Subversion, Coercion, Secrecy and Government, 1974-90
Clive Bloom

• ISBN 10: 0752499742
  ISBN 13: 9780752499741

Marching to the Fault Line: The Miners' Strike and the Battle for Industrial Britain
by Francis Beckett & David Hencke

• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1849010250
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1849010252

The miners' strike 1984-5
by Sean Matgamna

• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1909639265
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1909639263

The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners
by Seumas Milne

• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1781683425
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1781683422